Nepenthes kongkandana
Synonymy
- Type (designated by Catalano, M. 20171): Sirirugsa 1006 (PSU), Thailand, province of Songkhla, sea level, March 1985
Description
Terrestrial climber to 2 m tall. Stem terete, 3-5 mm in diameter, internodes 1-8 cm long. Leaves coriaceous, lamina narrowly lanceolate to narrowly obovate, 10-30 cm long, 1.5-3 cm wide, apex acuminate or rarely acute, base attenuate and sessile, clasping the stem by three quarters of its circumference, decurrent for half to all of the internode’s length; tendrils terete, 5-25 cm long and 1-2 mm in diameter in lower pitchers, 5-15 cm long and 1-1.5 mm in diameter in upper pitchers, rarely coiling.
Lower pitchers 10-18 x 2-4 cm, narrowly ovate in the lower third or lower half and tubular above, slightly wider under the mouth, hip at the upper edge of the ovate part; two alae, 3-7 mm wide and 7-15 mm apart, run down ventral exterior surface from tendril to mouth, fringed with narrow filaments to 7 mm long; pitcher mouth oblique, ovate to triangular; peristome cylindrical or flattened, seldom lobed, 2-7 mm wide; lid orbicular to ovate or elliptic, horizontal to oblique, usually with wavy margins, smaller or larger than the mouth, 2-4.5 x 3-5.5 cm, base cordate for 1-3 mm, lower surface without appendages, crateriform glands densely arranged and numerous, larger at the base of midrib, to 1 mm; spur 1-6 mm long, simple; longitudinal veins 4 on each side of midrib.
Upper pitchers 10-20 x 1.5-2 cm, tubulose, slightly wider along the glandular zone and under the mouth, hip at the centre; alae 0-3 mm wide, mostly without filaments and 5-10 mm apart; pitcher mouth and peristome as for lower pitchers; lid as for lower pitchers but 2-3.5 x 2-3.5 cm.
Male inflorescence a raceme, to 120 cm, peduncle to 70 cm, rachis 15-50 cm, ca. 40-180 flowers borne on pedicels 3-6 mm long, androphore 1-2 mm long; tepals orbicular to broadly ovate, green when young, then red, 2-4 x 2-4 mm. Female inflorescence a raceme, to 100 cm, peduncle to 80 cm, rachis 13-20 cm, ca. 20-40 flowers borne on pedicels 2-10 mm long, tepals elliptic, green, 2-3 x 1-2 mm, ovary to 2 cm long.
Indumentum of silvery hairs, 0.3 mm long, covering leaves and stem, sometimes only present in the upper part of the plant (top 4-6 leaves).
Colour: leaves light to dark green; tendrils and stems green to red; lower pitchers green, orange or red and with dark red stripes outside, light green with or without purple blotches over the inner, non-glandular zone, peristome green, white or red; upper pitchers light green outside, light green or white and with or without purple blotches over the inner, non-glandular zone, peristome light green or white.A
Lower pitchers 10-18 x 2-4 cm, narrowly ovate in the lower third or lower half and tubular above, slightly wider under the mouth, hip at the upper edge of the ovate part; two alae, 3-7 mm wide and 7-15 mm apart, run down ventral exterior surface from tendril to mouth, fringed with narrow filaments to 7 mm long; pitcher mouth oblique, ovate to triangular; peristome cylindrical or flattened, seldom lobed, 2-7 mm wide; lid orbicular to ovate or elliptic, horizontal to oblique, usually with wavy margins, smaller or larger than the mouth, 2-4.5 x 3-5.5 cm, base cordate for 1-3 mm, lower surface without appendages, crateriform glands densely arranged and numerous, larger at the base of midrib, to 1 mm; spur 1-6 mm long, simple; longitudinal veins 4 on each side of midrib.
Upper pitchers 10-20 x 1.5-2 cm, tubulose, slightly wider along the glandular zone and under the mouth, hip at the centre; alae 0-3 mm wide, mostly without filaments and 5-10 mm apart; pitcher mouth and peristome as for lower pitchers; lid as for lower pitchers but 2-3.5 x 2-3.5 cm.
