SonPsychic · CC BY 3.0
About
This rare and critically endangered species, *Nepenthes thorelii*, is notable for its striking pitchers and unique morphology, having been considered possibly extinct until its rediscovery in 2011 in Vietnam.
Field notes
Morphology
The plant is a shrub with an erect stem (4-8 mm in diameter) and a well-developed perennial rootstock. Leaves are linear-lanceolate to narrowly obovate, with the base decurrent into two wings up to 2.5 cm long. Lower pitchers are ovoid (up to 11.5 cm high by 4.5 cm wide), light green with reddish markings and a reddish lid, featuring a peristome that ranges from 2-4 mm at the front to 7 mm at the rear. Upper pitchers are obovate (up to 12.5 cm high by 4.5 cm wide) and have a concave, oblique mouth. The species also produces a large racemose inflorescence with a rachis up to 70 cm long.
Distribution & habitat
Vietnam, specifically in the Tây Ninh Province, at elevations from sea level to 200 m.
Ecology
The species is found in seasonally dry savannah grassland and is believed to survive the dry season by remaining dormant as a rootstock.
History & etymology
The first known collection was made by Clovis Thorel between 1862 and 1866 from Ti-tinh, Lo-thieu, Guia-Toan, Vietnam. It was formally described in 1909 by Paul Henri Lecomte, who named it after Thorel.
Conservation
The species is critically endangered, and its type locality is protected due to recent elimination of potential communities by poachers.
Habitat
- Altitude
- 10–20 m
- Altitude Class
- lowland
- Native To
- Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand
- IUCN Status
- Data Deficient
Taxonomy
- Described
- 1909
- Authority
- Lecomte
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Temperature
- Day 28–35°C / Night 20–28°C
- Humidity
- 65–90%
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