Nepenthes hemsleyana

Last updated

Contents

Nepenthes hemsleyana
Nepenthes rafflesiana var. elongata upper pitcher.jpg
An upper pitcher of Nepenthes hemsleyana from Brunei
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Nepenthaceae
Genus: Nepenthes
Species:
N. hemsleyana
Binomial name
Nepenthes hemsleyana
Macfarl. (1908) [1]
Synonyms

Nepenthes hemsleyana is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo, where it grows in peat swamp forest and heath forest below 200 m above sea level. [2] [6] [7]

The specific epithet hemsleyana honours English botanist William Botting Hemsley, who described N. macfarlanei and N. smilesii . [7]

Botanical history

This species has a long and confused taxonomic history. It was first collected in 1877 by Frederick William Burbidge, who found it on "a rocky hill about five hundred feet [150 m] high". [3] [7] The site was reached by a small stream and lay around 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Kedayan settlement of Meringit, located at the head of the Meropok branch of the Lawas River in Sarawak, Borneo. There the plant grew sympatrically with N. gracilis , N. hirsuta , N. rafflesiana , and N. veitchii . Burbidge informally called the plant N. rafflesiana "glaberrima", but there is no indication that this is the same taxon as the N. rafflesiana var. glaberrima described by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1873, [8] for which there is no representative herbarium material or description of pitcher morphology. [7] Three of Burbidge's specimens are extant at the herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: K000651484, K000651485, and K000651486. [7] K000651485 is the designated lectotype and the other two isotypes. [7]

Nepenthes hemsleyana was formally described by John Muirhead Macfarlane in his 1908 monograph, "Nepenthaceae". [1] Macfarlane noted its similarity to N. rafflesiana but distinguished it on the basis of "the nerves of the leaves, the long and slender tendril, the slim and elongated pitchers, the heart-shaped lid with diffused glands, the deep off-leading surface" (translated from the original Latin). [7] Twenty years later, B. H. Danser sunk N. hemsleyana in synonymy with N. rafflesiana in his "The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies", [9] having apparently not examined the type material of the former. [7] Subsequent monographs on the genus followed Danser's interpretation. [10] [11]

Differences between this taxon and the typical form of N. rafflesiana were long recognised in the horticultural and botanical communities, and it was variously and informally known as the 'elongate form' of N. rafflesiana, N. rafflesiana var. elongata, or N. sp. "elegance". [2] [4] [5] It was formally described as N. baramensis ( /nɪˈpɛnθiːzˌbærəˈmɛnsɪs/ ) in 2011 by Charles Clarke, Jonathan Moran, and Ch'ien Lee, who detailed its differing ecology. [2] In 2013, Mathias Scharmann and T. Ulmar Grafe pointed out that this taxon had already been formally described more than 100 years earlier, as N. hemsleyana, and that this is therefore the correct name under the botanical rules of priority. [7] The authors also synonymised N. rafflesiana var. subglandulosa with N. hemsleyana. [7]

Description

A lower pitcher from a Bruneian plant Nepenthes rafflesiana var. elongata lower pitcher.jpg
A lower pitcher from a Bruneian plant

Nepenthes hemsleyana is very similar to the typical form of N. rafflesiana, but is elongated in all respects. [5] The upper leaves of N. hemsleyana have proportionally longer laminae (leaf blades) and proportionally shorter petioles than do those of N. rafflesiana, but these differences are not nearly as pronounced in the lower leaves. [7] In N. hemsleyana the tendrils are always round in cross section, whereas in N. rafflesiana they may be flattened or even winged. Nepenthes hemsleyana also differs from that species in retaining a well developed waxy zone in its upper pitchers. It frequently bears multicellular, filiform appendages on the upper surface of the lid, similar to those of the N. tentaculata group of species; these have never been documented in N. rafflesiana. Leaf colouration also distinguishes the two species; in closed forest the leaves of N. hemsleyana are dark green or reddish, as compared to bright green in N. rafflesiana. [7]

Distribution

Nepenthes hemsleyana is known with certainty from Brunei (Belait and Tutong districts) and coastal regions of northern Sarawak (Baram River region and Bintulu Division), [7] including around Miri and in Gunung Mulu National Park. [12] However, the full extent of the species's range may be much larger than currently appreciated. For example, an as yet undetermined herbarium specimen and recent photographic evidence [13] point to its presence in the Kapuas region of West Kalimantan. [7]

