Nepenthes Papuana - Botanical History

Botanical History

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.

B. H. Danser formally described N. papuana in his seminal monograph "The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies", published in 1928. The description is based on the specimens Docters van Leeuwen 10282, Docters van Leeuwen 10340, and Docters van Leeuwen 10341. The latter two were illustrated in Danser's monograph and consist of male and female floral material, respectively.