| Nepenthes andamana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Arosette plant with lower pitchers | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Nepenthaceae |
| Genus: | Nepenthes |
| Species: | N. andamana |
| Binomial name | |
| Nepenthes andamana M.Catal. (2010)[1] | |
Nepenthes andamana is a tropicalpitcher plantendemic toPhang Nga Province,Thailand, where it grows near sea level in coastalsavannah andgrassland.[1] It is thought to be most closely related toN. suratensis.[1][2]
Thespecific epithetandamana refers to theAndaman Sea coast of Thailand.[3]
Nepenthes andamana wasformally described by Marcello Catalano in his 2010 book,Nepenthes della Thailandia: Diario di viaggio.[2] The description was reviewed byAlastair Robinson, while Andreas Fleischmann provided theLatin translation.[1]Catalano 013395 was designated as theholotype. This specimen was collected by Catalano in 2009 at sea level fromTakua Pa,Phang Nga Province,Thailand. It is deposited at theChulalongkorn UniversityHerbarium (BCU).[1]
Nepenthes andamana is a climbing plant growing to a height of approximately 3 m. Thestem isterete and around 5 mm in diameter.Internodes are up to 3.5 cm long. The stem ranges in colour from green to red.[1]
Leaves aresessile andcoriaceous in texture. Thelamina (leaf blade) is linear tolanceolate, measures up to 30 cm in length by 3.5 cm in width, and is around 0.5 mm thick. Its apex is acute to narrowlyacuminate and it isattenuate at the base, clasping the stem for around three-quarters of its circumference. Three longitudinal veins are present on either side of themidrib, restricted to the distal quarter of the lamina.Pinnate veins are also visible, and arise obliquely from the midrib.Tendrils are up to 18 cm long and 2.5 mm in diameter. They are coiled in upper pitchers. The laminae are light green and commonly have a reddish hue, whereas the midrib and tendrils vary from green to red.[1]
Rosette and lower pitchers areovate in the basal third of the pitcher cup and narrower above. They measure up to 16 cm in height by 5 cm in width. The hip is located near the middle of the pitcher. A pair of wings (≤6 mm wide) runs down theventral surface of the pitcher cup, bearing narrow fringe elements. The pitcher mouth is oval and has an oblique insertion. Theperistome is cylindrical and up to 10 mm wide at the sides, with teeth up to 1 mm long. Theglandular zone of the inner surface extends for about half of the pitcher's height. The pitcher lid oroperculum isorbicular to broadly ovate. It is often somewhat vaulted and has acordate base. It measures up to 4.5 cm in length by 4.5 cm in width, being larger than the pitcher orifice. The lower surface of the lid does not have any appendages, but bears numerous crater-like glands (≤1 mm in diameter), the largest of which are located around the midline. Aspur (≤7 mm long) is inserted near the base of the lid. It is typically simple, but may occasionally be branched. On their outer surface, terrestrial pitchers are typically green to orange with red stripes, or red throughout. Red blotches are present in the waxy zone of the inner surface. The colour of the peristome is highly variable and may be green, white, orange, or red. The lid ranges in colour from orange to red, and bears fine red streaks.[1]
Thetubulose to narrowlyinfundibular upper pitchers are similar in size to their terrestrial counterparts, measuring up to 16 cm in height by 3 cm in width. The wings, if present, are up to 1 mm wide, otherwise they are reduced to a pair of ridges. The pitcher's mouth is orbicular to broadly ovate and has an oblique insertion. The peristome of upper pitchers often has a slightly lobed outer margin. The lid as well as other parts of the pitcher are similar to those found in terrestrial traps. Aerial pitchers have a lighter pigmentation than their lower counterparts, being yellow to white on the outer surface. Red blotches may or may not be present on the waxy inner surface. The peristome is white throughout, while the lid may be green, yellow, or white.[1]
