Nepenthes bongso

Synonymy

Nepenthes bongso Korth. in Verh. Nat. Gesch. Ned. Bezitt., Bot. 19: 19 (-21), t. 14. 1840 [After a local name, "Putri Bungsu"B]. sec. Cheek & Jebb 2001

Isotype: Indonesia, Sumatra, G. Merapi, alt. 2500 m, P.W. Korthals s.n. (B)
Lectotype: Indonesia, Sumatra, G. Merapi, alt. 2500 m, P.W. Korthals s.n. (K)
Isotype: Indonesia, Sumatra, G. Merapi, alt. 2500 m, P.W. Korthals s.n. (W)

=Nepenthes carunculata Danser in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. 3, 9: 277, f. 1. 1928 syn. sec. Cheek & Jebb 2001

=Nepenthes carunculata var. robusta Nerz & Wistuba in Carniv. Pl. Newslett. 23(4): 111, f. 5. 1995 syn. sec. Cheek & Jebb 2001

=? Nepenthes talangensis Nerz & Wistuba in Carniv. Pl. Newslett. 23(4): 101, f. 1. 1995 syn. sec. Cheek & Jebb 2001

Holotype (designated by Nerz, J. & Wistuba, A. 19951): G. Talang, 2200 m, W-Sumatra, 6 Sep 1986, J. Nerz 2501 (L)

1. Nerz, J. & Wistuba, A. 1995: Five new taxa of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae) from North and West Sumatra. – Carniv. Pl. Newslett. 23(4): 101-114

Content

Other sources

Danser, B. H. 1928: – Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. 3, 9: 272

Kurata, S. 1973: – Gard. Bull. Singapore 26(2): 227

Jebb, M. H. P. & Cheek, M. R. 1997: A skeletal revision of Nepenthes. – Blumea 42(1): 1-106: 25

Nepenthes carunculata Danser in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. 3, 9: 277, f. 1. 1928: Kurata, S. 1973: – Gard. Bull. Singapore 26(2): 227 (as Nepenthes carunculata Danser in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. 3, 9: 277, f. 1. 1928)

Description

Terrestrial climber to 2 m tall. Stems terete to slightly angular, 0.3-0.6 cm diam., internodes 1.5-9 cm long. Leaves thinly coriaceous, sessile, obovate-spathulate to oblanceolate-spathulate, 6-20 by 1.5-4.5 cm, apex rounded or acute, rarely emarginate, peltate or not, base attenuate to more or less parallel-sided, clasping the stem by 1/2 its circumference, subauriculate, not decurrent. Longitudinal nerves 2-4 on each side of the midrib, scattered throughout blade. Pennate nerves scattered, irregular, arising perpendicular to midrib, or obliquely ascending. Lower pitchers ellipsoid or ellipsoid-cylindrical, 10-20 by 2.5-6 cm; with 2 narrow, sparsely fringed wings 1-1.5 mm broad, fringe elements 7 mm long, 1-2 mm apart; mouth oblique, ovate-acuminate; peristome flattened, c. 7 mm wide, ribs c. 1 mm apart, inner edge with teeth, outer edge entire; lid orbicular, apex rounded, base cordate, lower surface lacking appendages, nectar glands circular; spur entire, filiform. Upper pitchers infundibulate, narrowed at mouth, often with a broad curve near base; 8-16(-21) by 2.5-4(-6) cm; wings lacking; mouth horizontal at front, oblique and sometimes attenuate to lid; peristome rounded, to 5 mm wide; lid orbicular to subtriangular, 2.5-5 by 2.5-4 cm, apex rounded, base cordate, lower surface with or without a thickened boss near the apex, nectar glands numerous, orbicular, 0.2-0.3 mm wide, most dense towards centre, often with a few, large (0.8-1 mm) glands towards the apex; spur simple, 2-8 mm long. Male inflorescence 10-23 by 1.8-3.5 cm; peduncle 4.5-6.5 cm long, 1-1.5 mm diam. at base; partial peduncles 1- or 2-flowered; bract filiform c. 10 mm long; pedicels 4-15 mm long; tepals elliptic, 2-4 by 1-2 mm; androphore 2-4 mm long; anther head c. 1 mm diam. Fruit and seed unknown. Indumentum absent from stem and leaves, sparsely puberulent on pitcher, inflorescence puberulent from base of rhachis to lower surface of tepals, hairs white, simple, appressed, 0.2-0.4 mm long, androphore puberulent and pitcher surface, glabrescent. Colour of pitchers green, peristome with red lines, and mottled red within; flowers creamy-green to red; indumentum white to rufous brown.A

Notes

This is one of a Sumatran group of apparently closely related species (the others are: N. aristolochioides, N. diatas, N. densiflora, N. ovata, N. singalana, and N. spathulata). The wholly infundibulate upper pitchers, which are narrowed immediately below the mouth are characteristic of this species, N. densiflora and N. ovata. Nepenthes ovata is distinguished by the appendage on the underside of its lid towards the base, while N. densiflora has more gradually attenuate and narrower leaves (not obovate-spathulate) with an acute or acuminate apex (not sub-peltate), and the abrupt (not gradual) origin of the pitcher from the end of the tendril.
Danser in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg III 9 (1928) 279 distinguished N. carunculata from N. bongso by the presence of an apical appendage on the lid, and the 2-flowered partial peduncles. Furthermore, the type specimen of N. carunculata at Bogor is a mixed collection, the second sheet bearing a specimen of N. pectinata, which can be identified by its larger laminas with more numerous, and evenly spaced longitudinal veins. Recent collections combine one or other of these distinguishing characters with those of N. bongso (e.g. De Vogel 2826 has a lid appendage and 1-flowered partial peduncles). Each mountain peak in C Sumatra appears to support a slight variant of N. bongso, and we have adopted a rather broad definition of the species.
Specimens from Mt Talang have been distinguished as N. talangensis, which may well merit recognition on the basis of photographs we have seen. However, we have not yet viewed the type specimens and for the meantime are leaving it as a synonym of N. bongso.A

Distribution (General)

Sumatra: Barat&UtaraA

Habitat

Forest and forest edges; 1000-2700 mA

Bibliography

A. Cheek, M. R. & Jebb, M. H. P. 2001: Flora Malesiana - Nepenthaceae, Series I, Volume 15. – Leiden: Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Universiteit Leiden branch

Specimens

Country	Date	Collector + collecting number	Herbaria
Indonesia		Korthals, P. W. s.n.	B, K, W
Citation: Indonesia, Sumatra, G. Merapi, alt. 2500 m, P.W. Korthals s.n. Specimen summary: B Isotype of Nepenthes bongso Korth. Specimen summary: K Lectotype of Nepenthes bongso Korth. Specimen summary: W Isotype of Nepenthes bongso Korth.
	1986-09-06	Nerz, J. 2501	L
Citation: G. Talang, 2200 m, W-Sumatra, 6 Sep 1986, J. Nerz 2501 Specimen summary: L Holotype of Nepenthes talangensis Nerz & Wistuba