Nepenthes tenuis

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Nepenthes tenuis
Nepenthes tenuis. Cultivated plant.
Conservation status
Data deficient (IUCN)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Caryophyllales Family: Nepenthaceae Genus: Nepenthes Species: N. tenuis
Binomial name
Nepenthes tenuis Nerz & Wistuba (1994)

Nepenthes tenuis (Latin: tenuis = thin, fine, slender) is a Nepenthes pitcher plant species endemic to Sumatra. N. tenuis was first collected by W. Meijer in 1957. It was found growing near Taram, West Sumatra, in a sandstone region of the river Tjampo. The plants were on a ridge at approximately 1000 m above sea level, making N. tenuis an intermediate species. The habitat was described as "light sub-montane forest".

Prior to the rediscovery of N. tenuis in the wild, this was the only known photograph of the species. It shows a fragment of a climbing stem and an upper pitcher.

N. tenuis was formally described as a species in 1994 by Joachim Nerz and Andreas Wistuba, based on a single herbarium specimen and photograph. It was not until three years later that the species was relocated in the wild.

N. tenuis is probably most closely related to N. jacquelineae and N. talangensis. In 1997, Matthew Jebb and Martin Cheek reduced N. tenuis to a synonym of N. dubia "with some hesitation". However, after its subsequent rediscovery, it has become apparent that N. tenuis constitutes a separate taxon and is not conspecific with N. dubia. The two species can be distinguished with relative ease; the pitchers of N. tenuis have shorter, broader lids that are never reflexed beyond 180°, unlike those of N. dubia, which are always reflexed beyond 180°. The pitchers of N. tenuis are also differently coloured, often having red flecks on the outside, in contrast to those of N. dubia, which are usually a solid yellow or orange colour. The peristome of N. tenuis is also less tightly cylindrical than that of N. dubia.

N. tenuis can be distinguished from N. jacquelineae by its linear-lanceolate leaf blade (as opposed to ovate-spathulate in the latter) and lack of large glands on the lower surface of the lid. The lid of N. jacquelineae also differs by being noticeably contracted towards the base. Finally, N. jacquelineae is far larger in stature compared with N. tenuis and its pitchers have a far more developed and broader peristome that is almost perpendicular to the pitcher mouth.

In their description of the species, Nerz and Wistuba included a table of "characteristics which clearly distinguish Nepenthes tenuis from similar species":

N. tenuis climbs well and is a relatively fast-growing species. No natural hybrids have been recorded.

[edit] References

• Clarke et al. (2000). Nepenthes tenuis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.
• Clarke, C.M. 2001. Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu, pp. 200-201.
• Jebb, M.H.P. & M.R. Cheek 1997. A Skeletal Revision of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae). Blumea 42(1): 1-106.
• Nerz, J. & A. Wistuba 1994. Five new taxa of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae) from North and West Sumatra. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 23(4): 101-114.

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