N. hirsuta / N. hispida: two very related taxa
Apr 15, 2008 7:27:23 GMT -10
Post by sockhom on Apr 15, 2008 7:27:23 GMT -10
Hello .
Those two species are very closely related and one might wonder how to distinguish them.
Nepenthes hirsuta Hook. f. (1873) is distributed in northern Borneo: Brunei, Kalimantan, Sabah and Sarawak. As you can note, it is quite widespread.
Nepenthes hispida Beck. (1895) is found in Borneo too but only in the north-east of Sarawak, near the border between Brunei and Sabah, on Lambir Hils for example (Cheek and Jebb, 1997).
Both species are very similar, pitchers do not exhibit any particular feature.
According to various authors (Cheek and Jebb, clarke), here are the keys which might help to distinguish them:
Pitcher colour:
- N. hirsuta:
Plants are usually entirely green but some specimens show some red blotches on the inside surface and below the peristome. Upper pitchers are yellowish in colour.
- N. hispida: Plants are also usually green with sometimes red blotches...
Leaf attachement:
- N. hirsuta: semi-amplexicaul sheath;
- N. hispida: amplexicaul and often decurrent leaf base.
indumentum:
- N. hirsuta: all parts covered with 1-2 mm long brown hairs. The indumentum varies: some specimens may be densely covered with hairs; others are weakly covered only.
- N. hispida: the hairs, purplish-grey, are dense and bristle-like. They are longer (1.5-4 mm).
Flowers:
- N. hirsuta: Male flowers have a 3.5-6 mm long stamina column at anthesis;
- N. hipisda: Male flowers stamina column is only 1.5-2 mm long at anthesis.
I received the following plant a few years ago as Nepenthes hirsuta (from Borneo Exotics):
This is another N. hirsuta cultivated by my friend Olivier Baijot. Christain Klein, a seasoned grower from Germany who sold the plant to Olivier, thinks that this late plant is the real N. hirsuta.
Both plants look different.
I think many cultivated plants - this is only my opinion- might be wrongly labelled. Growers should confront, once they reach maturity, their cultivated plants with both species diagnosis.
This will not be an easy task.
Even with the two diagnosis, it may be quite a pain to make a difference.
If there is one ?
François Mey.
Those two species are very closely related and one might wonder how to distinguish them.
Nepenthes hirsuta Hook. f. (1873) is distributed in northern Borneo: Brunei, Kalimantan, Sabah and Sarawak. As you can note, it is quite widespread.
Nepenthes hispida Beck. (1895) is found in Borneo too but only in the north-east of Sarawak, near the border between Brunei and Sabah, on Lambir Hils for example (Cheek and Jebb, 1997).
Both species are very similar, pitchers do not exhibit any particular feature.
According to various authors (Cheek and Jebb, clarke), here are the keys which might help to distinguish them:
Pitcher colour:
- N. hirsuta:
Plants are usually entirely green but some specimens show some red blotches on the inside surface and below the peristome. Upper pitchers are yellowish in colour.
- N. hispida: Plants are also usually green with sometimes red blotches...
Leaf attachement:
- N. hirsuta: semi-amplexicaul sheath;
- N. hispida: amplexicaul and often decurrent leaf base.
indumentum:
- N. hirsuta: all parts covered with 1-2 mm long brown hairs. The indumentum varies: some specimens may be densely covered with hairs; others are weakly covered only.
- N. hispida: the hairs, purplish-grey, are dense and bristle-like. They are longer (1.5-4 mm).
Flowers:
- N. hirsuta: Male flowers have a 3.5-6 mm long stamina column at anthesis;
- N. hipisda: Male flowers stamina column is only 1.5-2 mm long at anthesis.
I received the following plant a few years ago as Nepenthes hirsuta (from Borneo Exotics):
This is another N. hirsuta cultivated by my friend Olivier Baijot. Christain Klein, a seasoned grower from Germany who sold the plant to Olivier, thinks that this late plant is the real N. hirsuta.
Both plants look different.
I think many cultivated plants - this is only my opinion- might be wrongly labelled. Growers should confront, once they reach maturity, their cultivated plants with both species diagnosis.
This will not be an easy task.
Even with the two diagnosis, it may be quite a pain to make a difference.
If there is one ?
François Mey.