Terrestrial climber to 10 m or more tall. Climbing stems 4-angular below internodes, rarely with 4 prominent wings, otherwise rounded, 0.3-0.6 cm diam., internodes 1-4 cm long; short stems and rosettes unknown. Leaves chartaceous, petiolate, leaf blades of climbing stems narrowly oblanceolate, 15-35 by 2.5-5(-8) cm, apex acute, base abruptly tapering to winged petiole, petiole 2-7 cm long, clasping the stem for 1/2 its circumference and decurrent down the stem with wings to 4 mm in breadth, 1-10 mm long. Longitudinal nerves 3 or 4 on each side of the midrib running in outer 1/3 of lamina, inconspicuous. Pennate nerves numerous, ascending obliquely and then curving towards the margin; irregularly reticulate in the outer 1/2 of the lamina. Lower pitchers ovoid, becoming cylindrical towards the mouth, but narrowest there, 14 by 4.5 cm, with prominent fringed wings to 10 mm broad, fringe elements to 3 mm long; mouth ovate, acuminate, oblique, straight; peristome flattened, to 8 mm broad, sloping inwards. Upper pitchers subcylindrical and curved over most of their length, gradually originating from the tendril, infundibulate in the lower part, becoming swollen at 2/5 its length, then slightly narrowed and barely widened again towards the mouth, to 24 by 5 cm, the fringed wings throughout the basal curve, often reaching close to the tendril, 5-8(-20) mm wide, fringed elements 3 mm long, 2-5 mm apart; mouth as in lower pitcher; peristome cylindrical or flattened, 1-3 mm broad, ribs 0.25-0.3 mm apart, outer edge entire, inner inconspicuously toothed; lid suborbicular, to 6 cm diam., apex truncate to emarginate, base rounded or cordate; lower surface lacking appendages, nectar glands orbicular, bordered, 0.2-0.3 mm diam., densest and largest about the 2 more prominent lateral veins; spur simple, dorsiventrally flattened, 2-5 mm long. Male inflorescence 35-50 cm long; peduncle 4-12 cm long, 2.5-4 mm diam. at the base; partial peduncles corymbose, (2-)4-or 5-flowered at base, to 5 cm long; bracts present or absent; tepals orbicular-elliptic, 4 mm long; androphore c. 3 mm long. Fruit and seed unknown. Indumentum very sparse, stems glabrous or, in the axils, brown-tomentose; leaves ciliate at the margin with sparingly branched, red-brown hairs 0.5 mm long or shortly hairy on the midrib when young, otherwise glabrous; pitchers densely stellately hairy when young, glabrescent except for a tomentose band below the peristome; lid as the pitcher; spur densely stellately hairy; inflorescence with short, brown or white stellate hairs, densely tomentose on pedicels, tepals and ovary, sparser on peduncle and rhachis, hairs 0.2-0.5 mm long, appressed. Colour of pitchers green.
Home