Nepenthes weda

Synonymy

Nepenthes weda Cheek in Blumea 59(3): 221 (-223, fig. 2, 3). 2015 sec. Cheek 2015

Type: Bangun et al. 218 sheet 2 of 2 (holotype MO No. 6576095; isotypes BO n.v., MO, photo K), Indonesia, Maluku Islands, N Maluku Province, Central Halmahera, Weda Bay, Bukit Limber, N00°32'41" E127°58'28", alt. 847 m, male infl., 1 Dec. 2012.

Content

Description

Terrestrial climber 2 – 4 m tall. Stems terete. Short shoots 4–6 mm diam, internodes 1.3 – 2 cm long, glabrous. Climbing stems 6 – 9 mm diam, internodes 10.5 –14 cm long, axillary buds conical, 2 –7 mm long, inserted 8 –13 mm above the axil, hairs golden-brown, multicellular, simple, sparse, appressed, 0.5 mm long, mixed with sessile depressed-globose red glands 0.05 – 0.1 mm diam. Horizontal stems, subterranean, bearing vertical rosette shoots along their length, 4 – 6 mm diam, internodes 1.2 – 4.5 cm long, surface irregularly ridged, corky, glabrous. Leaves petiolate, coriaceous; leaves of nanophyll rosette shoots 3 – 6, with blades slender linear-oblong, 20 – 22 by 2.4 – 6 mm, apex acute, tendril 65 – 85 mm long, base attenuate, petiole canaliculate 6 –10 by 2 mm, base shortly sheathing and clasp- ing the stem by its whole circumference; nerves not conspicu- ous; both surfaces with scattered glossy pale brown, mainly straight, simple hairs 0.2 – 0.5 mm long, dense along the adaxial midrib groove, mixed with a few sessile depressed-globose red glands 0.05 mm diam. Leaves of short shoots with blades el- liptic-oblong (10.5 –)15.2 – 25.5 by (2.8 –)4.1– 5.8(–7) cm, apex slightly acuminate, base acute, longitudinal nerves 10 –11 pairs, more or less evenly spread through the lamina, most con- spicuous on the lower surface. Pennate nerves numerous, conspicuous above, almost patent, reaching the marginal nerve; margin densely dark brown hairy, hairs simple 0.3 – 0.6 mm long; upper surface of blade glabrous apart from the densely pubescent midrib, hairs appressed, yellow-brown, 0.5(– 0.7) mm long, acute; lower surface with similar hairs covering 20 –100 % of midrib, hairs 0.75 –1 mm long, red-black or yellow mixed with sessile red glands 0.05 mm diam; inner 1/3 of lamina sparsely hairy, hairs 0.5 –1.25 mm long, mixed with sessile red glands, outer 2/3 glabrous or very sparsely hairy. Petiole canaliculate, (1.8 –)3.5 – 6 cm long, (0.2 –)0.4 – 0.5 cm wide, the wings of the basal 1–1.5 cm more or less abruptly dilated by c. 5 mm, perfoliate and decurrent for c. 5 mm down the stem, indumentum as in blade in herbarium specimens the dilated wing appearing as a sheath around the stem (artefact of pressing). Leaves of climbing stems with blade very nar- rowly elliptic, 20 – 23.5 by 4 – 4.5 cm, apex rounded-obtuse, base acute-cuneate. Longitudinal and pennate nerves as in the leaves of the short stems; leaf margin indumentum dense, brown, hairs simple, 0.5 –1 mm long. Upper surface of blade glossy, glabrescent, initially 10 % covered with simple ap- pressed hairs 0.25– 0.6 mm long, mixed with sessile depressed- globose red glands 0.05 mm diam. Lower surface 5 –10 % covered in persistent patent pale brown hairs (0.5 –)0.75(–1) mm long, and glands as upper surface. Petiole canaliculate, 5 –7, 0.4 – 0.5 cm, base perfoliate-decurrent, clasping the stem for 3/4 its diameter, then decurrent as wings 1– 2 mm wide for 1.8 – 2.7(– 4) cm, ﬁnally the wings uniting; indumentum as blade. Pitchers of nanophylll rosette shoots placed on ground in leaf litter, matt dark red to red-brown, broadly subcylindric, 4.2 – 6.5 cm long, 2.5 – 3.5 cm wide at base, tapering gradually to 1.6 – 3 cm wide below peristome; fringed wings 1.2 –1.5 cm apart, (2 –)7–11 mm broad, fringed elements (1–)1.8 – 2.8 mm long, densely clustered, arranged in 3 – 4 radiating planes, 0.15 mm apart towards peristome, or more evenly spread, 0.8 mm apart in dissection of the wings; indumentum of moderately dense patent simple pale brown hairs, 0.5 mm long, c. 15 – 20 per mm2, mixed with red sessile depressed-globose glands 0.03 mm diam at the same density. Mouth orbicular-ovate, slightly broader than long, oblique, slightly concave, column ill-deﬁned, peristome brown-green, rounded in transverse sec- tion, 1–1.6 mm wide, ribs more or less conspicuous, 0.4 – 0.55 mm apart, raised either slightly and inconspicuously or as a short slender wing 0.1 mm high, ribs separated by 12 –15 faint striae; outer edge entire, more or less revolute, inner edge ex- tended into conspicuous narrowly triangular, papery teeth 2– 2.4 mm long; lid orbicular, 1.2 –1.9 cm diam, apex rounded-emar- ginate, base rounded and minutely cordate apex of upper surface with a circular indentation 1– 2 mm diam base with 1– 3 submarginal tentacles 1– 2 mm long; lower surface matt pale yellow, with a corresponding raised, cup-shaped structure, 2 by 1 mm, inset 0.5 mm from apex, the interior densely hairy, otherwise appendages absent, nectar glands absent from midline and margin, 1– 3 on each side of the midline, longitu- dinally elliptic, thickly bordered, domed, glossy yellow, 0.8 –1.1 by 0.3 – 0.8 mm, the central aperture dark glossy brown, elliptic 0.25 – 0.5 by 0.25 mm, sometimes reduced to a minute pore at slit. Depressed-globose sessile red glands 0.05 mm diam and simple pale brown hairs 0.2 mm long, scattered thinly in the marginal 2 – 3 mm of the lid, the central portion