NEPENTHES BOKORENSIS, a NEW SPECIES of NEPENTHACEAE from CAMBODIA François Sockhom MEY 3 Rue Frédéric Chopin, 59320 Haubourdin, France
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NEPENTHES BOKORENSIS, A NEW SPECIES OF NEPENTHACEAE FROM CAMBODIA François Sockhom MEY 3 rue Frédéric Chopin, 59320 Haubourdin, France. Email: [email protected] SUMMARY A new species of Nepenthes L. (Nepenthaceae) from southern Cambodia, Nepenthes bokorensis Mey, is described and illustrated. The relationship between this new taxon and its putative relatives, N. kampotiana Lecomte, N. smilesii Hemsl. and N. thorelii Lecomte is also discussed. Key words: Nepenthes, Cambodia, carnivorous plants, taxonomy. INTRODUCTION Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. This geographic area has not received The geographical term Indochina is used thorough treatment in comparison to the to refer to the south-east Asian countries better known centres of Nepenthes located between India and China, diversity such as Borneo, Sumatra or, namely Burma, Singapore, Thailand, more recently, the Philippines (Clarke, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Penin- 1997, 2001; Jebb & Cheek, 1997, 2001; sular Malaysia. The term is often Nerz & Wistuba, 1995; Robinson et al., confused with French Indochina, which 2009). In fact, the literature on Indo- was used, from 1887 onwards, to refer chinese Nepenthaceae is extremely poor to Vietnam (formerly the states of and almost no published research has Tonkin, Annam and Cochinchine), been carried out since the late 1890s and Cambodia and Laos (Brocheux & the early 1900s. Hemery, 2001). Thailand itself was The chronology of the Indochinese regarded as an independent and uncolo- species can be summed up as follows: nised buffer state between French Indo- William B. Hemsley described china (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) N. smilesii Hemsl. from a Thai specimen and British Indochina (Burma). in 1895; John M. Macfarlane described In this work, the term Indochina will N. anamensis Macfarlane based on a exclude Peninsular Malaysia and Singa- Vietnamese type specimen in 1908; in pore, as that region is usually treated 1909 Paul Henri Lecomte named three with Borneo in the Nepenthes literature, taxa: N. geoffrayi Lecomte and N. and will focus on the countries of kampotiana Lecomte based on Camb- 6 odian material, and N. thorelii Lecomte regions of Cambodia being one of the based on some collections from Viet- best-known examples. nam. Benedictus H. Danser synon- - Most of the type specimens are com- ymised N. smilesii with N. mirabilis prised of fragmented material, making it Druce in his revision of the genus difficult to study the species from that Nepenthes (Danser, 1928). area. Further, the location data for cer- Since these seminal works, in particu- tain specimens is incomplete or mislead- lar the studies of Lecomte, recorded in ing. For example, N. geoffrayi and Notulae Systematicae (Lecomte, 1909), N. kampotiana have been recorded from the Indochinese Nepenthes flora seems “Kampot, Cambodia”, but Kampot is to have been almost ignored, and the both the name of a southern province interest in Nepenthes raised by the work and the name of its principal city. of Danser (1928), Harms (1936), Kurata - Finally, the Indochinese species form a (1976), Jebb & Cheek (1997, 2001) and group of superficially similar species. Clarke (1997, 2001) inspired surpris- To the untrained eye, they all appear to ingly little interest in Indochinese share identical narrow leaves with species. clasping leaf bases and reddish lower In their ‘Skeletal revision of Nepen- pitchers. Their inflorescences are also thes’, Mathew Jebb and Martin Cheek similar, consisting of a raceme with one- lectotypified the material of N. thorelii, flowered pedicels. Until recently, the and synonymised N. kampotiana and N. delimitations of these Indochinese geoffrayi with N. anamensis as the species were completely unknown and herbarium material of the two former most herbarium specimens from Indo- species are comprised of only frag- china were often incorrectly labelled as mented collections and detached inflo- “N. thorelii”, “N. aff. Thorelii”, “N. rescences (Jebb & Cheek, 1997). They anamensis” or were simply left undiag- also retained N. smilesii as a little known nosed. taxon, indicating that its inclusion with In his forthcoming work, Pitcher N. mirabilis would have been premature Plants of the Old World (2009), Stewart without further studies. McPherson will reinstate N. kampotiana The striking lack of study of the Indo- and synonymise N. anamensis with N. chinese Nepenthaceae can be explained smilesii following the interpretation pro- by at least three factors: vided to him by M. Cheek (pers. - The history of Indochina has involved comm.), an interpretation that is fully a great deal of internal and international supported by the author of this text (F. conflict, and the borders of countries Mey). such as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam During a field trip to southern Cambo- have been opened relatively recently to dia