48. Nepenthes trichocarpa MIQ., Fl., I, 1, p. 1072 (1858) ; suppl., p. 151 (1860) ; Journ. Bot. Néerl., I, p. 275, t. II (1861) ; HOOK. F., in D.C., Prodr., XVII, p. 104 (1873) ; BECC., Mal., III, p. 5 & 14 (1886) ; WUNSCHM., in ENGL. & PRANTL, Nat. Pflanzenfam., III, 2, p. 260 (1891) ; BECK, Wien. Ill. Gartenz., 1895, p. 149 (1895) ; BOERL., Handl., III, 1, p. 54 (1900) ; MACF., in ENGL., Pflanzenr., IV, 111, p. 43 (1908).
Icon: MIQ., Journ. Bot. Néerl., I, t. II (1861) mediocris.
Folia mediocria sessilia, lamina lanceolata v. linearis, nervis longitudinalibus utrinque plerumque 4, basi rotundata v. leviter cordata semiamplexicauli in alas 2 decurrente ; ascidia rosularum ovata, alis 2 fimbriatis ; peristomio operculum versus acuto, subcylindrico, 1-1 1/2 mm lato, costis c. 1/3-1/4 mm distantibus, dentibus vix ullis ; operculo elliptico facie inferiore plano ; ascidia inferiora fere ut rosularum, sed maiora ; ascidia superiora parva, campanulato-infundibuliformia, costis 2 prominentibus ; peristomio operculum versus vix acuto, applanato, 1 1/2-3 mm lato, costis 1/2-1/5 mm distantibus, dentibus fere 0 ; operculo rotundato-elliptico v. paulum obovato, facie inferiore plano ; inflorescentia racemus pedicellis inferioribus 15-20 mm longis, 2-floris, superioribus 1-floris ; indumentum iuventute in omnibus partibus dense velutino-tomentosum, denique in inflorescentiis et floribus, etiam in fructibus permanens.
Stems climbing, the part with adult leaves cylindrical or, especially in the younger part, obtusely triangular, 4 to 6 mm thick, the internodes usually 3 to 6 cm long, often sessile rosettes at the base of older stems. Leaves of the rosettes sessile, small, lanceolate, 1 to 2 cm long, acute, cordate and amplexicaul at the base ; nervation indistinct ; tendril about twice as long as the leaf, curved downwards. Leaves of the climbing stems scattered, sessile, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 10 to 20 cm long, 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 cm broad, acute, rounded or slightly cordate at the base, semiamplexicaul, rarely decurrent, the wings up to 1 or 1 1/2 cm long, attenuate ; pennate nerves distinct, numerous, running obliquely towards the margin, longitudinal nerves mostly distinct, 4 on each side, all or almost all of them originating from the base, running parallel in the outer half of the lamina ; tendrils 1 to 1 1/2 times as long as the leaf, the pitcher-bearing ones often, but not always, with curl. Pitchers of the rosettes shortly incurved from the tendril, ovate, up to 8 cm high, widest at 1/3 of the height, up to 4 cm wide, with 2 fringed wings over the whole length, the wings up to 3 mm broad, the fringe segments up to 3 mm long, about l l/2 mm apart ; mouth somewhat oblique, up to 2 1/2 cm wide, acute towards the lid, hardly acuminate ; peristome cylindrical, slightly flattened, 1 to 1 1/2 mm broad, the ribs 1/3 to 1/4 mm apart ; the teeth of the inner margin about twice as long as broad ; inner surface of the pitcher glandular up to 2/3 of its height, with overarched glands ; lid elliptic, up to 2 1/2 cm long, up to 2 cm broad, rounded at the apex and at the base, the lower surface without appendages, with few scattered, rimmed glands and many minute points ; spur not branched, filiform, up to 3 mm long, flattened, inserted close to the lid. Pitchers of the climbing stems gradually or abruptly originating from the hanging end of the tendril, shortly incurved, the curve 3 to 10 mm wide, campanulate-infundibuliform, 6 to 10 cm high, 2 to 4 1/2 cm wide, somewhat contracted below the mouth, with 2 prominent ribs over the whole length ; mouth only slightly oblique, nearly round, slightly acute towards the lid, not acuminate or elevated ; peristome flattened-cylindrical, 1 1/2 to 3 mm broad, the ribs 1/2 to 1/5 mm apart, the teeth of the interior margin about twice as long as broad ; inner surface of the pitcher wholly or almost wholly glandular, with overarched glands, from the bottom to the top about 750 to 250 glands on 1 cm2 ; lid orbicular-elliptical or somewhat obovate, rounded at the apex and at the base, l l/2 to 3 1/2 cm long, 1 to 2 1/2 cm broad, the lower surface without appendages, with few scattered, rather large, deepened and rimmed glands ; spur not branched, filiform, flattened, inserted close to the lid, up to 3 mm long. Male inflorescence unknown. Female inflorescence a raceme, the peduncle about 4 cm long, 2 1/2 mm thick, the axis about 18 cm long, strongly grooved, attenuate, lower pedicels 15 to 20 mm long, 2-flowered, the upper ones shorter, the uppermost ones 1-flowered. Tepals oblong, about 3 cm long. Fruit 12 to 25 mm long, the valves 1 1/2 to 3 mm broad, attenuate towards both ends. Indumentum on the stems and the leaves almost none, only the midribs, the tendrils and the stem near the axis shortly tomentose when young, the pitchers densely short-tomentose when young, almost glabrous when adult ; the inflorescences more delicately tomentose towards the flowers, the tepals tomentose only along the margin, the ripe fruit with distinct remnants of the original indumentum ; whole plant with minute dark points. Colour of the pitchers green, spotted or striped with red or not. Colour of herbarium specimens fallow-dun to yellowish-brown. (Description after all the plants seen by the author.)
MALAY PENINSULA. Singapore: Changi, 25 XI 1889, GOODENOUGH 1603, H. S. (0).
SUMATRA. Res. Tapiannoeli: Sibolga, on the coast, II 1856, TEYSMANN, H. B. (f), H. L. B. 908,155-89 (0) ; TEYSMANN 532, H. B. (0), H. A. R. T. (0), TEYSMANN 533, H. B. (0), H. A. R. T. (f) ; all the plants from Sibolga are authentic specimens of N. trichocarpa MIQ., the number 532 of the var. erythrosticta MIQ.
This species, only known from Sibolga up till now, seems to have been collected also near Singapore. The branch in H. S. shows more resemblance with N. gracilis than those from Sibolga, by the nervation of the leaf, but though these two species are not closely related, I can not find this a sufficient amount, to unite N. trichocarpa with N. gracilis. The specimens, collected by TEYSMANN, seem to have been very different in colour, but I think it useless to distinguish the var. erythrosticta MIQ., as in many other species the colour varieties are innumerable and the differences in the dimensions of the leaves and pitchers certainly do not always occur together with those in the colour.
TEYSMANN mentions 3 vernacular names. katoepat baroek, tjalong baroek (both Minangkabau) and tahoel-tahoel (Batak) ; see under N. Treubiana.