Nepenthes edwardsiana

Synonymy

Nepenthes edwardsiana H.Low ex Hook.f. in Trans. Linn. Soc. London 22: 420, t. 70. 1859, sec. Cheek & Jebb 2001: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:603699-1:1.1.2.1.1.2

Type (designated by Jebb, M.H.P. & Cheek, M.R. 19971): Malaysia, Borneo, Sabah, Mt Kinabalu, N side, alt. 6000-8000 ft, 1877–1878, H. Low s.n. (K)

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

=Nepenthes edgeworthii Rchb.f. ex Beck in Wiener Ill. Gart.-Zeitung 20: 183 (in syn.). 1895 syn. sec. Cheek & Jebb 20012

Type

2. in syn.

Content

Other sources

Clarke, C.M. 1997: Nepenthes of Borneo: 79, f. 52 & 53

Hooker, J.D. 1996 – In: Phillipps, A. & Lamb, A.L., Pitcher Plants of Borneo: 82, f. 46

Adam, J. H. & Wilcock, C.C. 1998: – Sarawak Mus. J. 50: 75-77: 151

Kurata, S. 1976: Nepenthes of Mt Kinabalu, Sabah: 44

Phillipps, A. & Lamb, A.L. 1988: – Nature Malaysiana 13(4): 21

Jebb, M.H.P. & Cheek, M.R. 1997: A skeletal revision of Nepenthes. – Blumea 42(1): 1-106: 37

Description

Terrestrial or epiphytic, climbing shrub to 15 m tall. Stem terete, 5-10 mm diam., internodes of climbing stems 20-35 cm long. Leaves coriaceous, petiolate; blade narrowly oblong, 15-20 by 4-6 cm, apex acute, base cuneate; petiole 6-10 cm long, canaliculate, clasping the stem for up to 3/4 its circumference, not auriculate or decurrent. Longitudinal nerves 2 or 3 on each side of the midrib in the marginal half, conspicuous. Pennate nerves numerous, patent, reaching the margin, conspicuous. Lower pitchers rarely collected, as the upper pitchers, but with two fringed wings 1-7 mm wide, fringed elements 2-3 mm long, 3-5 mm apart. Upper pitchers papery, subcylindrical, lower 1/4-1/3 ovoid, upper part narrowly cylindrical to infundibuliform, 10-35(-50) by 2-6(-15) cm, lacking fringed wings, but with two low ridges; mouth elliptic, markedly oblique, concave, gradually rising to the vertical or overarching the mouth, forming a stout column; peristome rounded, 6-12(-25) mm broad, ribs 4-6 mm high, 3-9 mm apart, outer edge not sinuate or curved, inner edge coarsely dentate, teeth up to 10 mm long; lid orbicular, 3-8.5 cm diam., apex rounded, base cordate, lower surface lacking appendages, nectar glands, sparsely scattered, minute, pit-like, not bordered, c. 0.2 mm diam.; spur stout, entire, ± 10 mm long. Male inflorescence 30-40 by 3.5 cm; peduncle 15 cm long, 5 mm diam. at base; partial peduncles 1-flowered; pedicels 6-20 mm long; bracts absent; tepals elliptic, 4 by 1.5-2 mm; androphore 2-3 mm long; anther head 1 by 1 mm. Fruit valves 20 mm long. Seed fusiform, 8 mm long, central part smooth. Indumentum of stem, midrib, pitcher and inflorescence sparsely hairy with simple red-brown hairs 0.5-0.75 mm long, eventually glabrescent. Colour of pitcher yellowish green, sometimes suffused with orange; peristome darker; inner pitcher white.A

Notes

Nepenthes edwardsiana is closely related and sometimes confused with N. villosa and N. macrophylla. Nepenthes mira of Palawan also appears to be related. Nepenthes edwardsiana is a climber and the pitchers are elongated, ventricose below, tubular above, whereas N. villosa is a prostrate scrambler with short urceolate pitchers. An important difference between N. edwardsiana and N. villosa is in the structure of the internal peristome. In N. edwardsiana the flattened peristome teeth bear a narrow-mouthed gland on the abaxial surface (i.e. away from the lid), and below each peristome tooth there is a distinct, elliptic pocket. In N. villosa the gland has a toothed opening, and the pockets are so deepened as to form a series of rectangular partitions between the front peristome, and a second series of irregular teeth. Clarke in Nepenthes of Borneo (1997: 79), points out further differences: N. edwardsiana has an acute leaf apex, inconspicuous indumentum and no inflorescence bracts, whilst N. villosa tends to have an emarginate leaf apex, densely villose indumentum and filiform inflorescence bracts.
The pitchers of N. edwardsiana are distinct from those of the very closely related N. macrophylla in being more papery, narrowly subcylindrical, at least 4 times as long as broad (vs. woody, broadly cylindrical, less than 3 times as long as broad), the lower 1/3-1/4 slightly swollen, the upper part narrower and cylindrical (vs. pitcher with a shallow central constriction), the peristome teeth are larger and sparser, and the leaf blade never exceeds 20 cm long (vs. frequently reaching 35 cm).A

[Nomenclature] The citation in IPNI (acc. 17 mar 2017) seems to be incorrect (vol. 20(3): 420. 1851).B

Distribution (General)

Borneo: Sabah (Mt Kinabalu and Mt Tambuyukon).A

Habitat

Moss forest, on ultramafic soils; 1500-2700 m a.s.l.A

Bibliography

A. Cheek, M.R. & Jebb, M.H.P. 2001: Flora Malesiana - Nepenthaceae, Series I, Volume 15

B. Berendsohn, W.G. 2017+: Compilation of Nepenthes data for the Caryophyllales taxonomic backbone.

Specimens

	Country	Date	Collector + collecting number	Herbaria	Type	Scan	Derivatives
	Malaysia	1877	Low, H. s.n.	K
	Citation: Malaysia, Borneo, Sabah, Mt Kinabalu, N side, alt. 6000-8000 ft, 1877–1878, H. Low s.n. Specimen summary: K Type for: Nepenthes edwardsiana H.Low ex Hook.f.