lacking indu- mentum completely; marginal 0.6 mm of lid densely hairy, hairs bushy, erect, 0.1 mm long, with 1– 3 basal branches; spur en- tire or triﬁd, conical, 0.5 –1.5 mm long, densely appressed hairy. Lower pitchers (of short stems) brownish maroon, narrowly ovoid-cylindric, 11.3 – 20.2 cm tall, 4.7– 6 cm wide a the basal, ovoid portion, gradually constricting from a point (‘the hip’) 6 –7 cm from the base, narrowest below the peristome, 3.6 – 4.6 cm wide; fringed wings 1.5 – 2.2 cm apart, 0.9 –1.4(– 2.8) cm broad, involute, fringed elements 1– 2(– 3.5) mm long, dense, 0.3 mm apart near the peristome, more widely spaced, c. 1– 2 mm apart towards the pitcher base; indumentum of appressed, simple, multicellular, glossy pale brown or red hairs, 0.3 – 0.6 mm long, covering 10– 25 % of the surface; mouth ovate, strongly oblique, straight or very slightly concave, inner surface waxy white with purple blotches, column ill-deﬁned; peristome flattened to rounded green or red, 4 –7 mm wide, ribs conspicuous, 0.8 –1.1 mm apart, abruptly raised as wings 0.5 mm high, ribs sepa- rated by striae; outer edge more or less entire, revolute, inner edge extended into conspicuous, narrowly triangular, papery teeth 2 – 3 mm long; lid elliptic 3.4 – 5.9 by 3 – 4.1 cm, apex rounded, base rounded and minutely cordate; upper surface with indumentum as outer pitcher, sometimes with 3 – 4 multicel- lular tentacles 2 mm long, hairy, inserted near the spur (Mah- roji 70), purple brown; lower surface with 25 – 30 thickly bor- dered, flattened nectar glands (0.6 –)0.75 –1.5 mm long, borders glossy, pale yellow, central aperture purple brown 0.2 – 0.5 mm diam, spur 2 – 3 mm long, dorsiventrally flat, stout, entire, apex rounded, or (Mahroji 70) fasciculate, with 3 basal, equal branches 1 mm long, densely hairy, hairs 0.25 – 0.5 mm. Upper pitchers of climbing stems dark red or yellow-green, more or less tinged and mottled red-brown (Phillipson et al. 6417) ovoid- cylindric, 24 – 25 cm tall, the basal ovoid portion 10 by 6 cm, constricted to c. 4 cm wide above, dilating gradually to c. 5 cm wide below the peristome; wings reduced to two ridges, c. 2 cm apart; indumentum of appressed simple acute hairs as lower pitchers but less dense, and glabrescent in the mature pitcher; mouth ovate, oblique, straight or slightly concave, inner surface waxy white, mottled red, column ill-deﬁned, peristome rounded-flattened in transverse section, 3.5 – 5.5 mm wide, ribs conspicuous, 1–1.5 mm apart, abruptly raised as wings 0.2 – 0.3 mm high, ribs separated by striae; outer edge entire, revolute; inner edge extended into concealed, inconspicuous curved teeth 1.5 mm long; lid leathery, elliptic, 6.2 by 4 cm, apex and base rounded, upper surface with indumentum as outer pitcher, lower surface without basal appendage, but with a small sub- apical appendage 4 – 5 mm long, aligned along the midline, set back 4 mm from the apex, proximal part of appendage bilater- ally flattened, convex, semi-circular, 2 by 2 mm, distal part apically flattened, raised 1 mm above the surface, with a central bordered flattened longitudinally elliptic nectar gland c. 1 by 0.5 mm; nectar glands resembling that of the appendage, otherwise scattered on surface except for a midline band c. 5 mm wide at base of lid, widening to 8 mm wide at the subapical appendage; 10 –15 nectar glands on each side, orbicular or longitudinally elliptic, orbicular glands 0.5 –1.25 mm diam with a central glossy brown centre exposed by an aperture up to 0.5 mm diam in the glossy pale yellow border, elliptic glands 0.75 by 0.5 – 0.6 mm, larger glands flanking the midline band, smaller glands scattered towards margin, mixed with sparse sessile depressed-globose red glands 0.1 mm diam, marginal 1– 2 mm with scattered bushy hairs 0.1 mm diam, surface white, with streaks of red radiating from the basal attachment, nectar glands pale brown in life (Phillipson 6417); spur dorsiventrally flattened, 2 – 3 by 1 mm, recurved from above half its length, apex rounded, surface minutely densely papillate, papillae translucent, 0.01 mm long. Male inflorescence 44.5 – 48 by 4.5 – 5 cm; peduncle 14 –18.5 by 0.3 – 0.4 cm at base; partial- peduncles 65 –70, 4-flowered in proximal half, the distal 4/5ths 3-flowered, the distal most 1/5th 2-flowered; bract ﬁliform, re- flexed, 1– 4 mm long, inserted c. 2 mm above base; partial- peduncle (3 –)5(–7) mm long; partial-rhachis 3 – 5 mm long; pedicels 8 –10(–12) mm long 90 % covered in pale brown appressed simples hairs 0.25 mm long, extending to partial- peduncles, rhachis and peduncle, where covering only c. 20 % of surface. Tepals 4, divided by 9 /10, lobes ovate-elliptic, 4 – 4.2(– 4.5) by 3 – 3.5 mm, apex rounded, upper surface col- oured green, distal half and marginal 0.5 mm with dense ap- pressed simple brown hairs 0.1– 0.2 mm long; proximal part glabrous, with minute elliptic-bordered nectar glands 0.05 mm long, c. 0.15 mm apart, at an apex of irregular raised tubercles, black (dried material). Lower surface with dense appressed golden-brown hairs 0.1– 0.125 mm long, 90 % cover, andro- phore terete 2.5– 3.5 mm long, 0.5– 0.6 mm wide, with scattered simple golden-brown hairs 0.2 mm long; anther head white, subglobose, 1.5 –1.6 mm diam, anthers 8 in a single whorl. Female inflorescence, fruit and seed unknown.A

