Nepenthes viridis

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Nepenthes viridis
Nepenthes viridis intermediate pitcher, photographed on an islet off Dinagat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Nepenthaceae
Genus: Nepenthes
Species:
N. viridis
Binomial name
Nepenthes viridis
Synonyms

Nepenthes viridis is a tropical

Samar, and a number of surrounding islets.[1][4] It is closely allied to the N. alata group of species.[1]

The

specific epithet viridis is Latin for "green" and refers to the plant's typical yellowish-green pitcher colouration, which is maintained irrespective of sun exposure.[1][5]

Botanical history

One of the many islets off Dinagat where N. viridis was found during field work in 2012

Discovery

Nepenthes viridis was discovered in 2007 by Thomas Gronemeyer and Volker Heinrich. An account of this and other discoveries appeared in a 2008 issue of the German-language periodical, Das Taublatt, where the plant was treated as a green form of N. alata.[6]

The recognition of this taxon as a new species—under the placeholder name "Nepenthes species 2"—was announced online in September 2012,[7] together with that of four other putative new species from Mindanao and surrounding areas.[7][8][9] This followed field work by a team comprising Tobias Gieray, Thomas Gronemeyer, Marius Micheler, David Marwinski, and Andreas Wistuba,[7] though only the last three studied N. viridis in situ that year.

Formal description

Nepenthes viridis was

diagnosis in English.[1]

The

Prior use of name

Though this species was only scientifically described in 2013, the

validly published name) and was therefore available for describing the present species.[3][11]

Description

Nepenthes viridis is a

internodes up to 10 cm long.[1]

Leaves

Young plants have fimbriate laminae (leaf blades) up to 10 cm long.[1]

Laminae borne on older

extrafloral nectaries.[1]

The leaves of climbing stems are similar, but are separated by longer internodes.

Pitchers

Typical upper pitcher

In young plants with fimbriate leaves, the pitchers reach 10 cm in height. They have well-developed fringed wings up to 2 mm wide, which run the length of the pitcher cup and bear filaments 2–3 mm long. The peristome is up to 1–2 mm wide. The pitcher lid or operculum is almost perfectly round and reaches 1.5 cm in width. It has a basal keel about 1.5 mm wide.[1]

Rosette and lower pitchers are bulbous in the basal third, becoming cylindrical above and having a slight constriction in the middle. They are up to 16.5 cm high by 4 cm wide. The pitcher opening is up to 3 cm wide. The peristome is cylindrical and up to 5–7 mm wide. The fringed wings are restricted to the upper half of the pitcher cup, the lower parts being reduced to a pair of ribs. The fringe elements are spaced several millimetres apart and the longest (≤1.3 cm) are found in the upper third of the pitcher, near the peristome. The lid is round to slightly cordate (heart-shaped). It is distinctly domed and has a diameter of up to 3.5 cm. On the underside of the lid, the basal keel is 7–8 mm long and 3 mm high. A branched spur 2–3 mm long is inserted near the base of the lid.[1]

Upper pitchers are ovoid in the basal third and cylindrical above, expanding rapidly just below the peristome. They are similar in size to their terrestrial counterparts, reaching 18 cm in length by 2.4 cm in width. The peristome is cylindrical to slightly flattened and around 5 mm wide. It is often raised at the front, where it is notched or wavy. The pitcher opening is up to 3.6 cm in diameter. The wings are reduced to ribs and lack filaments altogether. The lid is oval to cordate and, as in lower pitchers, heavily domed. It measures around 3.8 by 3.2 cm and has a basal keel on its lower surface. The keel is similarly sized to that of lower pitchers: 7–8 mm long by 3 mm high. The spur is up to 4 mm long.[1]

In the wild, both lower and upper pitchers are predominantly yellowish-green, even when growing exposed to direct sunlight, though in some plants the wing vestiges of the upper pitchers may be slightly reddish. The inner surface visible through the pitcher opening is near-white.[1]

Inflorescence

Nepenthes viridis has a racemose inflorescence up to 60 cm long, of which the rachis (the flower-bearing portion) constitutes up to 50 cm, the remainder being a short peduncle. The flowers are mostly borne on two-flowered partial peduncles, which are up to 2.5 cm long.[1]

Ecology

Distribution and habitat

Climbing plants of N. viridis growing among dense vegetation on one of the micro-islands off Dinagat

Nepenthes viridis is

humic and rocky soils, often in direct sunlight.[1]

The tiny islets this species inhabits around Dinagat provide striking micro-habitats, often having near-vertical rock walls and highly vegetated tops. Here, N. viridis plants occasionally grow lithophytically,[1] their roots anchored in fissures.[7] Where present, surrounding vegetation provides support for the plants' scrambling vines, though these may overhang the sheer rock faces, dangling only a few metres from the water. Exposed to direct sunlight, the dark rock walls can get very hot, and during particularly dry periods any N. viridis plants in close proximity will largely wither, leaving only a few green shoots.[1]

Natural hybrids

No

s.l..[1][13]

