Nepenthes sumatrana
Encyclopedia
Nepenthes sumatrana is a tropical pitcher plant
endemic to the Indonesia
n island of Sumatra
, after which it is named.
in February 1856, near the port town of Sibolga
. Teijsmann wrote the following account of his discovery:
The plant material was initially described as a variety of N. boschiana
by Friedrich Miquel
in 1858. In 1886, Odoardo Beccari
considered it a variety of N. maxima
, a species now known to be absent from Sumatra. It was finally raised to species rank in 1895, by Günther Beck von Mannagetta und Lerchenau in "Die Gattung Nepenthes
".
In his monograph of 1908, "Nepenthaceae
", John Muirhead Macfarlane
placed N. sumatrana in synonymy with N. treubiana
, a species endemic to several islands off New Guinea
. B. H. Danser
supported this interpretation in his seminal monograph, "The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies
", published in 1928.
In 1986, N. sumatrana was again recognised as a distinct species by Rusjdi Tamin and Mitsuru Hotta
, who noted significant differences between it and N. treubiana. Matthew Jebb
also treated N. sumatrana separately in his 1991 monograph, "An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea
", as did Joachim Nerz
and Andreas Wistuba
in 1994, when they described the closely related N. longifolia
. Nepenthes sumatrana was formally restored in Matthew Jebb and Martin Cheek
's 1997 revision, "A skeletal revision of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae)
", although the authors sunk N. longifolia in synonymy with N. sumatrana. This latter decision was reversed by Charles Clarke
in his 2001 work, Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia
.
Despite the numerous taxonomic revisions, it appears that none of these authors (with the exception of Clarke) saw living plants of N. sumatrana. The first person to knowingly observe N. sumatrana in the wild since Teijsmann's original collection is thought to have been Ch'ien Lee
, in 1998.
up to 20 cm long. Leaves are coriaceous and petiolate. The lamina is lanceolate-obovate in form and grows to 55 cm in length and 9 cm in width. Longitudinal veins are present in 6–8 pairs together with numerous pinnate veins. Tendril
s are up to 60 cm long.
Rosette pitchers may be ovoid throughout or narrowly ovoid in the lower half and cylindrical above. They grow up to 10 cm high and 4 cm wide. Two fringed wings, up to 8 mm wide, run along the front of rosette pitchers. The peristome
is cylindrical in cross-section and up to 4 mm wide, bearing indistinct teeth. The pitcher lid or operculum
is sub-orbiculate and has no appendages. An unbranched spur
(≤15 mm long) is inserted at the base of the lid.
Lower pitchers are wholly ovoid, with the hip located just below the peristome. They grow to 20 cm high and 10 cm wide, and possess a pair of fringed wings up to 6 mm wide. The peristome is cylindrical in cross-section and up to 10 mm wide. The lid is orbiculate and, as in rosette pitchers, bears an unbranched spur.
Upper pitchers are infundibular (funnel-shaped) throughout. They are by far the largest of the traps produced by this species, reaching 30 cm in height and 15 cm in width. As in many Nepenthes species, the wings are reduced to ribs in aerial pitchers. The mouth has a distinctive raised section at the front, a feature also exhibited by the related N. rafflesiana
.
Nepenthes sumatrana has a racemose
inflorescence
. In male plants, the peduncle
grows to 20 cm, while the rachis
may be 70 cm tall. Female inflorescences have a longer peduncle (≤30 cm) and a shorter rachis (≤40 cm). Partial peduncles are one- or two-flowered and up to 15 mm long. Sepal
s are ovate and up to 6 mm long.
Some parts of the plant are sparsely covered with short simple or branched hairs, although these are mostly caducous. Short brown hairs are present on the leaf margins.
No forms or varieties of N. sumatrana have been described.
n provinces of North Sumatra
and West Sumatra
. It is best known from the hills around Sibolga
, where it was first collected. The species has a patchy distribution and the full extent of its geographical range is uncertain. Specimens collected near Sawahlunto
and named Nepenthes spinosa by Tamin and Hotta appear to be conspecific with N. sumatrana, although trips to the area in 1995 and 2001 failed to locate any plants.
