Nepenthes papuana

Species of pitcher plant from New Guinea

Nepenthes papuana /n//ᵻ/'/p//ɛ//n//θ//iː//z// /,/p//æ//p//u/'/ɑː//n//ə/ is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to New Guinea. The specific epithet papuana is derived from Papua, an alternative name for the island.

Nepenthes papuana was first collected on October 7, 1909, by Lucien Sophie Albert Marie von Römer. Two plants were collected on this date on a hill below 750 m altitude, in the northern part of the Noordrivier. The species was collected again on January 5, 1913, by Cecil Boden Kloss at an elevation of 920 m, as part of the Wollaston Expedition. Four further collections were made in September, 1926, by Willem Marius Docters van Leeuwen at 250 and 300 m above sea level. Plant material belonging to N. papuana was first described in 1916 by Henry Nicholas Ridley. However, Ridley believed it represented a male plant of N. neoguineensis and did not recognise it as a new species. The species occurs from sea level to an intermediate elevation of 1300 m.

In its natural habitat, N. papuana grows in exposed sites at forest edges. Lower pitchers frequently develop embedded in moss. The species occurs sympatrically with N. ampullaria, N. insignis, N. maxima, and N. mirabilis. It may form natural hybrids with N. paniculata. The conservation status of N. papuana is listed as Least Concern on the 2014 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Danser considered N. neoguineensis to be the closest relative of N. papuana. In his description of the species, Danser states: "N. papuana is so much alike N. neoguineensis in its vegetative parts, that only the complete knowledge of the generative parts has suggested me to establish a new species". The two taxa can be distinguished on the basis of several morphological features. N. papuana has a racemose inflorescence, while that of N. neoguineensis is a panicle or panicle like raceme. Furthermore, the inflorescence of N. papuana usually bears only one flowered pedicels, both in male and female plants. Those of N. neoguineensis can be up to four flowered. The lamina of N. papuana has very distinct longitudinal veins and indistinct pinnate veins, whereas in N. neoguineensis the opposite is true. In addition, the leaves of N. papuana are very densely ciliate, much more so than in N. neoguineensis. The wings are less developed in the upper pitchers of N. papuana and the fringe elements are more closely spaced.