The species may still be extant near its type locality in Lawas District, Sarawak, but much of the area's original forest has been destroyed since Burbidge's time and replaced by oil palm plantations. Two small hills have been identified near the Merapok River which may represent the type locality, but both have been logged and no plants of N. hemsleyana could be found. [7]

Natural hybrids

Two natural hybrids involving N. hemsleyana are known: crosses with N. ampullaria and N. rafflesiana have been recorded in Brunei, but only in areas of human disturbance. The former cross differs from sympatric N. × hookeriana (N. ampullaria × N. rafflesiana) in possessing a waxy zone, a narrower peristome, and hairs on the upper surface of the lid. [7]

Relationship with bats

Nepenthes hemsleyana appears to rely on different prey trapping strategies as compared to N. rafflesiana. Unlike the latter, the upper pitchers of N. hemsleyana have an expanded waxy zone and watery, less viscoelastic pitcher fluid. [2] [14] They also appear to lack UV patterns and produce less nectar and odour attractants. [2] [14] Hardwicke's woolly bats (Kerivoula hardwickii) commonly roost in the upper pitchers of N. hemsleyana. [2] [15] [16] [17] [18] This relationship appears to be mutualistic, with the plant providing shelter for the bats and in return receiving additional nitrogen input in the form of faeces. It has been estimated that the plant derives 33.8% of its total foliar nitrogen from the bats' droppings. [15]

Nepenthes hemsleyana pitchers provide better roosts with a more stable microclimate as compared to those of sympatric N. bicalcarata , though they are less abundant. Hardwicke's woolly bats roosting in N. hemsleyana have on average a higher body condition and fewer parasites than those roosting in N. bicalcarata. The bats occupy N. hemsleyana pitchers longer and disturbance experiments have shown that they choose them preferentially over those of N. bicalcarata. [19]

The frequency of the bats' vocalisations (starting well above 250  kHz) is the highest known of any bat species and may be an adaptation to locate pitchers among dense surrounding vegetation. The bats are likely further aided by a parabolic structure found in the rear wall of N. hemsleyana upper pitchers. This structure shows far stronger echo-reflection than a comparable area in the most closely related pitcher plant species, Nepenthes rafflesiana . [20] These reflecting structures are convergent with those of some Neotropical bat-pollinated angiosperms, [20] such as Marcgravia evenia . [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitcher plant</span> Carnivorous plant

Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants that have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of what are considered to be "true" pitcher plants are formed by specialized leaves. The plants attract and drown their prey with nectar.

<i>Nepenthes</i> Tropical pitcher plants

Nepenthes is a genus of carnivorous plants, also known as tropical pitcher plants, or monkey cups, in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus includes about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are mostly liana-forming plants of the Old World tropics, ranging from South China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines; westward to Madagascar and the Seychelles (one); southward to Australia (four) and New Caledonia (one); and northward to India (one) and Sri Lanka (one). The greatest diversity occurs on Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines, with many endemic species. Many are plants of hot, humid, lowland areas, but the majority are tropical montane plants, receiving warm days but cool to cold, humid nights year round. A few are considered tropical alpine, with cool days and nights near freezing. The name "monkey cups" refers to the fact that monkeys were once thought to drink rainwater from the pitchers.

<i>Nepenthes rafflesiana</i> Species of pitcher plant from Southeast Asia

Nepenthes rafflesiana, or Raffles' pitcher-plant, is a species of tropical 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 least three distinct varieties. The giant form of this species produces enormous pitchers rivalling those of N. rajah in size.

<i>Nepenthes ampullaria</i> Species of pitcher plant

Nepenthes ampullaria is a very distinctive and widespread species of tropical pitcher plant, present in Borneo, the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, and Thailand.

<i>Nepenthes burbidgeae</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes burbidgeae, also known as the painted pitcher plant or Burbidge's Pitcher-Plant, is a tropical pitcher plant with a patchy distribution around Mount Kinabalu and neighbouring Mount Tambuyukon in Sabah, Borneo.

