Nepenthes beccariana

Nepenthes beccariana is a tropical pitcher plant. The species was described in 1908 by John Muirhead Macfarlane based on a specimen collected from the island of Nias, which lies off the western coast of Sumatra. It appears to be closely related to both N. longifolia and N. sumatrana, and the former is possibly a heterotypic synonym of this taxon.

Botanical history

The type specimen of N. beccariana was collected by Italian explorer Elio Modigliani during an 1886 expedition to Nias,[note a] an island located approximately 120 km from the port town of Sibolga in Sumatra. It is designated as E.Modigliani s.n. and is specimen FI-HB 7485 at the Herbarium Beccarianum in Florence, Italy. The type specimen consists of fragments of three leaves and three pitchers (two rosette pitchers and one upper pitcher) and is in a damaged state, with the leaves separated from the stem in such a way that their form of attachment is unknown.

Nepenthes beccariana was formally described by John Muirhead Macfarlane in his 1908 monograph, "Nepenthaceae". It is named in honour of Italian naturalist Odoardo Beccari. Macfarlane's description includes a line drawing of N. beccariana, showing a leaf blade, a lower pitcher, and an upper pitcher. It has been suggested that the upper pitcher in this illustration actually represents a composite, with features of both lower and upper pitchers.