Conservation

Since on current evidence a single location is known with an area of occupancy estimated as 12 km2 (using the 4 km2 cells currently favoured by IUCN (2012), and with a similar extent of occurrence, N. weda is here assessed as CR B1+B2a,b(iii), that is Critically Endangered.A

Distribution (General)

Indonesia, Central Halmahera, Bukit Limber of Weda Bay.A

Etymology

Named as a noun in apposition, for Weda Bay in Halmahera, Indonesia, the base of the Weda Bay Nickel Project surveys for which led to the discovery of this species.A

Habitat

Lower montane forest on ultramaﬁc substrate; 415 –1014 m altitude. A

Bibliography

A. Cheek, M.R. 2015: Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae) of Halmahera, Indonesia. – Blumea 59(3): 215-225

Specimens

	Country	Date	Collector + collecting number	Herbaria	Type	Scan	Derivatives
	Bangun et al. 218 sheet 2 of 2 (holotype MO No. 6576095; isotypes BO n.v., MO, photo K), Indonesia, Maluku Islands, N Maluku Province, Central Halmahera, Weda Bay, Bukit Limber, N00°32'41" E127°58'28", alt. 847 m, male infl., 1 Dec. 2012.
	Citation: Bangun et al. 218 sheet 2 of 2 (holotype MO No. 6576095; isotypes BO n.v., MO, photo K), Indonesia, Maluku Islands, N Maluku Province, Central Halmahera, Weda Bay, Bukit Limber, N00°32'41" E127°58'28", alt. 847 m, male infl., 1 Dec. 2012.