hirosi SBM · Public domain
About
A striking tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, *Nepenthes tobaica* is particularly abundant and notable around Lake Toba. It is a climbing species with robust pitchers and a distinctive, often unevenly indumentum.
Field notes
Morphology
The plant is a climbing species with stems up to 7 m high and 6 mm in diameter. Leaves are coriaceous, oblong to spathulate, measuring up to 20 cm long by 4 cm wide. Lower pitchers are ovoid to cylindrical, reaching up to 20 cm high by 4 cm wide, featuring a narrow peristome (≤5 mm) and a lid that may have a spur up to 5 mm. Upper pitchers are typically infundibular to cylindrical, reaching 25 cm high by 5 cm wide, and possess a well-developed waxy zone.
Distribution & habitat
Endemic to Sumatra, with natural ranges extending from the Gayo Lands of Aceh in the north to Tarutung in the south. It is found in forest edges, including high altitude peat swamp habitats near Lake Kerinci in Jambi. Altitudinal ranges cited range from 380 to 1,800 m, though it has been observed up to 2,750 m.
History & etymology
The earliest known collection was made by Johannes Elias Teijsmann on February 8, 1856, likely from the Batak regions. The species was formally described in 1928 by B. H. Danser in his monograph "The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies".
Conservation
The species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (2018).
Habitat
- Altitude
- 380–1,800 m
- Altitude Class
- intermediate
- Native To
- Sumatra
- IUCN Status
- Least Concern
Taxonomy
- Described
- 1928
- Authority
- Danser
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate
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