Nepenthes bokorensis

Nepenthes bokorensis is a climbing plant, attaining a height of up to 7 m. In rosettes and on lower parts of the plant, the stem is up to 0.9 cm thick and circular in cross section. On climbing parts, the stem is terete and measures up to 1 cm in diameter. Internodes are around 3 cm long.

Leaves are sessile to sub-petiolate and coriaceous (leathery) in texture. The lamina or leaf blade is oblong to linear-lanceolate in shape and measures up to 35 cm in length by 8 cm in width. Its apex varies greatly, ranging from acute to obtuse and it may sometimes also be acuminate. The lamina is attenuate at the base, clasping the stem by around three-quarters of its circumference and rarely becoming decurrent. Three longitudinal veins are present on either side of the midrib. Pinnate veins originate obliquely from the midrib. Tendrils are up to 18 cm long and 2 mm in diameter. Those produced on upper parts of the stem may be coiled.

Rosette and lower pitchers measure up to 20 cm in height by 6 cm in width. They are ovate in the basal third, before narrowing to become cylindrical or slightly infundibular towards the peristome. A pair of fringed wings (≤15 mm wide) runs down the ventral surface of the pitcher cup. Fringe elements are up to 12 mm long. The pitcher mouth has an oblique insertion. The peristome is approximately cylindrical and may be up to 20 mm wide. …

Nepenthes bokorensis is known with certainty only from the Mount Bokor massif in Bokor National Park, Kampot Province, Cambodia, where it has an altitudinal distribution of 800–1080 m above sea level. Three populations are known from the mountain. An as yet undetermined specimen (Aug. Chevalier 36411)[note f] suggests that the species may also be present in other parts of the Dâmrei Mountains.

The typical habitat of this species is seasonally dry upland scrub. It also grows in stunted lower montane forest under sparse tree cover. Plants growing in exposed sites under direct sunlight are very stunted and often flower when less than 60 cm tall. The species attains much greater heights under the shade of surrounding vegetation. Natural hybrids with N. kampotiana have been recorded. In open areas, N. bokorensis is sometimes sympatric with other carnivorous plants, including sundews and bladderworts. The N. bokorensis plants found by François Mey in 2007 grew alongside a crimson form of Drosera peltata, but this population was destroyed by the time of the author's return in 2009. Drosera peltata still grows sympatrically with N. bokorensis at "Location C", a massive clearing discovered in 2011 on the Bokor plateau. The D. peltata plants at this site range in colour from yellowish-green to red and frequently exceed 30 cm in height. …

Despite only being formally described in 2009, N. bokorensis has been known since at least the early 20th century. The oldest known herbarium specimens are three taken by French plant collector C. Geoffray on January 14, 1904.[note a] Two of these consist of lower pitchers with leaves, while the third comprises upper pitchers with leaves. All three specimens were collected from Popokvil falls, Mount Bokor, and are deposited at the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. The next known collection of this species was made by J. E. Vidal in 1965.[note b] It consists of a plant with upper pitchers. Three years later, Marie Martin collected M. Martin 1231bis,[note c] which includes lower pitchers and female floral material. Further herbarium material,[note d] consisting of two rosette plants, was collected by David Middleton and Meng Monyrak in 2001. In July 2007, François Sockhom Mey found N. bokorensis on Mount Bokor during a field trip to southern Cambodia. He posted photographs of the species on a number of online message boards the following month. Mey formally described[note e] the species in the March 2009 issue of Carniflora Australis, the journal of the Australasian Carnivorous Plant Society. M. …