Nepenthes tboli
Synonymy
Nepenthes tboli in Blumea 59: 149, fig. 2. 2014 [Named, as a noun in apposition, for the T’boli people and area from whence the type specimen derives.B]. sec. Cheek & Jebb 2014
- Type: Gaerlan, Sagcal & Romero in PPI 13083 (holotype BRIT!; isotype L! sh. 0099289), Philippines, Mindanao, South Cotabato Province, T’Boli, Lake Parker, 1463 m alt., male fl. & fr. Aug 1993.
Description
Terrestrial shrub or climber to at least 0.5 m tall. Rosette and climbing stems unknown. Short stems terete, 0.4–0.6 cm diam. Leaves spirally inserted, internodes 1.5 – 2.6 cm long, epidermis drying black, wrinkled, moderately densely covered in red sessile globose glands 0.05 mm diam; very young stems c. 50 % covered in red-brown, curved-erect, simple or 2(–3)-armed hairs 0.1 mm tall, concentrated in and near leaf axils; older stems with hairs 0.1–0.25 mm long c. 5 % covered and appearing glabrous. Leaf blades oblong-elliptic, 11–16 by 2.8–3.5 cm; apex attenuate, base decurrent; longitudinal and pennate nerves not conspicuous, barely visible only on lower surface, longitudinal nerves 5–10 pairs, oblique, arising at intervals along midrib as pennate nerves, arching upwards before running along and adjacent to margin for 0.5–1 cm; indumentum absent from upper surface, except leaf edge which is densely hairy, hairs 2–3-branched from the base or from the main axis, 0.25–0.75 mm long; lower surface with red, sessile, globose glands c. 0.5 mm diam, c. 4 per mm2; midrib moderately densely hairy, c. 50 % cover, hairs simple, or basally bi- or trifurcate 0.5–0.7 mm long, mixed with shrubby, multi-armed hairs 0.25 mm diam. Petioles with patent wings, 4.5–6 by 0.6–0.9 cm, margin with white, sparsely branched, patent hairs 0.25–0.5 mm long; base clasping the stem for 1/2–2/3 its circumference, shallowly winged, subauriculate. Lower and intermediate pitchers unknown. Upper pitchers (tendril coiled) narrowly subcylindrical, 11.5–17.5 by 3.5–4 cm; broadest at base, gradually tapering to 2.5–3 cm wide at the centre, gradually dilating towards apex, to c. 3.5 cm wide below the peristome; fringed wings absent, reduced to ridges; outer surface minutely and sparsely puberulent, c. 5 % covered with erect red hairs, c. 7 per mm2, hairs bifurcate at base or apex, or bushy, sessile, 0.15 mm long, or (c. 1 in 20 hairs) 3 mm long, patent, with 2–3 short lateral branches. Mouth ovate, 3–5.3 by 3.7–4 cm, oblique; peristome subcylindric, 2–2.5 mm wide, ridges 0.15–0.2 mm high, 0.3 mm apart, outer edge tightly inrolled, not lobed, inner edge slightly incurved, teeth absent, perforated with holes, mostly clearly visible near the weakly developed column. Lid ovate or ovate-elliptic; 3–3.8 by 2.4–3.4 cm; apex retuse, sinus 1–2 mm deep, base shallowly and broadly cordate or rounded; lower surface with a forwarddirected pocket, 1–2 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, set back 2–3 mm from the midline apex, the pocket sides continued to apex by two ridges; mouth of pocket and marginal 2–3 mm of the lid, minutely stellate-hairy, lacking nectar glands, the hairs c. 0.1 mm diam with (2–)3–4(–5) short, thick arms, covering c. 50 % of the surface at the edge itself, giving it a grey, shaggy appearance; basal appendage conspicuous, semi-circular to oblong, asymmetric, 1.5–2 by 2 mm, arising abruptly from a ridge 6 mm long, 1.25 mm high; nectar glands trimorphic, segregated:
1. Large, elliptic-oblong, thinly bordered nectar glands 1–1.25 by 0.6–1 mm, 15–20 in number, present in a band 6 mm wide, along the midline between basal ridge and apex, sparse; smaller such glands 0.3–0.35 by 0.25 mm sparsely scattered in the distal half outside the midline and in the proximal half inside the margin, throughout the lid mixed with small sessile red globose glands c. 0.05 mm diam, c. 10 per mm2;
2. small, circular, thickly rimmed (perithecoid) nectar glands, (0.15–)0.25 mm diam, confined to the basal appendage and to two curved elliptic areas on each side of the midline in the proximal half, glands very dense, 13 per mm2 on the appendage and abutting each other there;
3. small, deeply sunk borderless, circular glands 0.1–0.2 mm diam, c. 5 per mm2 present in a small area at the junction with the peristome.
