Wistuba, Harbarth & Carow

In January 2001 we had the great opportunity to study the flora of some of the least explored of all table mountains of southern Venezuela. Some of the expedition's destinations were the four table mountains in the Aparaman-group ('Los Testigos'), consisting of Aparaman Tepui, Murosipan Tepui, Tereke-Yuren Tepui and Kamarkaiwaran Tepui. The Aparaman-group is located in the northern part of the Guayana Shield, northwest of Ptari Tepui and east of Auyan Tepui. The altitude of these tepuis lies between 2100 meters (Tereke-Yuren) and 2700 meters (Kamarkaiwaran).

On all tepuis of the Aparaman-group we found a very interesting, and previously undescribed species of Heliamphora notable for the unique anatomy of its pitcher-appendage. The appendage is fused with the back of the pitcher forming a hollow structure running downwards on the outside of the back of the pitcher, apparently working as a chamber to store nectar produced by the glands of the appendage. Such a structure has never before been observed in Heliamphora or any other member of Sarraceniaceae.
Rhizomes branching, plants forming dense clumps. Pitchers infundibulate in the lower third, cylindrical in the upper two thirds, 20-30 cm long and 5-6 cm wide in the upper part; upper part of the pitchers almost completely glabrous on the inner side; pitchers frequently compressed between the front and the back, the front being pressed inwards, leading to a kidney shaped mouth in most older pitchers when viewed from above; the left and right parts of the lobes forming the pitcher-tube often fused asymmetrically at the front of the pitcher-mouth; older pitchers deep red, younger ones golden-green with red veins; pitchers of younger plants much less compressed and more symmetric. Lid bent sharply towards the front, 1 cm long, 0.5 cm wide and 0.5 cm high, slightly helmet shaped; back of the lid adult pitchers bearing a hollow structure running downwards 5-10 mm; channel from the hollow chamber to the front of the lid. Inflorescence about 35 cm long, 3-4 flowers, peduncle glabrous; pedicels 3-6 cm long; bracts ovate 3-5 cm long; tepals, 4, oblong-lanceolate 4-4.5 cm long, 1.8-2.5 cm wide, white to whitish-pink; 10 stamens in 1 series, filaments 8 mm long, anthers oblong-lanceolate, approximately 8 mm long, 1.5 mm wide; ovary 3 celled, pubescent, style glabrous; seed approximately 2-3 mm long, compressed, ovate, irregularly winged.
The name 'folliculata' was chosen to highlight the 'bubble' (=follicle) formed by the nectar spoon, the most distinct characteristic of this species.

Heliamphora folliculata is only known from the Aparaman-group of Tepuis, where we found it on all four mountains: Aparaman Tepui, Murosipan Tepui, Tereke Tepui and Kamakeiwaran Tepui. The largest population was observed on Aparaman Tepui where the plants were growing in dense overhanging populations, partly on vertical rock-faces. We did not observe notable morphological differences among the four populations, except for a single group of plants on Kamarkeiwaran that showed an extremely short appendage.
Heliamphora folliculata plants were usually found growing in exposed areas with short vegetation such as grasses, bromeliads, Xyris or Stegolepis. These plants do not shade the Heliamphora significantly, in fact we never found plants growing in shady locations. Most of the dense patches of Heliamphora folliculata were found on steep rocks with good drainage. Only rarely have we observed H. folliculata growing at really wet places, such as near shallow ponds or seepage slopes.