- Nepenthes smilesii
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Nepenthes smilesii 
Nepenthes smilesii growing in Kampot Province, Cambodia, at an elevation of 16 m Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Core eudicots Order: Caryophyllales Family: Nepenthaceae Genus: Nepenthes Species: N. smilesii Binomial name Nepenthes smilesii
Hemsl. (1895)Synonyms - Nepenthes anamensis
Macfarl. (1908) - Nepenthes micholitzii
Hort. ex Bonst. (1931) nom.illeg.
Nepenthes smilesii (pronounced /nɨˈpɛnθiːz ˈsmaɪlzi.aɪ/ or /smaɪˈliːzi.aɪ/) is a tropical pitcher plant native to northeastern Thailand, southern Laos, Cambodia,[1][2] and western Vietnam.[3][4] Nepenthes smilesii can tolerate an extended dry season and is most common in open, sandy savannah and grassland.[4]
The specific epithet smilesii refers to plant collector Frederick Henry Smiles, who made the first known collection of this species.[3]
Contents
Botanical history
Nepenthes anamensis[note a] is a heterotypic synonym of N. smilesii.[3][4] Its conservation status appears as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List.[5]
Nepenthes smilesii was referred to as N. anamensis throughout most of the 20th century.[3] Further confusion resulted from the erroneous labelling of N. smilesii plants as N. thorelii in the horticultural trade.[3] In Pitcher Plants of the Old World, Stewart McPherson lists N. mirabilis f. smilesii and N. mirabilis var. smilesii as synonyms of N. smilesii,[3] but Marcello Catalano considers these to represent normal forms of N. mirabilis.[4]
Description
Nepenthes smilesii is a climbing plant growing to a height of 5 m.[3]
Its leaves are sessile and coriaceous (leathery) in texture. They are very narrowly linear, reaching 40 cm in length while only up to 4 cm wide.[3]
Ecology
Nepenthes smilesii has a widespread distribution throughout Indochina. It has been recorded from Cambodia,[2] northeastern Thailand, southern Laos, and western Vietnam.[3][4] The species occurs across a wide range of altitudes, being recorded from elevations of 16[2]–1500 m above sea level, although it is more typically found at around 800 m.[3]
Nepenthes smilesii is notable among the Indochinese Nepenthes for experiencing extreme lows of temperature.[3]
Nepenthes smilesii has no known natural hybrids.[4]
Related species
Nepenthes smilesii appears most closely allied to N. kongkandana and may be difficult to distinguish from that species. It differs primarily in the shape of its laminae, which are linear to lanceolate with an acute apex, as opposed to obovate with an acuminate apex in the latter.[4] Nepenthes smilesii also differs in having shorter tendrils and a narrower peristome.[3]
Notes
References
- ^ Mey, F.S. 2010. Introduction to the pitcher plants (Nepenthes) of Cambodia.PDF Cambodian Journal of Natural History 2010(2): 106–117.
- ^ a b c Mey, F.S. 2009. N. smilesii in Kampot, Cambodia. Carnivorous Plants in the tropics.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l McPherson, S.R. 2009. Pitcher Plants of the Old World. 2 volumes. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
- ^ a b c d e f g (Italian) Catalano, M. 2010. Nepenthes della Thailandia. Prague.
- ^ Clarke, C.M., R. Cantley, J. Nerz, H. Rischer & A. Witsuba 2000. Nepenthes anamensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.
- Kahl, T. 2003. Amazing Thailand.PDF Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 32(1): 8–9.
- Mey, F.S. 2009. Nepenthes bokorensis, a new species of Nepenthaceae from Cambodia.PDF Carniflora Australis 7(1): 6–15.
- Mokkamul, P., A. Chaveerach, R. Sudmoon & T. Tanee 2007. Species identification and sex determination of the genus Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae).PDF (702 KiB) Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences 10(4): 561–567. doi:10.3923/pjbs.2007.561.567
External links
Incompletely diagnosed taxa: N. sp. Misool • N. sp. Papua • N. sp. Sulawesi
Possible extinct species: N. echinatus • N. echinosporus • N. majorCategories:- Carnivorous plants of Asia
- Nepenthes
- Plants described in 1895
- Nepenthes anamensis
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