Male inflorescence a raceme, to 120 cm, peduncle to 70 cm, rachis 15-50 cm, ca. 40-180 flowers borne on pedicels 3-6 mm long, androphore 1-2 mm long; tepals orbicular to broadly ovate, green when young, then red, 2-4 x 2-4 mm. Female inflorescence a raceme, to 100 cm, peduncle to 80 cm, rachis 13-20 cm, ca. 20-40 flowers borne on pedicels 2-10 mm long, tepals elliptic, green, 2-3 x 1-2 mm, ovary to 2 cm long.
Indumentum of silvery hairs, 0.3 mm long, covering leaves and stem, sometimes only present in the upper part of the plant (top 4-6 leaves).
Colour: leaves light to dark green; tendrils and stems green to red; lower pitchers green, orange or red and with dark red stripes outside, light green with or without purple blotches over the inner, non-glandular zone, peristome green, white or red; upper pitchers light green outside, light green or white and with or without purple blotches over the inner, non-glandular zone, peristome light green or white.A
Notes
Nepenthes kongkandana belongs to the N. thorelii aggregate, a group spread in the strongly seasonal Indochina, with whose species it shares narrow decurrent leaves, a narrow rachis and an underground rootstock.
The differences between N. kongkandana and the aggregate species of continental Indochina are easy to spot. It differs from N. smilesii in the presence of narrowly obovate leaves with acuminate tips (vs. always linear to narrowly lanceolate and with acute tips) and in always having tubular upper pitchers (vs. often strongly obovate). These same differences exist with N. kampotiana, which also differs in being nearly always completely glabrous (vs. covered by a dense indumentum) and in having ovate to pyriform lower pitchers (vs. elongate, meaning narrowly ovate in the lower half and tubular above). It differs from N. thorelii in having tubular upper pitchers (vs. always obovate) and elongate lower pitchers (vs. ovate to sub-globose). It differs from N. chang and N. holdenii in having rachises with 1-flowered pedicels only (vs. male and/or female rachises with mostly 2-flowered partial peduncles) and elongate lower pitchers (vs. ovate to ellipsoidal). It differs from N. bokorensis in the presence of narrowly obovate leaves (vs. always linear to lanceolate), in having a longer leaf decurrency (1/2 to whole of the internode vs. 1/2 or less) and in lacking the typical large and vaulted lids of the Cambodian species.
N. kongkandana is more closely related to the other aggregate species of peninsular Thailand, and the differences with these can be subtle. It differs from N. rosea in having rachises with 1-flowered pedicels only (vs. male and female rachises with frequent or prevalent 2-flowered partial peduncles), a longer leaf decurrency (1/2 to whole of the internode vs. 1/2 or less), in the extension of the indumentum (0.3 mm hairs covering leaves and stem vs. 0.1 mm hairs over leaf margins and midrib only, many plants being entirely glabrous), in having more darkly colored lower pitchers (orange or red, with dark red stripes outside and purple blotches inside vs. orange or pink, with dark pink stripes outside and uniformly green or pink inside) and upper pitchers (with purple blotches inside vs. uniformly green, white or light pink), and in lacking the typical peduncle-borne rosettes. It differs from N. suratensis in the presence of narrowly obovate leaves (vs. always linear to narrowly lanceolate), in having elongate lower pitchers (vs. ovate or narrowly ovate), with a lower hip (centre to lower half vs. centre to absent) and without lid appendages (vs. lids with a small depression under the tip). It differs from N. andamana in the presence of narrowly obovate leaves (vs. always linear to narrowly lanceolate), in the extension of the indumentum (covering the whole leaf and stem surface vs. often only present along lamina and leaf base margins), in having more elongate lower pitchers (3.5-5.5 vs. 1.5-3.5 length/width ratio) and in the lid shape (horizontal to oblique, with wavy margins, smaller or larger than the mouth vs. horizontal to bent towards the mouth or vaulted, with straight margins, as large or larger than the mouth). It differs from N. kerrii in the presence of narrowly lanceolate leaves (vs. always narrowly obovate) and in the extension of the indumentum (covering the whole leaf and stem surface vs. only present on leaf axil). The shape variability of the pitchers of N. kerrii is poorly known, it seems they are morphologically close to those of N. andamana but more field studies are needed to support this observation.A