in 2007, a new taxon was observed visitors and botanists. While tourists are on Phnom (Mount) Bokor (1080 m). now welcome and many areas of natural This plateau is located within the Preah wealth are managed for visitors, certain Monivong National Park (Bokor localities remain perilous, the landmined National Park), which is located near the 7 town of Kampot, the main city of the slightly decurrent; longitudinal veins 3 eponymous province. The taxon on each side of the midrib in outer quar- possesses a combination of obvious, ter of the lamina, pinnate veins arising stable features that serve to distinguish it obliquely from midrib, midrib 2 mm from the other Indochinese species pre- wide; tendrils straight, terete, 9-18 cm sent in Cambodia, N. kampotiana, N. long, 2 mm in diameter; Leaves of the smilesii, and N. thorelii. This taxon from climbing stem as those of rosettes, but Bokor National Park is described as a tendrils coiling occasionally, 10-14 cm new species here. long, 2 mm in diameter. Lower pitchers 13-20 by 4-6 cm, ovate in the lower Nepenthes bokorensis Mey, spec. nov. third, narrowing above, often constricted – Figures. 1, 2A, 2B below the middle, and cylindrical or slightly infundibular towards pitcher Nepenthes thorelii Lecomte simile, mouth; two alae 14-15 mm wide run sed foliis longioris latioris oblongis ses- down ventral exterior surface from silibus vel subpetiolatis basaliter am- tendril to mouth, fringed with narrow plexicaulibus peristomio robusto cylin- filaments up to 10-12 mm long; pitcher drico pedicellis interdum 2-floribus dif- mouth oblique, peristome striate, loosely fert. cylindrical, to 20 mm wide and bulbous, - Typus: Marie Martin 1231 bis (holo ribs to 8 mm high, spaced to 1 mm P!), southern Cambodia, province of apart, occasionally raised to form a Kampot, Phnom Bokor, 800 m, triangular point; lid orbicular to broadly 7.xii.1968. elliptic, to 7 cm long by 6 cm wide, with a cordate base, often vaulted, lower Nepenthes bokorensis is most readily surface without appendages, crateriform distinguished from its near relatives by glands dense and numerous, to 0.5 mm its robust peristome, significantly across along midline, 0.2-0.3 mm broader leaves, the vaulted, orbicular lid elsewhere, glands sparse near margins; and its occasionally 2-flowered inflores- spur 11-12 mm long, simple but cences. occasionally bifurcated. Upper pitchers variable, generally to 25 cm by 6 cm, Terrestrial climber to 7 m tall. Stem of wholly infundibular, narrowly so rosette and short shoots cylindrical in towards base and greatly elongated in cross section, 7-9 mm diameter. Climb- lower third, occasionally swollen, form- ing stem terete to 1 cm diameter, inter- ing a faint hip above; alae reduced to nodes ca. 3 cm long. Leaves of the narrow ridges; pitcher mouth oblique; rosettes coriaceous, base attenuate and peristome striate, loosely cylindrical, to sessile, sometimes sub-petiolate, lamina 17 mm wide, outer margin often slightly oblong to linear-lanceolate, apex acute flared, ribs fine, to 0.4 mm high, spaced to obtuse, sometimes acuminate, 30-35 to 0.5 mm apart; lid orbicular or broadly by 7-8 cm, clasping the stem by three- elliptic, base cordate, to 6 cm long by 5 quarters of its circumference, rarely cm wide, often vaulted, margins 8 Figure 1. Nepenthes bokorensis Mey. a. climbing stem with upper pitcher ; b. male inflorescence; c. detail of male inflorescence; d. fruit; e. seed; f. lower surface of pitcher lid; g. lower pitcher (all from photographs). Drawing by François Mey. 9 frequently revolute, no appendages; spur brown hairs 0.5-1 mm long covering all as for lower pitchers. Male inflores- parts of plant, but sometimes greatly cence a raceme, to c. 100 cm, peduncle reduced leaving foliage almost glabrous. 60-70 cm long, rachis 20-30 cm long Colour of living specimens: leaves with c. 80 flowers borne solitary on green, stem, midrib and tendril yellow, pedicels to 5 mm long, but occasionally green, orange or red; pitcher exterior on 2-flowered partial peduncles, generally red, brown or purple, with androphore to 2 mm long; tepals faint purple blotching or, in upper orbicular to elliptic, 2 mm long. Female pitchers, yellow or pink; interior yellow- inflorescence a raceme, 60-100 cm, ish-green to creamy white, often rachis 7-20 cm with 30-80 flowers borne blotched purple; peristome red or purple, solitary on pedicels to 9 mm long, striped with darker bands of same or, in occasionally on 2-flowered partial upper pitchers, yellow to orange striped peduncles, ovary 4 mm tall; tepals red and purple; lid as for pitcher orbicular to elliptic, 4 mm long; fruit exterior; tepals brown or red. generally 10-25 mm long; seeds fusi- Specimens examined: form, ca. 50-100 per fruit, c. 7 mm long, Nepenthes bokorensis – M. Martin light brown. Indumentum of silver or 1231 bis (P!), female plant with flowers, Figure 2A. Upper pitchers of Nepenthes Bokorensis 10 fruit and lower pitchers, Bokor Hill, 800 Lo-Thieu, Vietnam: lectotype. Thorel, m: holotype. Geoffray 324 (P!), upper 1032 (P!), Guia-Toan, Vietnam: syn- pitchers with leaves, Popokvil falls, type.