Related species

Nepenthes viridis is closely allied to the

N. kurata, N. leyte, N. mindanaoensis, N. negros, N. ramos, N. saranganiensis, and N. ultra.[14][15][16][17] These species are all endemic to the Philippines and are united by a number of morphological characters, including winged petioles, lids with basal ridges on the lower surface (often elaborated into appendages), and upper pitchers that are usually broadest near the base.[14][15]

Taxonomy of N. alata group

s.s. upper pitcher on Mount Ambucao in northern Luzon
Right: Nepenthes graciliflora upper pitcher on Mount Ayam Bukong, a flank of Mount Halcon, Mindoro

Shortly before the N. viridis type description went to print,

Comparison to N. alata

Nepenthes viridis is distinct from N. alata

ventral pitcher wings. Those of N. viridis lower and intermediate pitchers are restricted to the upper third of the pitcher cup and bear large (≤13 mm), widely spaced filaments. By comparison, those of N. alata intermediate pitchers usually run the length of the pitcher cup with more densely arranged filaments (2–4 mm apart). The small spur located near the base of the lid is another distinguishing feature. In lower pitchers of N. viridis it is branched, whereas in N. alata it is not.[1][24]

Notes

  1. s.s., Danser's original concept of N. alata encompassed a large assemblage of other taxa that are now recognised as distinct species, including N. abalata, N. benstonei, N. copelandii, N. eustachya, N. graciliflora, N. mindanaoensis, N. mirabilis, N. negros, and N. philippinensis.[15][21][22]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab (in German) Micheler, M., T. Gronemeyer, A. Wistuba, D. Marwinski, W. Suarez & V. Amoroso 2013. Nepenthes viridis, eine neue Nepenthes-Art von der Insel Dinagat, Philippinen. Das Taublatt 76: 4–21.
  2. ^ a b (in French) Teysmann, M.J.E. 1859. Énumération des plantes envoyées de Java au jardin botanique de l'Université de Leide. Annales d'horticulture et de botanique, ou Flore des jardins du royaume des Pays-Bas, et histoire des plantes cultivées les plus intéressantes des possessions néerlandaises aux Indes orientales, de l'Amérique et du Japon 2: 133–142.
  3. ^ a b c Schlauer, J. N.d. Nepenthes viridis. Carnivorous Plant Database.
  4. ^ Co, L. & W. Suarez 2012. Nepenthaceae. Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines.
  5. ^ (in German) Wistuba, A. 2013. Neue Nepenthes-Art - Nepenthes viridis. G.F.P. Forum, October 19, 2013.
  6. ^ (in German) Gronemeyer, T. 2008. Nepenthes auf den Philippinen – ein Reisebericht. Das Taublatt 60: 15–27.
  7. ^ a b c d (in German) Wistuba, A. 2012. Nepenthes-Neuigkeiten von Mindanao (Philippinen). G.F.P. Forum, September 2, 2012.
  8. ^ (in German) Wistuba, A. 2012. Nepenthes-Neuigkeiten von Mindanao (Philippinen) - Teil 2. G.F.P. Forum, September 3, 2012.
  9. ^ (in German) Wistuba, A. 2012. Nepenthes-Neuigkeiten von Mindanao (Philippinen) - Teil 3. G.F.P. Forum, September 9, 2012.
  10. ^ Nepenthes viridis Micheler, Gronem., Wistuba, Marwinski, W.Suarez & V.B.Amoroso. International Plant Names Index (IPNI).
  11. ^ Suarez, W. 2013. Re: Nepenthes viridis, a new species from Dinagat/Philippines. Carnivorous Plants in the tropics, October 23, 2013.
  12. ^ Suarez, W. 2013. Re: Nepenthes viridis, a new species from Dinagat/Philippines. Carnivorous Plants in the tropics, October 24, 2013.
  13. ^ Suarez, W. 2013. Re: Nepenthes viridis, a new species from Dinagat/Philippines. Carnivorous Plants in the tropics, October 24, 2013.
  14. ^
  15. ^
  16. ^
  17. ^ Gronemeyer, T. 2013. Re: Nepenthes viridis, a new species from Dinagat/Philippines. Carnivorous Plants in the tropics, October 24, 2013.
  18. ^ Gronemeyer, T. 2013. Re: Nepenthes viridis, a new species from Dinagat/Philippines. Carnivorous Plants in the tropics, October 23, 2013.
  19. ^ Danser, B.H. 1928. 1. Nepenthes alata Blanco. [pp. 258–262] In: The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies. Bulletin du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg, Série III, 9(3–4): 249–438.
  20. ^ Clarke, C. & C.C. Lee 2012. A revision of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae) from Gunung Tahan, Peninsular Malaysia. Archived 2013-10-07 at the Wayback Machine Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 64(1): 33–49.
  21. ^ Schlauer, J. N.d. Nepenthes alata. Carnivorous Plant Database.
  22. ^ McPherson, S.R. 2009. Pitcher Plants of the Old World. 2 volumes. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
  23. ^ Mey, F.S. 2013. Nepenthes samar and N. viridis: two new taxa and the emergence of two Nepenthes taxonomy schools? Strange Fruits: A Garden's Chronicle, October 23, 2013.

External links