Nepenthes tenuis · Plant reference

About

Nepenthes tenuis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, Indonesia. It is characterized as one of the smallest-pitchered species in the genus. The plant is a climbing species found in mossy and light sub-montane forests.

Field notes

Morphology

This climbing plant has a slender, angular to rhomboid stem and sessile, coriaceous leaves that are lanceolate, measuring 5–6 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide. The tendrils can reach up to 12 cm in length. The pitchers are widely infundibuliform, typically 2.5–4.5 cm high and 1.5–2.5 cm wide, and lack wings or fringe elements. They bear two prominent ribs down the front, and the pitchers are yellow-green, often marked with red-brown blotches.

Distribution & habitat

The species is endemic to a specific region of the Tjampo river east of Taram in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It thrives in mossy and light sub-montane forest environments. Its known population is restricted to an elevation range of 1,000–1,200 m above sea level.

Ecology

As a carnivorous plant, Nepenthes tenuis traps prey using its pitcher structures. The inner surface of the pitchers is covered with glandular regions, and the peristome may bear ribs. The text does not detail specific prey capture mechanisms or mutualisms, only describing the physical structures involved in trapping.

History & etymology

Nepenthes tenuis was first collected by Willem Meijer in 1957 near Taram, West Sumatra. It was formally described as a species in 1994 by Joachim Nerz and Andreas Wistuba. The species was finally rediscovered in the wild in late 2002.

Conservation

The species is listed as Endangered on the 2014 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Its habitat is threatened by deliberate fires started for agricultural clearance.

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