Nepenthes sumatrana grows terrestrially in dense, undisturbed lowland forest on sandstone
substrates
. Moist, shady conditions appear to be vital to the survival of the species, as it has not been recorded from areas that have been cleared due to logging
or agricultural
activities. These requirements might explain the fragmented nature of its distribution and suggest that N. sumatrana is more seriously threatened with extinction
than previously thought.
Plants are often found on very steep slopes. Seedlings of N. sumatrana have been recorded from open cliff faces, but it is uncertain whether these survive to maturity, as larger plants are only known from the forests, where their stems can use surrounding objects for support and climb into the canopy
.
Nepenthes sumatrana has been recorded from elevations of between 0 and 800 m above sea level.
of N. sumatrana is listed as Least Concern
on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
. However, it has not been re-evaluated since 2000 and treats N. longifolia
in synonymy with N. sumatrana. Recent studies have shown that these two taxa
are distinct species.
In 2001, based on first hand observations of wild populations, Charles Clarke
informally reclassified N. sumatrana as Critically Endangered
according to the IUCN
criteria. Clarke notes that N. sumatrana seems to be unable to survive in disturbed habitats. As such, rapid development around Sibolga
poses a particularly serious threat to the survival of the species in the wild. In comparison, the threat of over-collection is relatively small, since many plants grow on very steep slopes which are virtually inaccessible. Taxonomic confusion concerning N. sumatrana and closely related species such as N. beccariana and N. longifolia makes the implementation of new conservation projects all but unfeasible.
, N. longifolia
, and N. rafflesiana
.
In 2001, Charles Clarke
published a cladistic analysis of the Nepenthes species of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia
based on 70 morphological characteristics of each taxon. The following is a portion of the resultant cladogram
, showing part of "Clade 5", which has 69% bootstrap support. The sister pair of N. rafflesiana and N. sumatrana has 58% support. N. beccariana was not included in this study.
Nepenthes rafflesiana and N. sumatrana differ primarily in the peristome structure of lower pitchers. N. sumatrana has indistinct peristome teeth, whereas those of N. rafflesiana are pronounced. The peristome of N. rafflesiana also has a characteristic elongated neck which is absent in N. sumatrana. Lower pitchers of N. sumatrana are completely ovoid, whereas those of N. rafflesiana are cylindrical in the upper part. Furthermore, the leaves of N. sumatrana are narrower and fringed with short brown hairs.
When Matthew Jebb
and Martin Cheek
revised the genus in 1997, they treated N. longifolia in synonymy with N. sumatrana. A more recent monograph by Clarke restores N. longifolia to specific rank. Clarke lists the following morphological characters that distinguish the two species.
The two species can also be identified based on their altitudinal distributions: N. sumatrana occurs at 0–800 m above sea level, whereas N. longifolia has been recorded from elevations of 300–1200 m.
Nepenthes sumatrana seems to hybridise relatively rarely in the wild. The following natural hybrids involving this species have been recorded.
The cross with N. eustachya has been known since at least 1990, when it was recorded as N. alata
× N. treubiana
.
Pitcher plant
Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants whose prey-trapping mechanism features a deep cavity filled with liquid known as a pitfall trap. It has been widely assumed that the various sorts of pitfall trap evolved from rolled leaves, with selection pressure favouring more deeply cupped leaves over...
endemic to the Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n island of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, after which it is named.
Discovery and taxonomy
Nepenthes sumatrana was first collected by Johannes Elias TeijsmannJohannes Elias Teijsmann
Johannes Elias Teijsmann was a botanist and plant collector. He was born in Arnhem, Netherlands.Teijsmann travelled to Java in 1830 as Gardener of Governor General van den Bosch. He was appointed the Curator of the Buitenzorg Botanic Gardens the following year, a post he held until 1869...
in February 1856, near the port town of Sibolga
Sibolga
Sibolga is a city and a port on the west coast of North Sumatra province, in Indonesia. It is located on the western side of North Sumatra, facing the Indian Ocean and is a transit harbour to Nias island. It was hard hit during the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake.- History :Poncan Ketek Island in...
