20. Nepenthes insignis DANS., spec. nova.
Icon: nostra 11.
Folia mediocria sessilia, lamina lineari-lanceolata, nervis
longitudinalibus utrinque 4-6, basi in alas 2 decurrente, vagina 0 ; ascidia
rosularum ignota ; ascidia caulum breviorum magnitudine mediocria v.
maiora, parte inferiore ovata, os versus cylindrica, exalata, costis 2
prominentibus ; peristomio operculum versus acuto, expanso, 2-12 mm lato,
costis l/2-3/4 mm distantibus, dentibus minus longis quam latis ; operculo
rotundato-ovato, facie inferiore plano ; ascidia superiora magna, e basi
lata infundibuliformi subcylindrica v. leviter infundibuliformia, costis 2
prominentibus, peristomio operculum versus acuto v. acuminato, expanso, 8-35 mm
lato, costis 1/2-1 mm distantibus, dentibus c. tam longis quam latis ; operculo
rotundato-cordato, facie
.
Fig. 11. Nepenthes insignes ; a. portion of a stem with upper leaf and
pitcher, 1/2 x (DOCTERS VAN LEEUWEN 10258) ; b. pitcher of a short shoot, 1/2 x
(idem) ; c. upper portion of a stem with male inflorescence, 1/2 x (PULLE 277)
; d. male flower, 2 1/2 x (PULLE 277).
inferiore plano v. plica subcarinato ; inflorescentia racemus longus pedicellis inferioribus c. 20 mm longis omnibus 2-floris ; indumentum in partibus vegetativis subnullum, in inflorescentiis densum adpressum, e pilis stellatis compositum.
Stems climbing, the part with adult leaves triangular, the angles subobtuse to acute, 5 to 7 mm thick, the internodes 4 to 9 cm long ; at the base of the plant also short shoots. Rosettes unknown. Leaves of the short shoots scattered, thin-coriaceous, sessile, linear-lanceolate or slightly spathulate, 10 to 20 cm long, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cm broad, acute, gradually attenuate to the base which is broader than the stem, clasping the stem for more than 4/5, obliquely decurrent into 2 wings ; pennate nerves running obliquely and becoming irregularly reticulate and indistinct towards the margin ; longitudinal nerves very distinct, 4 or 5 on each side, originating from the basal part of the midrib, running parallel in the outer half of the lamina ; tendrils about 2/3 as long as the leaf, hanging or curved downwards, without curl. Leaves of the climbing stems scattered, thin-coriaceous, sessile, the lamina linear-lanceolate, broadest little above the middle, 20 to 35 cm long, 4 to 6 cm broad, acute, gradually attenuate to the base, decurrent into 2 attenuate wings on two angles of the stem over 1/3 to 2/3 of one internode ; pennate nerves running obliquely towards the margin, indistinct and irregularly reticulate in the outer part of the lamina ; longitudinal nerves 4 to 6 on each side, originating from the basal part of the midrib, running parallel in the outer half of the leaf ; tendrils as long as the leaf or somewhat longer, about 1 1/2 mm thick near the leaf, 6 mm near the pitcher, always with curl. Pitchers of the short shoots very shortly incurved from the hanging end of the tendril, sharply triangular in the curve, ovate or narrowly ovate in the lower half, gradually merging into the upper cylindrical half, up to 16 cm high, up to 5 cm wide in the lower part, up to 4 cm in the upper part, with 2 prominent ribs over the whole length, rarely with 2 narrow wings, but without fringe ; mouth oblique, acute towards lid ; peristome flattened or mostly expanded, up to 6 mm broad in front, up to 12 mm on the sides, the ribs 1/2 to 3/4 mm apart, the teeth of the interior margin about as long as broad ; inner surface of the pitcher shining and glandular in the lower half, the glands overarched or not, from the bottom to the top about 150 to 1500 on 1 cm2 ; lid orbicular-ovate, rounded at the apex, rounded or slightly cordate at the base, up to 5 cm long, up to 4 1/2 cm broad, the inner surface flat or seemingly obtusely keeled by a fold, with a distinct midrib and 2 distinct lateral nerves, with numerous rather large, deepened and rimmed glands, aggregated especially near the 2 strong lateral nerves and almost failing near the midrib and near the margin ; spur not branched, filiform, inserted close to the lid, up to 5 mm long. Pitchers of the climbing stems incurved from the hanging end of the tendril with a curve 5 to 35 mm wide, sharply triangular in the curved part, gradually infundibulate in the lower part, almost cylindrical in the upper part, 16 to 26 cm high, 5 to 8 cm wide under the mouth, with 2 prominent ribs over the whole length, rarely with 2 non-fringed wings 2 mm broad ; mouth oblique, acute or acuminate towards the lid, not incurved ; peristome expanded, 8 to 12 mm broad in front, 8 to 35 mm towards the lid, the ribs 1/2 to 1 mm apart, the teeth of the interior margin about as long as broad ; inner surface of the pitcher glandular up to 1 cm under the front side of the peristome, or almost to the top, with minute overarched glands ; from the bottom to the top about 400 to 3000 glands on 1 cm2 ; lid orbicular-ovate, rounded at the apex, rounded or slightly cordate at the base, 4 1/2 to 7 1/2 cm long and broad, the lower surface without appendages, with a distinct midrib and 2 distinct lateral nerves, with many rather large, suborbicular, deepened and rimmed glands which are aggregated near the 2 lateral nerves and fail in the mediane and marginal part, the midrib seemingly obtusely keeled by a fold ; spur inserted close to the lid, filiform, acute, about 5 mm long. Male inflorescence a raceme, the peduncle 12 to 18 cm long, 5 to 7 mm thick in the lower part, 4 mm at the top, the axis 30 to 46 cm long, attenuate, angular and grooved ; pedicels without bracts, almost all of them 2-flowered, the lower ones 17 to 22 mm long, the upper ones little shorter. Tepals oblong, about 4 mm long, obtuse. Staminal column about 5 mm long, the anthers inclusive, which are situated in 1 or l l/2 whorl. Female inflorescence &c. unknown. Indumentum in the vegetative parts almost none, on the very young pitchers a sparse covering of short and deciduous stellate hairs ; the inflorescence very densely hairy with spreading hairs in the youth, later less densely and appressedly stellate-hairy, the pedicels and the tepals in the marginal part very densely and shortly hairy, the latter sparsely hairy in the middle, the inner side only hairy at the very base ; the staminal column hairy at the base, sparsely so towards the anthers. Colour of herbarium specimens greenish or yellowish to light-brown, the pitchers with traces of red spots outside, the non-glandular part of the inner surface bluish and pruinose, spotted or not. (Description after the specimens mentioned beneath.)
NEW GUINEA. Northwestern part: Border of affluent C of the Rouffaer River, 250 m, IX 1926, DOCTERS VAN LEEUWEN 10258, H. B. (0) ; Southwestern part: Border of the Beaufort River, 80 m, 9 XI 1912, PULLE 277, H. B. (m), also on alcohol, type.
N. insignis is nearly related to N. Merrilliana, but the material at hand shows some important differences. The specimens collected by DOCTERS VAN LEEUWEN and PULLE are not quite the same in all respects ; the latter differ from the first especially by smaller pitchers and lids. Both habitats recorded are situated in the mountains of Western New Guinea, respectively on 80 and 250 m above sea level. I therefore suspect, that this species will prove to have a larger area of distribution.