Nepenthes naga
Encyclopedia
Nepenthes naga is a tropical pitcher plant
endemic to the Barisan Mountains
of Sumatra
. It is characterised by a forked sub-apical appendage on the underside of the lid and an undulate lid margin. The specific epithet naga is the Indonesian
word for "dragon
" and refers to the distinctive lid appendage of this species as well as the large size of its pitchers. The name also references local folklore
, which tells of dragons occurring in this species's habitat in the past.
n hobbyists between March and July 2007 as part of an expedition by Division Nepenthes Indonesia. The herbarium
specimen A.Primaldhi & M.Hambali DivNep052 is the designated holotype
, and is deposited at the herbarium of Andalas University
(ANDA), near Pandang
, West Sumatra
. An isotype
is deposited at Herbarium Bogoriense (BO), the herbarium of the Bogor Botanical Gardens
. The specimen was collected by Alfindra Primaldhi and Muhammad Hambali on July 27, 2007, at an elevation of between 1500 and 2000 m.
The species was formally described
by Pitra Akhriadi, Hernawati, Alfindra Primaldhi and Muhammad Hambali in a 2009 issue of the botanical journal Reinwardtia. The description includes a line drawing of the type specimen by Hernawati, showing lower and upper pitchers as well as a female inflorescence
.
s are circular to rhomboid in cross section and up to 14.8 cm long.
The leaves are sessile. The lamina or leaf blade is spathulate to oblong in shape and coriaceous (leathery) in texture. The leaves of rosettes
are up to 27 cm long by 7.8 cm wide, whereas those of the climbing stem are up to 16 cm long by 6 cm wide. The base of the lamina clasps the stem by one half to three quarters of its circumference. The midrib is concave on the upper surface and trinagularl on the lower surface. Three longitudinal veins are present on either side of the midrib, although they are only distinct on the underside. Pinnate veins are indistinct. The lamina has an entire margin and a slightly emarginate to rotundate apex. In rosettes, the tendril
s are up to 41 cm long and have a peltate attachment, joining the lamina around 0.3 cm before its apex. Tendrils produced on the climbing stem are inserted apically and are up to 28 cm long.
Rosette
and lower pitchers are ovoid in the lower part, becoming cylindrical above. They are large, growing to 33.5 cm high by 6.8 cm wide. A pair of fringed wings (≤0.5 cm wide) runs down the ventral surface of the pitcher cup. Fringe elements are up to 1.9 cm long. The pitcher mouth is ovate and elongated into a short neck at the rear. The greatly expanded peristome
may be up to 5.8 cm wide at the sides. Its inner margin is lined with distinct teeth, with those of the neck reaching 0.4 cm in length. The pitcher lid or operculum
is ovate and has an unusual undulate margin. It measures up to 8.5 cm in length by 7.2 cm in width and has a cordate base. Four to five pairs of veins are visible on the upper surface of the lid. The lid bears two prominent appendages on its lower surface. The first is a hooked basal crest up to 0.7 cm long. The second is a triangular, dichotomous appendage present near the apex. This unique feature measures up to 1.4 cm in length and bears large nectar gland
s (0.5 to 1 mm in diameter). Smaller glands (0.1 to 0.5 mm in diameter) are concentrated along the midrib. An unbranched spur (≤2.8 cm long) is inserted near the base of the lid.
Upper pitchers are infundibular in the lowermost part, becoming ovoid and then cylindrical above. They may be up to 24.3 cm high by 4.5 cm wide. A pair of ribs is present instead of wings. The mouth is ovate and has a neck. The peristome is much narrower than that found in lower pitchers, measuring only up to 1 cm in width. Its teeth, although distinct, are also much shorter, with those of the neck reaching 1.3 mm. The fringed lid is ovate, has a cordate base, and measures up to 6.1 cm in length by 5.5 cm in width. Three to four pairs of veins are visible on the upper surface of the lid. As in their terrestrial counterparts, the lid of aerial pitchers bears two appendages on its underside. The hook-shaped basal crest is up to 0.3 cm long, while the forked sub-apical appendage reaches 1.5 cm. The latter bears large nectar glands (0.5 to 1 mm in diameter), with smaller ones (0.1 to 0.2 mm in diameter) concentrated along the lid midrib's lower surface. The spur (≤1.4 cm long) is flattened and has a bifurcate apex.
Only the female inflorescence
of N. naga is known. It is a raceme
measuring up to 14.5 cm in length, of which the peduncle
makes up 7 cm and the rachis
7.5 cm. Partial peduncles are one- or two-flowered. Their unbranched basal portion is up to 0.5 cm long, while the branches reach 0.9 cm. Bract
eoles are linear and up to 1.2 cm long. Tepal
s measure up to 0.5 cm. Fruit
s are up to 1 cm long by 0.4 cm wide.
Nepenthes naga lacks a conspicuous indumentum
; most parts of the plant are glabrous.
of North Sumatra
. It grows epiphytically
in mossy montane forest and has an altitudinal distribution of 1500 to 2000 m. The vegetation in this habitat is dominated by Fagaceae
and Gleicheniaceae
, as well as various montane shrub
s.
