Hello.
This is a copy of a post I just made on the Pitcher plants forum:
"Hello Dave
!
What I think happened is the name
N. smilesii probably =
N. mirabilis * thorelii. Or
N. mirabilis hybridized with another close relative of
N. thorelii. Perhaps this hybrid looks a lot like
N. anamensis (a highland species).
Unlikely to my humble opinion, Dave.
There are locations where you can only find
N. smilesii plants and nothing else. The most known being Phu Kradung in Thaïland.
I think
smilesii and
anamensis are the same plant. Marcello has checked a few months ago the type specimen of
smilesii. He should be able to tell us in the next update of his site (at the end of the summer).
Actually, this is how I see things (thanks
mostly to Marcello Catalano's work and my own field and herbarium studies.
I hope this will help people who's interested in those Indochina species.
- Forget that silly
N. mirabilis var.
anamensis. This has only added to the mess.
- try to forget, for a while, the undescribed plants sold by Neofarm such as "tiger" and "giant tiger". These are sure interesting plants and I hope they will be studied in times.
Let's concentrate on the following:
1/
N. anamensis:
Described by Mc Farlane in 1908.
Jebb and Cheek chose, in 1997, deem
N. geoffrayi and
N. Kampotiana as synonyms.
BE sold this plant as
N. anamensis:
www.lhnn.proboards107.com/index.cgi?board=ht&action=display&thread=22192/
N. smilesii:
Described by Hemsley in 1895. "Little known taxon" according to Jebb and Cheek.
Once synonymised by Danser with
N. mirabilis. Jebb and Cheek don't agree and find links with
N. anamensis and
N. thorelii.
According to Marcello Catalano's work (and his personal communications with M. Cheek), it is very likely that
N. smilesii and
N. anamensis are conspecific - an idea that I support.
There is no official paper yet so people are not wrong to label their plant as
N. anamensis.
3/
N. kampotiana:
Described by Lecomte in 1909.
Synonymised in 1997 by Jebb and Cheek with
N. anamensis because the syntypes were incomplete and in bad shape (flower scapes detached...).
According to Marcello, Cheek wants to reinstate this species.
It is a
hairless plant which grows in Cambodia, in Thaïland (Trat) and in southern Vietnam.
Picture from Marcello:
www.nepenthesofthailand.com/FotoSito/7.cultrat2.JPGIt is very rare in cultivation.
4/
N. thorelii:
Described by Lecomte in 1908.
We don't know what it is.
Here is the lectotype:
www.lhnn.proboards107.com/index.cgi?board=herbarium&action=display&thread=864Ideally, if your plant fits with this lecto and the description, then you do grow
N. thorelii.
The trouble is that botanical description aren't always that helpful and that the lectotype from Paris is damaged.
The trick would be to be able to return to the type location in: Ti-Tinh, Vietnam.
We have 2 possibilities:
- Either
N. thorelii is a plant we don't know yet. It is similar to the other long leaves Indochina species.
- or
N. thorelii is in fact
N. smilesii or
N. kampotiana.
This won't be resolved unless someone return to the Ti-Tinh swamp.
Thus, it is very unlikely that this plant is in cultivation.
Just my two cents: I have seen both the types of
N. kampotiana and the types of
N. thorelii in Paris herbarium and have found them to be very similar. But hey, I'm just an amateur, ok ;D?
5/
N. bokor.
The most beautiful Indochina species if you want my opinion ;D!
This has not been officially described. It is in the process of being published. Maybe in one month, maybe in several, maybe in early 2009. I don't Know. Mr Cheek, please tell us!
This plant is slightly hairy, very stocky (30 cm aerial pitchers), has apple shaped lid and a particular inflorescence with sometimes double pedicels. The leaves are larger than those
anamensis /
smilesii.
This is
N. bokor ined:
www.lhnn.proboards107.com/index.cgi?board=list&action=display&thread=10946/
N. kongkandana:
A new species soon to be described by M. Cheek.
www.nepenthesofthailand.com/FotoSito/6.chana4.JPGConclusions:This is what we have:
-
N. smilesii =
N. anamensis (to be confirmed by an official paper)
-
N. kampotiana-
N. thorelii =
N. kampotiana?
or =
N. smilesii?
or = unkwown plant from Ti-Tinh swamp, Vietnam?
-
N. bokor-
N. kongkandana-
N. mirabilis (+ the sp. "Viking")
So we have 5 or 6 species. Maybe more.
And, of course, there are surely some natural hybrids...
All these species are quite similar. Just like most species from New Guinea.
One could wonder if most of these plants could not be gathered in the same variable taxon.
In my mind,
N. mirabilis,
N. smilesii (
N. anamensis) and
N. bokor are clearly distinct from each other.
I'm waiting for the new official papers (
N. kongkandana,
N. kampotiana) to give new thoughts about the whole mess.
Hope it helped."
François.
The initial thread:
pitcherplants.proboards34.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=id&thread=6199&page=1
!
. 