<i>Nepenthes gracilis</i> Species of pitcher plant from Southeast Asia

Nepenthes gracilis, or the slender pitcher-plant, is a common lowland pitcher plant that is widespread in the Sunda region. It has been recorded from Borneo, Cambodia, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sulawesi, Sumatra, and Thailand. The species has a wide altitudinal distribution of 0 to 1100 m above sea level, although most populations are found below 100 m and plants are rare above 1000 m. Despite being a widespread plant, natural hybrids between N. gracilis and other species are quite rare.

<i>Nepenthes bicalcarata</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes bicalcarata, also known as the fanged pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to northwestern Borneo, Indonesia. It is a myrmecophyte noted for its mutualistic association with a species of ant, Camponotus schmitzi. As an ant-fed plant it lacks many of the features that characterise the carnivorous syndrome in Nepenthes, including viscoelastic and highly acidic pitcher fluid, the waxy zone of the pitcher interior, and possibly even functional digestive enzymes.

<i>Nepenthes stenophylla</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes stenophylla, or the narrow-leaved pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. The species produces attractive funnel-shaped pitchers up to 25 cm high. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Nepenthes stenophylla belongs to the loosely defined "N. maxima complex", which also includes, among other species, N. boschiana, N. chaniana, N. epiphytica, N. eymae, N. faizaliana, N. fusca, N. klossii, N. maxima, N. platychila, and N. vogelii.

Dr. Charles M. Clarke is an ecologist and botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes, for which he is regarded as a world authority. 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.

<i>Nepenthes vogelii</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes vogelii is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It is thought to be most closely related to N. fusca.

<i>Nepenthes copelandii</i> Species of pitcher plant from the Philippines

Nepenthes copelandii is a species of pitcher plant native to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Originally known from Mount Apo near Davao City and Mount Pasian near Bislig, it has since been discovered on a number of peaks throughout Mindanao. It may also be present on the nearby island of Camiguin. The species has a wide altitudinal distribution of 1100–2400 m above sea level. Nepenthes copelandii has no known natural hybrids. No forms or varieties have been described.

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. baramensis, N. chaniana, N. gantungensis, N. glandulifera, N. jamban, N. lingulata, N. palawanensis, N. pitopangii, N. platychila, and N. harauensis. Lee also described the natural hybrid N. × bauensis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies</span>

"The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies" is a seminal monograph by B. H. Danser on the tropical pitcher plants of the Dutch East Indies and surrounding regions. It was originally published in the Bulletin du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg in 1928, and reprinted by Natural History Publications (Borneo) in 2006.

<i>Colobopsis schmitzi</i> Species of diving ant

Colobopsis schmitzi, synonym Camponotus schmitzi, is a species of ant native to Borneo, which is commonly known as the diving ant, swimming ant or pitcher-plant ant, due to their habit of diving into the digestive fluids of their plant host Nepenthes bicalcarata. They are endemic to the island of Borneo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardwicke's woolly bat</span> Species of species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae

Hardwicke's woolly bat is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae.

<i>Nepenthes of Borneo</i>

Nepenthes of Borneo is a monograph by Charles Clarke on the tropical pitcher plants of Borneo. It was first published in 1997 by Natural History Publications (Borneo), and reprinted in 2006. Clarke describes it as "primarily an ecological monograph".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nepenthaceae (1908 monograph)</span>

"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. It was the most exhaustive revision of the genus up to that point, covering all known species, and included detailed accounts of the structure, anatomy, and development of Nepenthes.

Marcgravia evenia is a species of flowering vine in the family Marcgraviaceae. Within this family it belongs to the Galetae group, which is characterized by a long inflorescence axis and boat shaped nectaries. The plant is endemic to Cuba. The inflorescence of M. evenia is extraordinary. At the upper end of the pendant inflorescence are several concave bracts set at an angle to reflect and focus sonar pulses from bats, helping the bats to locate the flowers.. In the middle of the inflorescence is a discoid circle of about twenty tubular tetramerous flowers. Below these is a second set of bracts very different from the reflective ones These are modified into extrafloral nectaries which is why the bats are interested, and can be enlisted as pollinators. Inflorescences with two different kinds of bracts are quite rare. although the common poinsettia is one such.