. Teijsmann wrote the following account of his discovery:
Among the plants collected to-day and the day before yesterday [February 3rd and 1st], there were 4 species of Nepenthes (katoepat baroek, tjalong baroek, or taau-taau), growing here on the very coast between the scrub in a thin layer of humus, under which pure sea sand, or against steep rocks and the coast, when there was only some earth or moss for the germination. Some species are very common and luxuriant here and abound in flowers and fruits. The plants are all transported to Buitenzorg in living state, but from the seeds only those of one species I have succeeded in bringing to germinate, this growing very slowly but being very interesting, as the young plants, only few linesLine (length)The line is a unit of measurement, one line being equal to of an English inch. It was defined as one-quarter of a barleycorn, which defined the inch even before 1066. The French ligne was simarly defined as of the pouce...
large, already bear minute pitchers.
The plant material was initially described as a variety of N. boschiana
Nepenthes boschiana
Nepenthes boschiana , or Bosch's Pitcher-Plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It is most closely related to N. faizaliana. Nepenthes borneensis is considered a synonym of this species. Nepenthes boschiana has no known natural hybrids...
by Friedrich Miquel
Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel
Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel was a Dutch botanist.He was head of the botanical gardens at Rotterdam , Amsterdam and Utrecht . He directed the Rijksherbarium at Leiden from 1862...
in 1858. In 1886, Odoardo Beccari
Odoardo Beccari
Odoardo Beccari was an Italian naturalist perhaps best known for discovering the titan arum, the plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world, in Sumatra in 1878...
considered it a variety of N. maxima
Nepenthes maxima
Nepenthes maxima , the Great Pitcher-Plant, is a carnivorous pitcher plant species of the genus Nepenthes. It has a relatively wide distribution covering Sulawesi, New Guinea, and the Maluku Islands. It is closely related to N. eymae....
, a species now known to be absent from Sumatra. It was finally raised to species rank in 1895, by Günther Beck von Mannagetta und Lerchenau in "Die Gattung Nepenthes
Die Gattung Nepenthes
"Die Gattung Nepenthes" is a German-language monograph by Günther Beck von Mannagetta und Lerchenau on the tropical pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes. It was published in 1895 in four parts, spread over the March, April, May and June issues of Wiener Illustrirte Garten-Zeitung.Beck recognised...
".
In his monograph of 1908, "Nepenthaceae
Nepenthaceae (1908 monograph)
"Nepenthaceae" is a monograph by John Muirhead Macfarlane on the tropical pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes. It was published in 1908 in Adolf Engler's Das Pflanzenreich...
", John Muirhead Macfarlane
John Muirhead Macfarlane
John Muirhead Macfarlane was a Scottish botanist. He was born and educated in Scotland, where he occupied several different academic positions at the University of Edinburgh before emigrating to the United States to assume a professorial chair at the University of Pennsylvania in 1893. He held...
placed N. sumatrana in synonymy with N. treubiana
Nepenthes treubiana
Nepenthes treubiana is a tropical pitcher plant native to Western New Guinea and possibly also the island of Misool.This species occurs on the cliffs of the McCluer Gulf and in coastal regions of the Fakfak peninsula...
, a species endemic to several islands off New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. B. H. Danser
B. H. Danser
Benedictus Hubertus Danser , often abbreviated B. H. Danser, was a Dutch taxonomist and botanist...
supported this interpretation in his seminal monograph, "The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies
The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies
"The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies" is a seminal monograph by B. H. Danser on the tropical pitcher plants of the Dutch East Indies, North Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, and eastern New Guinea...
", published in 1928.
In 1986, N. sumatrana was again recognised as a distinct species by Rusjdi Tamin and Mitsuru Hotta
Mitsuru Hotta
is a Japanese botanist best known for his research on Araceae.Hotta was born in Osaka, Japan in 1937. He graduated from the Agricultural Department of Osaka Prefecture University in 1960. The same year, he took part in the Tonga and Fiji Expedition organised by Kyoto University...
, who noted significant differences between it and N. treubiana. Matthew Jebb
Matthew Jebb
Dr. Matthew H. P. Jebb is an Irish taxonomist and botanist specialising in the ant plant genera Squamellaria, Myrmecodia, Hydnophytum, Myrmephytum and Anthorrhiza, as well as the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes....
also treated N. sumatrana separately in his 1991 monograph, "An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea
An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea
"An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea" is a monograph by Matthew Jebb on the tropical pitcher plants of New Guinea. It was published in the March 1991 issue of Science in New Guinea, a journal of the University of Papua New Guinea. The monograph was the result of work carried out by Jebb during an...
