Danser's Monograph on Nepenthes: Nepenthes hirsuta



17. Nepenthes hirsuta HOOK. F., in D. C. Prodr., XVII, p. 99 (1873) ; BURB., Gard. Chron., 1882, 1, p. 56 (1882) ; BECC., Mal., III, p. 4 (1886) ; BECK, Wien. Ill. Gartenz., 1895, p. 191 (1895) ; BOERL., Handl., III, 1, p. 54 (1900) ; MACF., in ENGL., Pflanzenr., IV, 111, p 49 (1908) ; MERR., Bibl. enum. Born., p. 282 (1921) ; non N. hirsuta var. glabrescens SMITH, Gard. Chron., 1882, 1, p 398, ic. 59, quae N. destillatoria LINN.; ? N. hispida BECK, Wien. Ill. Gartenz., 1895, p. 187 (1895).

Icon. nostra 8.

Folia mediocria sessilia v. breviter petiolata, lamina obovato-lanceolata, nervis longitudinalibus utrinque 3-4, basi sensim attenuata caulis c. 1/2 amplectente, vagina 0 ; ascidia rosularum magnitudine mediocria, ovata, alis 2 fimbriatis, peristomio operculum versus acuminato, applanato, ad 6 mm lato, costis c. 1/2-1/3 mm distantibus, dentibus 3-5 x longioribus quam latis, operculo ovato facie inferiore plana v. leviter obtuseque carinata ; ascidia inferiora ut rosularum sed maiora ; ascidia superiora magnitudine mediocria, tubulosa, costis 2 prominentibus, nonnunquam ad os rudimento alae ciliatae ornatis ; peristomio operculum versus acuminato in collum breve elongato, cylindrico v. applanato, 2-3 mm lato, costis 1/2-1/3 mm distantibus, dentibus c. 2 x longioribus quam latis ; operculo ovato, facie inferiore plano v. vix obtuse carinato ; inflorescentia racemus parvus pedicellis inferioribus 5-10 mm longis fere omnibus 2-floris ; indumentum in omnibus partibus iuventute densissimum patens ferrugineum, statu adulto in partibus vegetativis parcius, in inflorescentiis permanens.

Stems climbing, the part with adult leaves cylindrical, usually 5 to 6 mm thick, the internodes about 2 1/2 to 6 cm long, the base often woody in older plants, bearing lateral rosettes of pitchers. Leaves of the rosettes about 3 to 6 cm long, lanceolate-spathulate to obovate, acute or rounded, attenuate at the base, without petiole, forming a laterally flattened, almost wholly amplexicaul sheath. Leaves of the climbing stems scattered or alternate, thin-coriaceous, obovate, usually 15 to 20 cm long, 3 to 6 cm broad, acute or rounded, gradually attenuate towards the base, sessile or rarely short-petioled, with a semiamplexicaul sheath ; pennate nerves, numerous, obliquely or almost transversely running towards the margin, irregularly reticulate, longitudinal nerves 3 or 4 on each side, originating from the basal part of the midrib, running parallel in the outer half of the

. Fig. 8. Nepenthes hirsuta ; a. upper portion of the stem of a male plant, 1/2 x (HALLIER B 713) ; b. upper leaf with pitcher, 1/2 x (HALLIER B 644) ; c. rosette leaf with pitcher, 1/2 x (HALLIER B 642) ; d. fruiting raceme, 1/2 x (HALLIER B 713).

