Simon Lumb · CC BY-SA 3.0
About
This striking tropical pitcher plant, *Nepenthes diabolica*, is notable for its exceptionally developed peristome and conspicuous, woolly pitcher indumentum. It is endemic to a single mountain in Central Sulawesi.
Field notes
Morphology
The species is characterized by an exceptionally developed peristome and conspicuous, woolly pitcher indumentum. The lower pitchers exhibit a typical red coloration.
Distribution & habitat
Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, specifically on a single mountain at an altitude of 2,200–2,300 m above sea level.
History & etymology
The species was first known to botanists in 2005 by Ch'ien Lee, who identified it as a new form of *N. hamata* with a dense indumentum. It was later named *Nepenthes ronchinii* before being formally described as *Nepenthes diabolica* in 2020. The epithet diabolica is Latin for "diabolical" or "devilish," referencing the typical red coloration and the greatly enlarged peristome teeth.
Habitat
- Altitude
- 2,200–2,300 m
- Altitude Class
- highland
- Native To
- Sulawesi
- IUCN Status
- Critically Endangered
Taxonomy
- Described
- 2020
- Authority
- A.Bianchi, Chi.C.Lee, Golos, Mey, M.Mansur & A.S.Rob.
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate
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