References

  1. 1 2 Macfarlane, J.M. 1908. Nepenthaceae. In: A. Engler Das Pflanzenreich IV, III, Heft 36: 1–91.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Clarke, C.; Moran, J.A.; Lee, C.C. (2011). "Nepenthes baramensis (Nepenthaceae) – a new species from north-western Borneo". Blumea. 56 (3): 229–233. doi:10.3767/000651911X607121.
  3. 1 2 Burbidge, F.W. 1880. The Gardens of the Sun . Murray, London.
  4. 1 2 Slack, A. 1986. Insect-Eating Plants and How to Grow Them. Alphabooks, Dorset.
  5. 1 2 3 Clarke, C.M. 1997. Nepenthes of Borneo . Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu.
  6. ↑ McPherson, S.R. & A. Robinson 2012. Field Guide to the Pitcher Plants of Borneo . Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Scharmann, M.; Grafe, T.U. (2013). "Reinstatement of Nepenthes hemsleyana (Nepenthaceae), an endemic pitcher plant from Borneo, with a discussion of associated Nepenthes taxa". Blumea. 58 (1): 8–12. doi:10.3767/000651913X668465.
  8. ↑ (in Latin) Hooker, J.D. 1873. Ordo CLXXV bis. Nepenthaceæ. In: A. de Candolle Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis 17: 90–105.
  9. ↑ Danser, B.H. (1928). "The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies". Bulletin du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg. Série III. 9 (3–4): 249–438.
  10. ↑ Jebb, M.H.P.; Cheek, M.R. (1997). "A skeletal revision of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae)–A skeletal revision of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae)". Blumea. 42 (1): 1–106.
  11. ↑ Cheek, M.R.; Jebb, M.H.P. (2001). "Nepenthaceae (2001 monograph)–Nepenthaceae". Flora Malesiana. 15: 1–157.
  12. ↑ Bourke, G (2011). "The Nepenthes of Mulu National Park". Carniflora Australis . 8 (1): 20–31.
  13. ↑ (in Indonesian) "clipeata" 2008. tahun baru jalan2 di kalimantan. Tanaman Karnivora, February 1, 2008.
  14. 1 2 Bauer, U.; Grafe, T.U.; Federle, W. (2011). "Evidence for alternative trapping strategies in two forms of the pitcher plant, Nepenthes rafflesiana". Journal of Experimental Botany. 62 (10): 3683–3692. doi:10.1093/jxb/err082. PMC   3130184 . PMID   21459766.
  15. 1 2 Grafe, T.U.; Schöner, C.R.; Kerth, G.; Junaidi, A.; Schöner, M.G. (2011). "A novel resource–service mutualism between bats and pitcher plants". Biology Letters. 7 (3): 436–439. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.1141. PMC   3097880 . PMID   21270023.
  16. ↑ Youngsteadt, E. 2011. Carnivorous plant feasts on bat dung Archived 2011-01-28 at the Wayback Machine . ScienceNOW, January 25, 2011.
  17. ↑ Davies, E. 2011. Bats in Borneo roost in carnivorous pitcher plants. BBC Earth News, January 26, 2011.
  18. ↑ Tiny bats trade in caves for pitcher plants in Borneo
  19. ↑ Schöner, C., M. Schöner, G. Kerth & U. Grafe 2013. Supply determines demand: influence of partner quality and quantity on the interactions between bats and pitcher plants. In: Abstracts: 16th International Bat Research Conference & 43rd North American Symposium on Bat Research. San Jose, Costa Rica. August 11–15, 2013. pp. 141–142.
  20. 1 2 Schöner, M. G.; Schöner, C. R.; Simon, R.; Grafe, T. Ulmar; Puechmaille, S. J.; Ji, L. L.; Kerth, G. (2015-07-09). "Bats Are Acoustically Attracted to Mutualistic Carnivorous Plants". Current Biology. 25 (14): 1911–1916. Bibcode:2015CBio...25.1911S. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.054 . PMID   26166777.
  21. ↑ Simon, R.; Holderied, M. W.; Koch, C. U.; von Helversen, O. (2011-07-29). "Floral Acoustics: Conspicuous Echoes of a Dish-Shaped Leaf Attract Bat Pollinators". Science. 333 (6042): 631–633. Bibcode:2011Sci...333..631S. doi:10.1126/science.1204210. PMID   21798950. S2CID   5035286.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.