Nepenthes andamana have aracemoseinflorescence. In male plants, it reaches 110 cm in length, of which thepeduncle constitutes 45–65 cm and therachis 20–45 cm. Around 40–190 flowers are produced. Most are borne solitarily onpedicels measuring 3–6 mm in length, although some may have two-flowered partial peduncles. The pedicels often bear abract in their basal half. This structure is up to 2 mm long and is bent outwards from the pedicels. Theandrophore is up to 1 mm long.Tepals are elliptic and up to 4 mm long by 2.5 mm wide. They are green when newly opened, but later darken to red. The female inflorescence is similar in structure to the male one, but differs in having a shorter rachis (17–22 cm long) and longer pedicels of 5–15 mm, which either have greatly reduced bracts or lack them altogether. It also differs in that the tepals are narrower (up to 4 mm by 1.5 mm) and always green.[1]
Anindumentum of orange or brown hairs (0.1–0.8 mm long) is present on the inflorescence as well as the bases, apices, margins, and midribs of the leaves. The stem isglabrous, whereas the hairs of the leaves arecaducous, being present only on the upper parts of the plant.[1]
Like allpyrophyticNepenthes fromIndochina,N. andamana has a well-developed rootstock.[2]
Nepenthes andamana isendemic to the coastal regions ofPhang Nga Province,Thailand. It grows terrestrially insandy soil from sea level to 50 m altitude.[4] Its typical habitat is opensavannah andgrassland.[1]
In the wild,N. andamana issympatric withN. mirabilis, including one of its local variants,N. mirabilis var.globosa.Natural hybrids betweenN. andamana and both of thesetaxa have been recorded.[2]
Nepenthes andamana appears to be most closely related toN. suratensis.[1][2] It is also similar to the otherIndochineseendemics, includingN. bokorensis,N. kerrii, andN. kongkandana.[1]
Nepenthes andamana can be distinguished from all of these species on the basis of itscaducousindumentum, which is restricted to the extremities of the upper stem leaves and is up to 0.8 mm long. In contrast,N. bokorensis has a variable but persistent indumentum covering all vegetative and floral parts,[5]N. kerrii has a persistent indumentum restricted to theleaf axils,[6]N. kongkandana has persistent hairs covering the whole plant, andN. suratensis has a caducous indumentum up to 0.3 mm long covering the entire upper part of the plant.[7] The lamina shape is also distinct, being linear tolanceolate. BothN. kerrii[6] andN. kongkandana haveobovate laminae, whereas those ofN. bokorensis are wider (up to 8 cm versus up to 3.5 cm).Nepenthes bokorensis also differs in havingebracteatepedicels and a wider peristome in lower pitchers (20 mm versus 10 mm).[1][5]
In his description ofN. andamana, Catalano also noted a number of other vegetative and floral features that separate this species fromN. suratensis.[1] The male flowers ofN. andamana have red tepals and theandrophore reaches only 1 mm in length, whereas those ofN. suratensis have green tepals with red margins and a longer androphore of up to 3 mm. Additionally, the flowerbracts are bent outwards in the former and inwards in the latter. The extent of the glandular zone on the inner pitcher surface is more variable inN. suratensis, ranging from one-third to two-thirds of the trap's height. InN. andamana, it only covers around half of the inner surface. Both the lower and upper pitchers ofN. suratensis have wider wings: up to 12 mm versus up to 6 mm in lower traps, and up to 3 mm versus up to 1 mm in aerial pitchers.Nepenthes suratensis also has a characteristically flattenedperistome, unlike the cylindrical lip found inN. andamana. Furthermore, the pitcher lid ofN. suratensis is broad to narrowly ovate and typically somewhat smaller than the trap's orifice, whereas that ofN. andamana isorbicular to broadly ovate and usually slightly larger than the mouth. The lid ofN. suratensis is also distinct in that it often has irregularly wavy margins and bears a small depression under its apex. InN. suratensis, the pitcher mouth is triangular as opposed to ovate, and larger in relation to the size of the trap. Thespur of this species is also shorter, being 3–5 mm long, compared to 5–7 mm inN. andamana. The upper pitchers ofN. andamana often have a lighter pigmentation than those ofN. suratensis, typically being whitish throughout. In addition, these traps often have a slightly lobed outer margin, a feature that is absent inN. suratensis.[1][7]
In the wild,N. andamana is only known to hybridise withN. mirabilis.[2] Some of these crosses involve the localvariety of the latter species,N. mirabilis var.globosa.[2]