", as did Joachim Nerz
Joachim Nerz
Dr. Joachim Nerz is a taxonomist and botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genera Heliamphora and Nepenthes. Nerz has described several new species, mostly with Andreas Wistuba.-Publications:...
and Andreas Wistuba
Andreas Wistuba
Dr. Andreas Wistuba is a German taxonomist and botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genera Heliamphora and Nepenthes. More than half of all known Heliamphora species have been described by Wistuba.-Publications:...
in 1994, when they described the closely related N. longifolia
Nepenthes longifolia
Nepenthes longifolia is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of between 300 and 1100 m above sea level. The specific epithet longifolia, formed from the Latin words longus and folius , refers to the exceptionally large leaves of this species.-Botanical...
. Nepenthes sumatrana was formally restored in Matthew Jebb and Martin Cheek
Martin Cheek
Dr. Martin Roy Cheek is a taxonomist and botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes.-Research:Cheek has described several new Nepenthes species, mostly with Matthew Jebb, including: N. argentii, N. aristolochioides, N. danseri, N. diatas,...
's 1997 revision, "A skeletal revision of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae)
A skeletal revision of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae)
"A skeletal revision of Nepenthes " is a monograph by Matthew Jebb and Martin Cheek on the tropical pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes. It was published in the May 1997 issue of the botanical journal Blumea. The work represented the first revision of the entire genus since John Muirhead...
", although the authors sunk N. longifolia in synonymy with N. sumatrana. This latter decision was reversed by Charles Clarke
Charles Clarke (botanist)
Dr. Charles M. Clarke is a botanist and taxonomist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes. Clarke has an honours degree in Botany from Monash University in Melbourne, and a Ph.D. in Ecosystem Management at the University of New England, in Armidale, New South Wales.Clarke first...
in his 2001 work, Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia
Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia
Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia is a monograph by Charles Clarke on the tropical pitcher plants of Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, and their minor surrounding islands. It was published in 2001 by Natural History Publications...
.
Despite the numerous taxonomic revisions, it appears that none of these authors (with the exception of Clarke) saw living plants of N. sumatrana. The first person to knowingly observe N. sumatrana in the wild since Teijsmann's original collection is thought to have been Ch'ien Lee
Ch'ien Lee
Ch'ien C. Lee is a photographer and botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes. Lee has described several new Nepenthes species, including N. chaniana, N. gantungensis, N. glandulifera, N. jamban, N. lingulata, N. palawanensis, N. pitopangii,...
, in 1998.
Description
Nepenthes sumatrana produces sub-cylindrical climbing stems up to 15 m long and 0.9 cm thick. These have internodesPlant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
up to 20 cm long. Leaves are coriaceous and petiolate. The lamina is lanceolate-obovate in form and grows to 55 cm in length and 9 cm in width. Longitudinal veins are present in 6–8 pairs together with numerous pinnate veins. Tendril
Tendril
In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape that is used by climbing plants for support, attachment and cellular invasion by parasitic plants, generally by twining around suitable hosts. They do not have a lamina or blade, but they can photosynthesize...
s are up to 60 cm long.
Rosette pitchers may be ovoid throughout or narrowly ovoid in the lower half and cylindrical above. They grow up to 10 cm high and 4 cm wide. Two fringed wings, up to 8 mm wide, run along the front of rosette pitchers. The peristome
Peristome
The word peristome is derived from the Greek peri, meaning 'around' or 'about', and stoma, 'mouth'. It is a term used to describe various anatomical features that surround an opening to an organ or structure. The term is used in plants and invertebrate animals, such as in describing the shells of...
is cylindrical in cross-section and up to 4 mm wide, bearing indistinct teeth. The pitcher lid or operculum
Operculum (botany)
An operculum, in botany, is a term generally used to describe a structure within a plant, moss, or fungus acting as a cap, flap, or lid. In plants, it may also be called a bud cap.Examples of structures identified as opercula include:...
is sub-orbiculate and has no appendages. An unbranched spur
Spur (biology)
A spur in botany is a spike, usually part of a flower.In certain plants, part of a sepal or petal develops into an elongated hollow spike extending behind the flower, containing nectar which is sucked by long-tongued animals . Plants with such structures include Delphinium, Aquilegia, Piperia, and...
