ma_suska · CC BY 2.0
About
This critically endangered tropical species, *Nepenthes rigidifolia*, is notable for its stiff, coriaceous leaves and its unusual habit of producing multiple inflorescences concurrently on a single stem. It is endemic to a highly restricted area in Sumatra.
Field notes
Morphology
The climbing plant has a cylindrical, branched stem up to 1.3 cm in diameter, reaching over 10 m. Leaves are thick, rigid, and spathulate-oblong, reaching up to 20.8 cm in length. Rosette and lower pitchers are broadly ovoid (up to 15 cm high by 6.4 cm wide), featuring an elliptic-ovate mouth (up to 6.7 cm by 4.7 cm) and a cylindrical peristome (up to 2.1 cm wide) with distinct inner teeth. Upper pitchers are larger (up to 21.1 cm high by 9.4 cm wide) with a cylindrical peristome up to 4.4 cm wide. The species can be glabrous or covered in orange to brown hairs, and terrestrial pitchers are often black, brown, or purple with greenish-white flecks.
Distribution & habitat
Endemic to Sumatra, specifically recorded from a small area near Sidikalang in Karo Regency, North Sumatra province, at elevations of 1,000–1,600 m.
History & etymology
The specific epithet rigidifolia is derived from the Latin words rigidus (rigid) and folia (leaves), referring to the plant's stiff leaf blades. It was formally described as *Nepenthes rigidifolia* by Pitra Akhriadi, Hernawati, and Rusjdi Tamin on November 22, 2004. The holotype was collected near Sidikalang in Karo Regency, North Sumatra, on December 11, 2003.
Conservation
Critically endangered. The only known population grows on a road bank in a single small area near Sidikalang in Karo Regency, North Sumatra province.
Habitat
- Altitude
- 1,000–1,600 m
- Altitude Class
- intermediate
- Native To
- Sumatra
- IUCN Status
- Critically Endangered
Taxonomy
- Described
- 2004
- Authority
- Akhriadi, Hernawati & Tamin
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Temperature
- Day 22–30°C / Night 15–22°C
- Humidity
- 70–95%
In My Collection 1 plant
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