Nepenthes bongso


Nepenthes bongso is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it has an altitudinal distribution of 1000–2700 m above sea level. The specific epithet bongso refers to the Indonesian legend of Putri Bungsu, the spirit guardian of Mount Marapi.

Taxonomy

The species was formally described by Pieter Willem Korthals in his 1839 monograph, "Over het geslacht Nepenthes".
Nepenthes carunculata is considered a heterotypic synonym of N. bongso by most authorities. The infraspecific taxon Nepenthes carunculata var. robusta was described in 1994 by Joachim Nerz and Andreas Wistuba. It is an extreme variety of this taxon with a large, flared peristome.
In his Carnivorous Plant Database, taxonomist Jan Schlauer treats N. junghuhnii as a possible synonym of N. bongso.

Natural hybrids

The following natural hybrids involving N. bongso have been recorded.
In his 1928 monograph "The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies", B. H. Danser mentioned what he thought was the hybrid N. bongso × N. pectinata; however, this plant material is now known to represent N. densiflora, a species described by Danser 12 years later.