Nepenthes diatas
Content
Description
Terrestrial subscandent shrub to 2.5 m tall.
Leaves thinly coriaceous, sessile, leaves of climbing stems oblanceolate, 9.5-17 by 2.5-3.5 cm, apex acute, base attenuate, subparallel-sided, to 1.6 cm wide, clasping the stem for 1/2 its circumference, occasionally auriculate.
Fruit valves 27-32 by 3-4 mm.
Seeds unknown.
Notes
1 Nepenthes diatas is part of the Sumatran N. singalana group. In its ventricose-tubular upper pitchers and attenuate, subparallel-sided leaf bases it resembles N. singalana and N. spathulata, but differs from both in the woody, rather than papery, peristome. It is probably derived from N. singalana, representing a far more robust version of that species.
2. Diatas is a Bahasa Indonesian word for ‘on top’: the species is found both on top of mountains, and in Aceh, the most northerly, or ‘topmost’ region of Indonesia.
3. Collections of lower and rosette pitchers are needed to complete our knowledge of N. diatas.