The differences between N. kongkandana and the aggregate species of continental Indochina are easy to spot. It differs from N. smilesii in the presence of narrowly obovate leaves with acuminate tips (vs. always linear to narrowly lanceolate and with acute tips) and in always having tubular upper pitchers (vs. often strongly obovate). These same differences exist with N. kampotiana, which also differs in being nearly always completely glabrous (vs. covered by a dense indumentum) and in having ovate to pyriform lower pitchers (vs. elongate, meaning narrowly ovate in the lower half and tubular above). It differs from N. thorelii in having tubular upper pitchers (vs. always obovate) and elongate lower pitchers (vs. ovate to sub-globose). It differs from N. chang and N. holdenii in having rachises with 1-flowered pedicels only (vs. male and/or female rachises with mostly 2-flowered partial peduncles) and elongate lower pitchers (vs. ovate to ellipsoidal). It differs from N. bokorensis in the presence of narrowly obovate leaves (vs. always linear to lanceolate), in having a longer leaf decurrency (1/2 to whole of the internode vs. 1/2 or less) and in lacking the typical large and vaulted lids of the Cambodian species.
N. kongkandana is more closely related to the other aggregate species of peninsular Thailand, and the differences with these can be subtle. It differs from N. rosea in having rachises with 1-flowered pedicels only (vs. male and female rachises with frequent or prevalent 2-flowered partial peduncles), a longer leaf decurrency (1/2 to whole of the internode vs. 1/2 or less), in the extension of the indumentum (0.3 mm hairs covering leaves and stem vs. 0.1 mm hairs over leaf margins and midrib only, many plants being entirely glabrous), in having more darkly colored lower pitchers (orange or red, with dark red stripes outside and purple blotches inside vs. orange or pink, with dark pink stripes outside and uniformly green or pink inside) and upper pitchers (with purple blotches inside vs. uniformly green, white or light pink), and in lacking the typical peduncle-borne rosettes. It differs from N. suratensis in the presence of narrowly obovate leaves (vs. always linear to narrowly lanceolate), in having elongate lower pitchers (vs. ovate or narrowly ovate), with a lower hip (centre to lower half vs. centre to absent) and without lid appendages (vs. lids with a small depression under the tip). It differs from N. andamana in the presence of narrowly obovate leaves (vs. always linear to narrowly lanceolate), in the extension of the indumentum (covering the whole leaf and stem surface vs. often only present along lamina and leaf base margins), in having more elongate lower pitchers (3.5-5.5 vs. 1.5-3.5 length/width ratio) and in the lid shape (horizontal to oblique, with wavy margins, smaller or larger than the mouth vs. horizontal to bent towards the mouth or vaulted, with straight margins, as large or larger than the mouth). It differs from N. kerrii in the presence of narrowly lanceolate leaves (vs. always narrowly obovate) and in the extension of the indumentum (covering the whole leaf and stem surface vs. only present on leaf axil). The shape variability of the pitchers of N. kerrii is poorly known, it seems they are morphologically close to those of N. andamana but more field studies are needed to support this observation.A
Distribution (General)
Peninsular Thailand, provinces of Songkhla and Pattani.B
Habitat
On mostly sandy soil, in savannas and scrubland, at sea level.A
Specimens
| Country | Date | Collector + collecting number | Herbaria | Type | Scan | Derivatives | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sirirugsa 1006 (PSU), Thailand, province of Songkhla, sea level, March 1985 | |||||||
| Citation: Sirirugsa 1006 (PSU), Thailand, province of Songkhla, sea level, March 1985 | |||||||