Nepenthes naga occurs in an unprotected area. Plantations of the Pará rubber tree
(Hevea brasiliensis) at the foot of the hill inhabited by N. naga pose a threat to this species. Population decline is also attributed to plant collectors, who have removed a number of plants and collect seeds in such numbers that few are left to germinate
naturally.
The species has no known natural hybrids.
n endemics N. ovata
and N. spathulata
, noting that it can be distinguished from these species on the basis of its dichotomous lid appendage and frilled lid. Nepenthes naga is nonetheless very similar to these species and to N. bongso
and may prove to be an aberrant form of one of them.
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 Barisan Mountains
Barisan Mountains
The Bukit Barisan or the Barisan Mountains are a mountain range on the western side of Sumatra, Indonesia, covering nearly 1,700 km from the north to the south of the island. The Bukit Barisan range consists primarily of volcanoes shrouded in dense jungle cover, including Sumatran tropical pine...
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...
. It is characterised by a forked sub-apical appendage on the underside of the lid and an undulate lid margin. The specific epithet naga is the Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
word for "dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
" and refers to the distinctive lid appendage of this species as well as the large size of its pitchers. The name also references local folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, which tells of dragons occurring in this species's habitat in the past.
Botanical history
Nepenthes naga was first collected by 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 hobbyists between March and July 2007 as part of an expedition by Division Nepenthes Indonesia. The herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
specimen A.Primaldhi & M.Hambali DivNep052 is the designated holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, and is deposited at the herbarium of Andalas University
Andalas University
Andalas University is the oldest university in Indonesia outside of Java. The university consists of eleven faculties, with most located at the main campus Limau Manis, 12 km from the center of Padang, West Sumatra. This campus occupies 5 km², at an elevation of about 100 m. The Faculty...
(ANDA), near Pandang
Padang, Indonesia
Padang is the capital and largest city of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is located on the western coast of Sumatra at . It has an area of and a population of over 833,000 people at the 2010 Census.-History:...
, 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...
. An isotype
Isotype
Isotype can refer to:* In crystallography, an "isotype" is a synonym for isomorph* In biology, per the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, the "isotype" is a duplicate of the holotype....
is deposited at Herbarium Bogoriense (BO), the herbarium of the Bogor Botanical Gardens
Bogor Botanical Gardens
The Bogor Botanical Gardens are located 60 km south of the capital of Jakarta in Bogor, Indonesia. The botanical gardens are situated in the city center of Bogor and adjoin the Istana Bogor...
. The specimen was collected by Alfindra Primaldhi and Muhammad Hambali on July 27, 2007, at an elevation of between 1500 and 2000 m.
The species was formally described
Species description
A species description or type description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species which have been described previously, or are...
by Pitra Akhriadi, Hernawati, Alfindra Primaldhi and Muhammad Hambali in a 2009 issue of the botanical journal Reinwardtia. The description includes a line drawing of the type specimen by Hernawati, showing lower and upper pitchers as well as a female 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...
.
Description
Nepenthes naga is a climbing plant growing to a height of around 5 m. The stem is up to 1 cm in diameter. InternodePlant 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...
s are circular to rhomboid in cross section and up to 14.8 cm long.
The leaves are sessile. The lamina or leaf blade is spathulate to oblong in shape and coriaceous (leathery) in texture. The leaves of rosettes
Rosette (botany)
In botany, a rosette is a circular arrangement of leaves, with all the leaves at a single height.Though rosettes usually sit near the soil, their structure is an example of a modified stem.-Function:...
are up to 27 cm long by 7.8 cm wide, whereas those of the climbing stem are up to 16 cm long by 6 cm wide. The base of the lamina clasps the stem by one half to three quarters of its circumference. The midrib is concave on the upper surface and trinagularl on the lower surface. Three longitudinal veins are present on either side of the midrib, although they are only distinct on the underside. Pinnate veins are indistinct. The lamina has an entire margin and a slightly emarginate to rotundate apex. In rosettes, the 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 41 cm long and have a peltate attachment, joining the lamina around 0.3 cm before its apex. Tendrils produced on the climbing stem are inserted apically and are up to 28 cm long.
Rosette
Rosette (botany)
In botany, a rosette is a circular arrangement of leaves, with all the leaves at a single height.Though rosettes usually sit near the soil, their structure is an example of a modified stem.-Function:...
and lower pitchers are ovoid in the lower part, becoming cylindrical above. They are large, growing to 33.5 cm high by 6.8 cm wide. A pair of fringed wings (≤0.5 cm wide) runs down the ventral surface of the pitcher cup. Fringe elements are up to 1.9 cm long. The pitcher mouth is ovate and elongated into a short neck at the rear. The greatly expanded 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...
may be up to 5.8 cm wide at the sides. Its inner margin is lined with distinct teeth, with those of the neck reaching 0.4 cm in length. 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 ovate and has an unusual undulate margin. It measures up to 8.5 cm in length by 7.2 cm in width and has a cordate base. Four to five pairs of veins are visible on the upper surface of the lid. The lid bears two prominent appendages on its lower surface. The first is a hooked basal crest up to 0.7 cm long. The second is a triangular, dichotomous appendage present near the apex. This unique feature measures up to 1.4 cm in length and bears large nectar gland
Gland
A gland is an organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release of substances such as hormones or breast milk, often into the bloodstream or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface .- Types :...
s (0.5 to 1 mm in diameter). Smaller glands (0.1 to 0.5 mm in diameter) are concentrated along the midrib. An unbranched spur (≤2.8 cm long) is inserted near the base of the lid.