(≤15 mm long) is inserted at the base of the lid.
Lower pitchers are wholly ovoid, with the hip located just below the peristome. They grow to 20 cm high and 10 cm wide, and possess a pair of fringed wings up to 6 mm wide. The peristome is cylindrical in cross-section and up to 10 mm wide. The lid is orbiculate and, as in rosette pitchers, bears an unbranched spur.
Upper pitchers are infundibular (funnel-shaped) throughout. They are by far the largest of the traps produced by this species, reaching 30 cm in height and 15 cm in width. As in many Nepenthes species, the wings are reduced to ribs in aerial pitchers. The mouth has a distinctive raised section at the front, a feature also exhibited by the related N. rafflesiana
Nepenthes rafflesiana
Nepenthes rafflesiana , or Raffles' Pitcher-Plant, is a species of pitcher plant. It has a very wide distribution covering Borneo, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, and Singapore. Nepenthes rafflesiana is extremely variable with numerous forms and varieties described. In Borneo alone, there are at...
.
Nepenthes sumatrana has a racemose
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
. In male plants, the peduncle
Peduncle (botany)
In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.The peduncle is a stem, usually green and without leaves, though sometimes colored or supporting small leaves...
grows to 20 cm, while the rachis
Rachis
Rachis is a biological term for a main axis or "shaft".-In zoology:In vertebrates a rachis can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the rachis usually form the supporting axis of the body and is then called the spine or vertebral column...
may be 70 cm tall. Female inflorescences have a longer peduncle (≤30 cm) and a shorter rachis (≤40 cm). Partial peduncles are one- or two-flowered and up to 15 mm long. Sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s are ovate and up to 6 mm long.
Some parts of the plant are sparsely covered with short simple or branched hairs, although these are mostly caducous. Short brown hairs are present on the leaf margins.
No forms or varieties of N. sumatrana have been described.
Distribution and habitat
Nepenthes sumatrana is endemic to the IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n provinces of North Sumatra
North Sumatra
North Sumatra is a province of Indonesia on the Sumatra island. Its capital is Medan. It is the most populous Indonesian province outside of Java. It is slightly larger than Sri Lanka in area.- Geography and population :...
and West Sumatra
West Sumatra
West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra. It borders the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast...
. It is best known from the hills around Sibolga
Sibolga
Sibolga is a city and a port on the west coast of North Sumatra province, in Indonesia. It is located on the western side of North Sumatra, facing the Indian Ocean and is a transit harbour to Nias island. It was hard hit during the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake.- History :Poncan Ketek Island in...
, where it was first collected. The species has a patchy distribution and the full extent of its geographical range is uncertain. Specimens collected near Sawahlunto
Sawahlunto
Kota Sawahlunto or Sawah Lunto is a town in West Sumatra, Indonesia. This town covers 5.86 km² and has a population of 15,279.Sawahlunto is one of the mining towns in West Sumatra. It was first established as a town in 1982 by the Dutch along with the coal mining operations during that time....
and named Nepenthes spinosa by Tamin and Hotta appear to be conspecific with N. sumatrana, although trips to the area in 1995 and 2001 failed to locate any plants.
Nepenthes sumatrana grows terrestrially in dense, undisturbed lowland forest on sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
substrates
Substrate (biology)
In biology a substrate is the surface a plant or animal lives upon and grows on. A substrate can include biotic or abiotic materials and animals. For example, encrusting algae that lives on a rock can be substrate for another animal that lives on top of the algae. See also substrate .-External...
. Moist, shady conditions appear to be vital to the survival of the species, as it has not been recorded from areas that have been cleared due to logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
or agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
activities. These requirements might explain the fragmented nature of its distribution and suggest that N. sumatrana is more seriously threatened with extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
than previously thought.
Plants are often found on very steep slopes. Seedlings of N. sumatrana have been recorded from open cliff faces, but it is uncertain whether these survive to maturity, as larger plants are only known from the forests, where their stems can use surrounding objects for support and climb into the canopy
Canopy (forest)
In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant community or crop, formed by plant crowns.For forests, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms .Sometimes the term canopy is used to refer to the extent...
