Nepenthes bongso

Nepenthes bongso

A freshly opened lower pitcher

An upper pitcher of a variant sometimes distinguished as N. carunculata, from a minor peak near Solok, West Sumatra
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Nepenthaceae
Genus:	Nepenthes
Species:	N. bongso
Binomial name
*Nepenthes bongso* Korth. (1839)

Distribution of N. bongso
Synonyms
Synonyms Nepenthes carunculata Danser (1928) Nepenthes carunculata var. robusta Nerz & Wistuba (1994) Nepenthes singalana auct. non Becc.: Tamin & M.Hotta in M.Hotta (1986) [=N. bongso/N. densiflora?/N. gymnamphora/ N. lavicola/N. singalana/N. spathulata] Heterochresonyms Nepenthes bongso auct. non Korth.: Ridl. (1908) [=N. alba] Nepenthes bongso auct. non Korth.: Guillaum. (1911) [=N. vieillardii] Nepenthes bongso auct. non Korth.: Danser (1928); Sh.Kurata (1973) [=N. bongso/N. ovata/N. talangensis] Nepenthes bongso auct. non Korth.: Tamin & M.Hotta in M.Hotta (1986) [=N. bongso/N. dubia/N. inermis] Nepenthes bongso auct. non Korth.: Hopkins, Maulder & B.R.Salmon (1990) [=N. talangensis] Nepenthes bongso auct. non Korth.: Jebb & Cheek (1997); Cheek & Jebb (2001) [=N. bongso/N. talangensis]

Nepenthes bongso /nᵻˈpɛnθiːz ˈbɒŋsoʊ/ is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it has an altitudinal distribution of 1000–2700 m above sea level. The specific epithet bongso refers to the Indonesian legend of Putri Bungsu (literally "youngest daughter"), the spirit guardian of Mount Marapi.

Nepenthes carunculata is considered a heterotypic synonym of N. bongso by most authorities. The infraspecific taxon Nepenthes carunculata var. robusta was described in 1994 by Joachim Nerz and Andreas Wistuba. It is an extreme variety of this taxon with a large, flared peristome.

In his Carnivorous Plant Database, taxonomist Jan Schlauer treats N. junghuhnii (sensu Macfarlane) as a possible synonym of N. bongso.