Nepenthes surigaoensis

Nepenthes surigaoensis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippine island of Mindanao, where it grows at elevations of at least 800–1,200 m above sea level.

The species is named after Surigao Peninsula, where the type specimen was collected. It is closely related to N. merrilliana and was for a long time considered a heterotypic synonym of this species.

Botanical History

Discovery and Formal Description

The type specimen of N. surigaoensis was collected by Adolph Daniel Edward Elmer in September 1912, along the trail from lake Danao to the summit of Mount Masay (previously known as Mount Urdaneta), in Cabadbaran, Agusan Province, Mindanao, at an altitude of 1,700 m. The type material of N. surigaoensis forms part of the herbarium collection designated as Elmer 13705 (erroneously referred to as "number 12705" in the type description); this series also includes material from N. petiolata. Part of the original material was deposited at Herbarium Bogoriense (BO), the herbarium of the Bogor Botanical Gardens (formerly the Herbarium of the Buitenzorg Botanic Gardens) in Java, and some may be at the Philippine National Herbarium (PNH) in Manila, the Philippines. An isotype is held at the herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden (NY) in the United States.