Nepenthes thorelii aggregate distribution map

[Sockhom]

This is a map I made (via Powerpoint) for the lecture I gave at the 2010 ICPS conference.
Although, it is far from complete - a lot of further surveys are required - this is a good document for the readers interested in this particular group of pyrophytic species. The map excludes other species which occur in Indochina such as Nepenthes mirabilis (found in the four countries), N. mirabilis var. globosa (known also as "Viking" in horticultural circles), N. ampullaria, N. sanguinea, N. gracilis (the three last ones occur in Thailand).

As you can see, N. smilesii (formerly known as N. anamensis) is the most widespread species. It is mostly found between 600 and 1000 masl but can be found at sea level in southern Cambodia and up to 1500 m in Vietnam.
Many species are very localised (and endangered) such as N. kerrii or N.andamana. N. thorelii has not been relocated with certainty.
A lot of areas have yet to be prospected. The northern half of the Cambodian territory, the north and center parts of Vietnam as well as the majority of Laos (and all its mountains) have to be surveyed.

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[allenphoon]

hmm...why sometime some species can distributed far and manage to remain without having chance mate with the other species?

[sooxiwei]

controversial...on one hand, it is a knowledge base...on the other hand, people will head to those location to wipe out what is there to be taken...

[NepNut]

Nice work !!

Howerver, I was wondering why you didn't include N. kongkandana?

C Way,
Trust me, even with a dot on the map, it's not as easy as you think if you want to locate the neps...

[marcellocatalano]

Originally Posted by NepNut

Trust me, even with a dot on the map, it's not as easy as you think if you want to locate the neps...

Exactely.
I think N. kongkandana hasn't been included because it hasn't been officially published yet, but the spot on the map would be on the coast opposite to the N. kerrii's coast.
Allenphoon: even if on the map the spots are close, the plants in the wild grow in areas that are separated by natural boundaries, and Nepenthes don't produce hybrids so easily in the wild, they really have to grow one next to the others, in the same colony, to do so. For my experience, if you have something like 50 meters between one colony and the other (but colonies can be from 10 meters to many km large!), 98% you won't find hybrids. I guess it's a problem of habitat (every species wants its specific habitat, where the other species and its hybrids might not be able to grow) and flowering period, not a problem of distance for insect pollination. And of course my experience only includes Thailand, where a very harsh dry season plays a big role.
In Borneo, Malaysia etc, I'm quite sure that you can find 3-4-5 and more species growing for km and km in the same area, and if they share the same kind of habitat, then the flowering period remains the only obstacle and you get more hybrids.

[NepNut]

oic... thanks for the explaination, Cello. Does that mean there's still a chance for N. kongkandana to lose it's species status??