Upper pitchers are infundibular in the lowermost part, becoming ovoid and then cylindrical above. They may be up to 24.3 cm high by 4.5 cm wide. A pair of ribs is present instead of wings. The mouth is ovate and has a neck. The peristome is much narrower than that found in lower pitchers, measuring only up to 1 cm in width. Its teeth, although distinct, are also much shorter, with those of the neck reaching 1.3 mm. The fringed lid is ovate, has a cordate base, and measures up to 6.1 cm in length by 5.5 cm in width. Three to four pairs of veins are visible on the upper surface of the lid. As in their terrestrial counterparts, the lid of aerial pitchers bears two appendages on its underside. The hook-shaped basal crest is up to 0.3 cm long, while the forked sub-apical appendage reaches 1.5 cm. The latter bears large nectar glands (0.5 to 1 mm in diameter), with smaller ones (0.1 to 0.2 mm in diameter) concentrated along the lid midrib's lower surface. The spur (≤1.4 cm long) is flattened and has a bifurcate apex.
Only the female 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...
of N. naga is known. It is a raceme
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...
measuring up to 14.5 cm in length, of which 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...
makes up 7 cm and 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...
7.5 cm. Partial peduncles are one- or two-flowered. Their unbranched basal portion is up to 0.5 cm long, while the branches reach 0.9 cm. Bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
eoles are linear and up to 1.2 cm long. Tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...
s measure up to 0.5 cm. Fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s are up to 1 cm long by 0.4 cm wide.
Nepenthes naga lacks a conspicuous indumentum
Indumentum
The indumentum is a covering of fine hairs or bristles on a plant or insect.In plants, the indumentum types are:*pubescent*hirsute*pilose*villous*tomentose*stellate*scabrous*scurfy...
; most parts of the plant are glabrous.
Ecology
Nepenthes naga is known only from a small population in the Barisan MountainsBarisan Mountains
The Bukit Barisan or the Barisan Mountains are a mountain range on the western side of Sumatra, Indonesia, covering nearly 1,700 km from the north to the south of the island. The Bukit Barisan range consists primarily of volcanoes shrouded in dense jungle cover, including Sumatran tropical pine...
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 :...
. It grows epiphytically
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
in mossy montane forest and has an altitudinal distribution of 1500 to 2000 m. The vegetation in this habitat is dominated by Fagaceae
Fagaceae
The family Fagaceae, or beech family, comprises about 900 species of both evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs, which are characterized by alternate simple leaves with pinnate venation, unisexual flowers in the form of catkins, and fruit in the form of cup-like nuts. Fagaceous leaves are often...
and Gleicheniaceae
Gleicheniaceae
The forked ferns are the family Gleicheniaceae. They are sometimes – like all ferns and the related horsetails – placed in an infradivision Monilophytes of subdivision Euphyllophytina, allowing for more precise phylogenetic arrangement of the tracheophytes. More conventionally, the name...
, as well as various montane shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s.
Nepenthes naga occurs in an unprotected area. Plantations of the Pará rubber tree
Para rubber tree
Hevea brasiliensis, the Pará rubber tree, often simply called rubber tree, is a tree belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae, and the most economically important member of the genus Hevea...
(Hevea brasiliensis) at the foot of the hill inhabited by N. naga pose a threat to this species. Population decline is also attributed to plant collectors, who have removed a number of plants and collect seeds in such numbers that few are left to germinate
Germination
Germination is the process in which a plant or fungus emerges from a seed or spore, respectively, and begins growth. The most common example of germination is the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm. However the growth of a sporeling from a spore, for example the...
naturally.
The species has no known natural hybrids.
Related species
In their description of N. naga, the authors compared it to the SumatraSumatra
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...
n endemics N. ovata
Nepenthes ovata
Nepenthes ovata is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra. The specific epithet ovata is Latin for "ovate" and refers to the shape of the lower pitchers.-Botanical history:...
and N. spathulata
Nepenthes spathulata
Nepenthes spathulata is a tropical pitcher plant native to Java and Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of between 1100 and 2900 m above sea level. The specific epithet spathulata is derived from the Latin word spathulatus, meaning "spatula shaped", and refers to the shape of the...
, noting that it can be distinguished from these species on the basis of its dichotomous lid appendage and frilled lid. Nepenthes naga is nonetheless very similar to these species and to N. bongso
Nepenthes bongso
Nepenthes bongso is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it has an altitudinal distribution of 1000–2700 m above sea level. The specific epithet bongso refers to the Indonesian legend of Putri Bungsu , the spirit guardian of Mount Marapi.The species was formally described by Pieter...
and may prove to be an aberrant form of one of them.