Nepenthes gymnamphora is a species of pitcher plant native to highland regions of Sumatra and Java. The taxonomy of the species is complex, with some authors distinguishing N. pectinata and N. xiphioides as separate species. I plants in this post were found in Sumatra, and should represent the N. pectinata variety from my understanding.
![](https://www.fierceflora.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20180514-gymnamphora-2-1024x683.jpg)
Nepenthes gymamphora forms large, tubby lower pitchers with a speckled pattern. These pitchers are typically pressed into the ground with the lower portions sometimes buried in the leaf litter. The rosette leaves are generally reduced in size. The leaf margins are hairy, which distinguish it from N. xiphioides (which has glabrous leaf margins). The plants grow robust vines with large upper leaves. I have not observed the upper pitchers.
![](https://www.fierceflora.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20180514-gymnamphora-3-1024x683.jpg)
I found the species growing on a mountain in Jambi, Sumatra, Indonesia at roughly 2,000m elevation. The plants grew in loose litter on a steep slope within cloud forest. In some patches, the plants grew in extreme shade but still managed to make normal sized pitchers.
![](https://www.fierceflora.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20180514-gymnamphora-1024x683.jpg)
![](https://www.fierceflora.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20180514-gymnamphora-5-1024x683.jpg)
![](https://www.fierceflora.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20180514-gymnamphora-6-683x1024.jpg)