AMORPHOPHALLUS ANGOLENSIS

Species

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION:

Flora of Tropical Africa v.8 (1901-1902) P.156

SYNONYMS:

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS: Corynophallus angolensis, Hydrosme angolensis

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS: N/A

ACCEPTED INFRASPECIFICS: Amorphophallus angolensis subsp. angolensis, Amorphophallus angolensis subsp. maculatus, Amorphophallus hetterscheidii, Amorphophallus leopoldianus Amorphophallus maculatus, Hydrosme leopoldiana

DISTRIBUTION: Angola, Cabinda, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Sudan, Zaïre

CLIMATE: Unknown

ECOLOGY:

SPECIES DESCRIPTION:

Leaf 2 ft. or more in diam., glabrous; petiole 3–5 ft. long, smooth, spotted with red at the base; terminal segments 4–6 in. long, 1–1 1/3 in. broad, the others smaller, oblong-lanceolate or elliptic-oblong, somewhat abruptly acuminate, decurrent at the base.

INFLORESCENCE:

“Peduncle by the side of the leaf, variegated with green and purple” (Welwitsch), 10–12 in. long in the specimens seen, probably longer, smooth. Spathe 11–12 in. long, cucullate, shorter than the spadix, spreading, subacuminate, wavy on the margin, hairy at the base inside. Spadix very long; flowering part dense, cylindric, female about 2 in. long, male about 1 in. long; appendix long, terete, obtuse, naked, blackish-purple. Ovary oblong-ovoid; stigma sessile, 2-lobed. Pollen orange-coloured.

VARIEGATED FORMS: N/A

ETYMOLOGY: The species epithet refers to the country of Angola where it was first observed

NOTES: According to Welwitsch's notes this would appear to produce its flower and leaf at the same time, since, besides stating that the peduncle is by the side of the leaf, he adds at the foot of the label of No. 228 “c. fl. (with flower) Dec. 1857 and Jan. 1857.” Schott describes the spadix as being often 2 ft. long, but on the copy of Welwitsch's notes in the British Museum it reads “I have seen it nearly 6 ft. long.” The figure 6 may, however, be an error of copying. There is no spathe or perfect spadix of this species either at Kew or the British Museum.