.
Nepenthes sumatrana has been recorded from elevations of between 0 and 800 m above sea level.
Conservation status
The conservation statusConservation status
The conservation status of a group of organisms indicates whether the group is still extant and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future...
of N. sumatrana is listed as Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
. However, it has not been re-evaluated since 2000 and treats N. longifolia
Nepenthes longifolia
Nepenthes longifolia is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of between 300 and 1100 m above sea level. The specific epithet longifolia, formed from the Latin words longus and folius , refers to the exceptionally large leaves of this species.-Botanical...
in synonymy with N. sumatrana. Recent studies have shown that these two taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
are distinct species.
In 2001, based on first hand observations of wild populations, Charles Clarke
Charles Clarke (botanist)
Dr. Charles M. Clarke is a botanist and taxonomist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes. Clarke has an honours degree in Botany from Monash University in Melbourne, and a Ph.D. in Ecosystem Management at the University of New England, in Armidale, New South Wales.Clarke first...
informally reclassified N. sumatrana as Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations....
according to the IUCN
World Conservation Union
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is an international organization dedicated to finding "pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges." The organization publishes the IUCN Red List, compiling information from a network of...
criteria. Clarke notes that N. sumatrana seems to be unable to survive in disturbed habitats. As such, rapid development around Sibolga
Sibolga
Sibolga is a city and a port on the west coast of North Sumatra province, in Indonesia. It is located on the western side of North Sumatra, facing the Indian Ocean and is a transit harbour to Nias island. It was hard hit during the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake.- History :Poncan Ketek Island in...
poses a particularly serious threat to the survival of the species in the wild. In comparison, the threat of over-collection is relatively small, since many plants grow on very steep slopes which are virtually inaccessible. Taxonomic confusion concerning N. sumatrana and closely related species such as N. beccariana and N. longifolia makes the implementation of new conservation projects all but unfeasible.
Related species
Nepenthes sumatrana is most closely related to N. beccarianaNepenthes beccariana
Nepenthes beccariana is a tropical pitcher plant. The species was described in 1908 by John Muirhead Macfarlane based on a specimen collected from the island of Nias, which lies off the western coast of Sumatra...
, N. longifolia
Nepenthes longifolia
Nepenthes longifolia is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of between 300 and 1100 m above sea level. The specific epithet longifolia, formed from the Latin words longus and folius , refers to the exceptionally large leaves of this species.-Botanical...
, and N. rafflesiana
Nepenthes rafflesiana
Nepenthes rafflesiana , or Raffles' Pitcher-Plant, is a species of pitcher plant. It has a very wide distribution covering Borneo, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, and Singapore. Nepenthes rafflesiana is extremely variable with numerous forms and varieties described. In Borneo alone, there are at...
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In 2001, Charles Clarke
Charles Clarke (botanist)
Dr. Charles M. Clarke is a botanist and taxonomist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes. Clarke has an honours degree in Botany from Monash University in Melbourne, and a Ph.D. in Ecosystem Management at the University of New England, in Armidale, New South Wales.Clarke first...
published a cladistic analysis of the Nepenthes species of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia , also known as West Malaysia , is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula. Its area is . It shares a land border with Thailand in the north. To the south is the island of Singapore. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra...
based on 70 morphological characteristics of each taxon. The following is a portion of the resultant cladogram
Cladogram
A cladogram is a diagram used in cladistics which shows ancestral relations between organisms, to represent the evolutionary tree of life. Although traditionally such cladograms were generated largely on the basis of morphological characters, DNA and RNA sequencing data and computational...
, showing part of "Clade 5", which has 69% bootstrap support. The sister pair of N. rafflesiana and N. sumatrana has 58% support. N. beccariana was not included in this study.
Nepenthes rafflesiana and N. sumatrana differ primarily in the peristome structure of lower pitchers. N. sumatrana has indistinct peristome teeth, whereas those of N. rafflesiana are pronounced. The peristome of N. rafflesiana also has a characteristic elongated neck which is absent in N. sumatrana. Lower pitchers of N. sumatrana are completely ovoid, whereas those of N. rafflesiana are cylindrical in the upper part. Furthermore, the leaves of N. sumatrana are narrower and fringed with short brown hairs.
