Nepenthes diabolica
About
This striking tropical pitcher plant, *Nepenthes diabolica*, is notable for its exceptionally developed peristome and conspicuous, woolly pitcher indumentum. It is endemic to a single mountain in Central Sulawesi.
Field notes
Morphology
The species is characterized by an exceptionally developed peristome and conspicuous, woolly pitcher indumentum. The lower pitchers exhibit a typical red coloration.
Distribution & habitat
Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, specifically on a single mountain at an altitude of 2,200–2,300 m above sea level.
History & etymology
The species was first known to botanists in 2005 by Ch'ien Lee, who identified it as a new form of N. hamata with a dense indumentum. It was later named Nepenthes ronchinii before being formally described as Nepenthes diabolica in 2020. The epithet diabolica is Latin for "diabolical" or "devilish," referencing the typical red coloration and the greatly enlarged peristome teeth.
Habitat
- Altitude
- 2,200–2,300 m
- Altitude class
- highland
- Native to
- Sulawesi
- IUCN status
- Critically Endangered
Taxonomy
- Described
- 2020
- Authority
- A.Bianchi, Chi.C.Lee, Golos, Mey, M.Mansur & A.S.Rob.
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate
