Nepenthes khasiana

Nepenthes khasiana
Nepenthes khasiana. Cultivated plant.
Conservation status
Endangered
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Nepenthaceae
Genus:	Nepenthes
Species:	N. khasiana
Binomial name
Nepenthes khasiana Hook.f. (1873)
Satellite image of the Indian subcontinent with the distribution of N. khasiana highlighted in green.
Synonyms
Nepenthes distillatoria auct. non L.: R.Grah. (1827) Nepenthes melamphora auct. non Reinw. ex Bl.: Hook.f. (1859) [=N. gymnamphora/N. khasiana] Nepenthes phyllamphora auct. non Willd.: Regel (1881) [=N. khasiana/N. mirabilis] Nepenthes phyllamphora auct. non Willd.: Sims (1826) Nepenthes rubra Hort. ex Rafarin (1869)

Nepenthes khasiana (Template:Pron-en, after the Khasi Hills, to which it is largely endemic) is a tropical pitcher plant of the genus Nepenthes. It is the only Nepenthes species native to India.

The species has a very localised distribution and is rare in the wild. Isolated populations are known to occur in the Jarain area of the Jaintia Hills and the Baghmara area of the Garo Hills, adjacent to the Khasi Hills region of Meghalaya. Nevertheless, N. khasiana exhibits considerable genetic diversity.

The Khasi people call the plant tiew-rakot, which means demon-flower or devouring-plant. The Jaintias call it kset phare, which is roughly translated as lidded fly net. The Garo call the plant memang-koksi, which literally means the basket of the devil.

N. khasiana is a protected species, classified as Endangered, and is on CITES Appendix I along with N. rajah.

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  Intermediate pitcher of cultivated mature plant
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  Upper pitcher of cultivated mature plant

References

• Bordoloi, R.P.M. 1977. The pitcher plant: Nepenthes khasiana. Carnivorous plants of North East India I. Publisher:

Dutta Baruah & Co

. Printed at Sree Guru Press, Maligaon, Gauhati-11.

• Eilenberg, H., S. Pnini-Cohen, S. Schuster, A. Movtchan & A. Zilberstein 2006. Isolation and characterization of chitinase genes from pitchers of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes khasiana. Journal of Experimental Botany 57(11): 2775–2784. doi:10.1093/jxb/erl048
• Jain, S.K. & A.K. Baishya 1977. Nepenthes khasiana: an endangered species. Hornbill: 17–18.
• Jebb, M. & Cheek, M. 1997. A Skeletal Revision of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae). Blumea 42(1): 1–106.
• Joseph, J. & K. Joseph 1986. Insectivorous plants of Khasi and Jaintia hills, Meghalaya, India. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta.
• Latha, P.G. & S. Seeni 1994. Multiplication of the endangered Indian pitcher plant (Nepenthes khasiana) through enhanced axillary branching in vitro. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 38(1): 69–71. doi:10.1007/BF00034447
• Mao, A.A. & P. Kharbuli 2002. Distribution and status of Nepenthes khasiana Hook. f.—a rare endemic pitcher plant of Meghalaya, India. Phytotaxonomy 2: 77–83.
• Mukerjee, A., D.P. Dam & N. Dam 1984. Pitcher plant—an ornamental climber of Meghalaya. Ind. Hort. April–June 1: 6–18.
• Rao, T.A., P.G. Shanware & G.N. Tribedi 1969. A note on the pitcher plant habitat in Assam. Ind. For. 95: 611–613.
• Riedel, M., A. Eichner, H. Meimberg & R. Jetter 2007. Chemical composition of epicuticular wax crystals on the slippery zone in pitchers of five Nepenthes species and hybrids. Planta 225(6): 1517–1534. doi:10.1007/s00425-006-0437-3
• Venugopal, N. & N.R. Devi 2003. Development of the anther in Nepenthes khasiana Hook.f. (Nepenthaceae), an endemic and endangered insectivorous plant of North East India. Feddes Repertorium 114(1–2): 69–73. doi:10.1002/fedr.200390018