When Matthew Jebb
Matthew Jebb
Dr. Matthew H. P. Jebb is an Irish taxonomist and botanist specialising in the ant plant genera Squamellaria, Myrmecodia, Hydnophytum, Myrmephytum and Anthorrhiza, as well as the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes....
and Martin Cheek
Martin Cheek
Dr. Martin Roy Cheek is a taxonomist and botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes.-Research:Cheek has described several new Nepenthes species, mostly with Matthew Jebb, including: N. argentii, N. aristolochioides, N. danseri, N. diatas,...
revised the genus in 1997, they treated N. longifolia in synonymy with N. sumatrana. A more recent monograph by Clarke restores N. longifolia to specific rank. Clarke lists the following morphological characters that distinguish the two species.
Character N. longifolia N. sumatrana Tendrils on rosette leaves ≤110 cm long ≤60 cm long Lower pitcher height usually about 1/10 the length of the tendril usually about 1/5 the length of the tendril Lower pitchers on immature rosettes ovoid in lower parts, hip around the middle, lid ovate ovoid in lower parts, hip around the middle, lid ovate Lower pitchers on rosettes sprouting from mature plants as for rosette pitchers on immature plants ovoid throughout, hip immediately beneath peristome, contracted at an angle of 45° to mouth, lid orbicular Upper pitcher fragrance no fragrance sweet, fruity fragrance Upper pitcher shape infundibular in lower ⅓, cylindrical up to hip and mouth, lid usually ovate, rarely orbicular infundibular throughout, hip immediately beneath peristome, lid orbicular Peristome of upper pitchers never raised at front like N. rafflesiana, but often "notched" raised at front, like N. rafflesiana
The two species can also be identified based on their altitudinal distributions: N. sumatrana occurs at 0–800 m above sea level, whereas N. longifolia has been recorded from elevations of 300–1200 m.
Natural hybrids
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Nepenthes sumatrana seems to hybridise relatively rarely in the wild. The following natural hybrids involving this species have been recorded.
- ? N. beccarianaNepenthes beccarianaNepenthes beccariana is a tropical pitcher plant. The species was described in 1908 by John Muirhead Macfarlane based on a specimen collected from the island of Nias, which lies off the western coast of Sumatra...
× N. sumatrana - N. eustachyaNepenthes eustachyaNepenthes eustachya is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows from sea level to an elevation of 1600 m. The specific epithet eustachya, formed from the Greek words eu and stachys , refers to the racemose structure of the inflorescence.-Botanical history:Nepenthes eustachya...
× N. sumatrana - N. gracilisNepenthes gracilisNepenthes gracilis , or the Slender Pitcher-Plant, is a very common lowland pitcher plant that is widespread in the Sunda region. It has been recorded from Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, central Sulawesi, Sumatra, and southernmost Thailand...
× N. sumatrana - ? N. longifoliaNepenthes longifoliaNepenthes longifolia is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of between 300 and 1100 m above sea level. The specific epithet longifolia, formed from the Latin words longus and folius , refers to the exceptionally large leaves of this species.-Botanical...
× N. sumatrana - N. mirabilisNepenthes mirabilisNepenthes mirabilis , or the Common Swamp Pitcher-Plant, is a tropical carnivorous plant species of the pitfall trap variety. It has by far the widest distribution of any Nepenthes species and is known from the following countries and regions: Borneo, Sumatra, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia,...
× N. sumatrana
The cross with N. eustachya has been known since at least 1990, when it was recorded as N. alata
Nepenthes alata
Nepenthes alata is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It is found on all the major islands of the archipelago, with the possible exception of Palawan. It is one of the easiest and most popular Nepenthes species in cultivation....
× N. treubiana
Nepenthes treubiana
Nepenthes treubiana is a tropical pitcher plant native to Western New Guinea and possibly also the island of Misool.This species occurs on the cliffs of the McCluer Gulf and in coastal regions of the Fakfak peninsula...
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External links
- Danser, B.H. 1928. 47. Nepenthes Treubiana. In: The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands IndiesThe Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies"The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies" is a seminal monograph by B. H. Danser on the tropical pitcher plants of the Dutch East Indies, North Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, and eastern New Guinea...
. Bulletin du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg, Série III, 9(3–4): 249–438.