lamina ; tendrils once or twice as long as the leaves, hanging or curved downwards, always with curl when bearing a pitcher. Pitchers of the rosettes ovate, shortly incurved from the hanging tendril, abruptly widened, up 15 cm high, up to 7 cm wide in the ventricose part with 2 fringed wings over the whole length, the wings 2 to 7 mm broad, the fringe segments up to 10 mm long, 1 to 3 mm apart ; mouth oblique, ovate, acute or slightly acuminate and elevated towards the lid ; peristome involute at the outer side, flat on the inner side, up to 6 mm high, the ribs about 1/2 to 1/3 mm apart, the teeth of the interior margin 2 to 5 times as long as broad: inner surface of the pitcher glandless at most to 1 cm below the front side of the mouth, sometimes wholly or nearly wholly glandular, the glandular part with minute overarched glands ; lid ovate, obtuse, rounded or slightly cordate at the base, the inferior surface flat or slightly thickened in the basal part of the midrib glandular, with scattered round deepened glands, more densely glandular towards the basal part of the midrib ; spur inserted at 1 to 5 mm from the lid, ascending from the back rib of the pitcher, not branched. Pitchers of the lower leaves like those of the rosettes, but larger on the average. Pitchers of the climbing stems shortly incurved from the hanging end of the tendril, infundibuliform in the basal part, the rest tubulose, almost straight on the back side, curved on the wing side, rarely slightly ventricose in the lower part or narrowly infundibuliform over the whole length, 8 to 12 cm high, 2 1/2 to 3 cm wide, with 2 prominent ribs over the whole length, often in the upper part, rarely over the whole length with a fringed wing rudiment, the segments of the fringe up to 6 mm long, 1 to 3 mm apart ; mouth almost horizontal on the wing side, acuminate, incurved and almost elongated into a short neck towards the lid, 1 to 3 mm broad, the ribs about 1/2 to 1/3 mm apart, the teeth of the interior margin about twice as long as broad ; inner surface wholly glandular with minute overarched glands, about 2000 to 3000 glands on 1 cm2 ; lid ovate, rounded or slightly emarginate at the apex, rounded or slightly cordate at the base, with many round small glands on the margin, the basal part of the midrib often slightly prominent, hardly obtusely keeled ; spur inserted close to the lid, not branched, filiform, up to 6 mm long. Male inflorescence a seemingly lateral raceme, the peduncle 12 to 18 cm long, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 mm thick, the axis about 12 cm long, 2 1/2 to 1 1/2 mm thick, attenuate, the pedicels mostly 2-flowered, forked close to the base, mostly 4 to 8 mm long, only the uppermost 1-flowered, 3 to 4 mm long or still shorter, all of them without bract. Tepals oblong, obtuse, about 4 to 5 mm long. Staminal column about 4 mm long, the uniseriate anthers included. Female inflorescence like the male one, but shorter on the average. Ovary sessile. Fruit about 25 to 35 mm long, strongly attenuate towards both ends, the valves lanceolate, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 mm broad. Seeds filiform, 12 to 20 mm long, the nucleus transversely wrinkled. Indumentum on the stems very dense when young, later often deciduous and leaving brown points ; petiole, midrib beneath and tendril hairy in the same way, but more short-hairy ; leaf beneath somewhat less densely hairy, above glabrous or almost glabrous, the margin rather long-ciliate, pitchers very densely covered with spreading short hairs when young, later sparsely hairy or glabrous ; Inflorescences in the lower part hairy like the stem, more densely and shortly hairy towards the perigones, the tepals very densely and shortly tomentose, the staminal column rather densely hairy, the ovary very densely and more appressedly hairy, the fruit with brown points and rudiments of hairs. Colour of herbarium specimens brown in very different hues, the leaves yellow-brown above, the leaves beneath, the stems and the inflorescences often red-brown, the pitchers very differently coloured outside, mostly blue or red and pruinose in the glandless part inside. (Description after all the plants seen by the author.)

BORNEO. Sarawak: Lawas River (D.C., Prodr., XVII, p. 99) ; Bakam Mts. (ENGL., Pflanzenr., IV, 111, p. 50) ; Kuching, VIII 1912, ANDERSON, H. S. (m) ; G. Santubong, VII 1903, RIDLEY, H. S. (0) ; G. Matang, 11 VIII 1911, coll. ?, H. S. M. (0), H. B. (0) ; VIII 1904 (?), coll. ?, H. S. (0) ; Sadong, IX 1911, H. S. M. (m) ; Saribas, 10 VII 1911, H. S. M. (m): Res. Western Division: G. Soemedoem, 26 X 1893, HALLIER B 713, H. B. (m, f) ; G. Damoes, 22-24 X 1893, HALLIER B 642, H. B. (0) ; HALLIER B 644, H. B. (m) ; Liang Gagang, 11 III-7 IV 1894, HALLIER B 2709 & 2710, H. B. (0).

N. hispida BECK is placed among the synonyms on the authority of MACFARLANE, though the description gives another idea.

The distribution of N. hirsuta is limited to the mountains of northwestern Borneo ; see the general chapters. About the elevation on which it is found little is known ; BECK gives 750 and 600-900 m ; the mountains on which it has been collected generally are not high.

The material of this species I have seen is not variable. MACFARLANE distinguishes a var. typica and a var. glabrata, not only differing in the hairiness but also in other points. Though the hairiness differs in the different specimens seen by me, it seems impossible to me, to distinguish the two varieties mentioned above.


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