Which Heliamphora species was formally described by George Bentham in 1840?

Heliamphora nutans was formally described by George Bentham in 1840.

The species was discovered on Mount Roraima in 1839 by brothers Robert and Richard Schomburgk, although they did not return specimens to Europe. Bentham published the formal description in the Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, making H. nutans the first described species of Heliamphora and the genus's type species.

Heliamphora nutans is a tropical pitcher plant native to tepuis in the border region of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana. Its pitchers trap prey through an “aquaplaning” mechanism: insects slip on the wet, downward-pointing hairs inside the pitcher. The epithet nutans means “nodding,” referring to the plant's form.

A common mix-up is confusing it with Heliamphora ionasi or H. tatei, which are also tepui species but were described later. H. nutans is especially notable because it is both the best-known species in the genus and its nomenclatural type.