Spur simple, needle-like, tapering to a point, 10 by 0.3 mm, erect; indumentum as outer pitcher surface. Male inflorescence known from incomplete portion, rhachis 2.5 mm diam, c. 50 % covered by mainly appressed white, heterogenous hairs: bristle-like hairs 1–2-armed from base, 0.1–0.2 mm long; vermicular, septate hairs c. 0.2 mm long, and by erect, minute simple hairs 0.05 mm long; partial-peduncles 3 per mm length of rhachis, lacking bracts, 2-flowered, (1–)2 mm long; pedicels divaricate, (8–)9–11 mm long; sepals ‘yellow-green’, 4, elliptic, c. 0.6 by 0.4 mm, apex obtuse, inner surface densely covered in nectar glands, margin densely felted in rust-red papillae; outer surface c. 40 % covered in white appressed hairs 0.1 mm long; androphore 3 mm long, basal 1/3 – 2/3 with patent white hairs 0.1 mm long, distal part glabrous; anther-head subglobose, wider than long, 1.5 by 1.75 mm, anther thecae c. 15, uniseriate, dull yellow. Infructescence peduncle 25–26 cm long, 0.4–0.6 cm diam at base, very sparsely puberulent; rhachis 12–13 cm long, indumentum as midrib of leaf, c. 60 % of surface covered; partial-peduncles 30–36; 7–10 mm long, 2-flowered; bracts absent; pedicels 8–12 mm long, indumentum as midrib, c. 100 % cover; tepals 4, ovate-oblong 5–6 by 2.5 mm, outer surface with white appressed hairs c. 0.1 mm long, c. 5 % cover, absent from base; inner surface with large elliptic glands. Fruit valves 4, narrowly linear-elliptic, 2.5–3.6 by 0.2–0.3 cm, pale brown, 60 % covered by curved red hairs c. 0.4 mm long. Seeds pale brown, filiform, 14 mm long, seed body 1.25 by 0.3–0.4 mm, deeply corrugated.A
1. Large, elliptic-oblong, thinly bordered nectar glands 1–1.25 by 0.6–1 mm, 15–20 in number, present in a band 6 mm wide, along the midline between basal ridge and apex, sparse; smaller such glands 0.3–0.35 by 0.25 mm sparsely scattered in the distal half outside the midline and in the proximal half inside the margin, throughout the lid mixed with small sessile red globose glands c. 0.05 mm diam, c. 10 per mm2;
2. small, circular, thickly rimmed (perithecoid) nectar glands, (0.15–)0.25 mm diam, confined to the basal appendage and to two curved elliptic areas on each side of the midline in the proximal half, glands very dense, 13 per mm2 on the appendage and abutting each other there;
3. small, deeply sunk borderless, circular glands 0.1–0.2 mm diam, c. 5 per mm2 present in a small area at the junction with the peristome.
Spur simple, needle-like, tapering to a point, 10 by 0.3 mm, erect; indumentum as outer pitcher surface. Male inflorescence known from incomplete portion, rhachis 2.5 mm diam, c. 50 % covered by mainly appressed white, heterogenous hairs: bristle-like hairs 1–2-armed from base, 0.1–0.2 mm long; vermicular, septate hairs c. 0.2 mm long, and by erect, minute simple hairs 0.05 mm long; partial-peduncles 3 per mm length of rhachis, lacking bracts, 2-flowered, (1–)2 mm long; pedicels divaricate, (8–)9–11 mm long; sepals ‘yellow-green’, 4, elliptic, c. 0.6 by 0.4 mm, apex obtuse, inner surface densely covered in nectar glands, margin densely felted in rust-red papillae; outer surface c. 40 % covered in white appressed hairs 0.1 mm long; androphore 3 mm long, basal 1/3 – 2/3 with patent white hairs 0.1 mm long, distal part glabrous; anther-head subglobose, wider than long, 1.5 by 1.75 mm, anther thecae c. 15, uniseriate, dull yellow. Infructescence peduncle 25–26 cm long, 0.4–0.6 cm diam at base, very sparsely puberulent; rhachis 12–13 cm long, indumentum as midrib of leaf, c. 60 % of surface covered; partial-peduncles 30–36; 7–10 mm long, 2-flowered; bracts absent; pedicels 8–12 mm long, indumentum as midrib, c. 100 % cover; tepals 4, ovate-oblong 5–6 by 2.5 mm, outer surface with white appressed hairs c. 0.1 mm long, c. 5 % cover, absent from base; inner surface with large elliptic glands. Fruit valves 4, narrowly linear-elliptic, 2.5–3.6 by 0.2–0.3 cm, pale brown, 60 % covered by curved red hairs c. 0.4 mm long. Seeds pale brown, filiform, 14 mm long, seed body 1.25 by 0.3–0.4 mm, deeply corrugated.A
Conservation
N. tboli is assessed as Critically Endangered under criterion D of IUCN (2012) since it is currently known only from one or two mature individuals at the type locality which is threatened by plantation agriculture and tourism developments (Google Earth data).A
Distribution (General)
Philippines, Mindanao, S Cotabato Province, T’boli, Lake ParkerA
Habitat
Open grassland, 1463 m.A
Specimens
| Country | Date | Collector + collecting number | Herbaria | Type | Scan | Derivatives | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines |  | ||||||
| Citation: Philippines, Mindanao, South Cotabato Province, T’Boli, Lake Parker, alt. 1463 m Specimen summary: Gaerlan, Sagcal & Romero in PPI 13083 (holotype BRIT!; isotype L! sh. 0099289), Philippines, Mindanao, South Cotabato Province, T’Boli, Lake Parker, 1463 m alt., male fl. & fr. Aug 1993. Type for: Nepenthes tboli Jebb & Cheek | |||||||