AMORPHOPHALLUS APHYLLUS
Photo by Alan Galloway
SYNONYMS:
HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS: Arum aphyllum
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS: Amorphophallus fontanesii, Amorphophallus leonensis, Amorphophallus leonensis var. elegans, Amorphophallus leonensis var. latifolius, Amorphophallus leonensis var. spectabilis, Amorphophallus spectabilis, Arum trifidum, Corynophallus afzelii, Corynophallus afzelii var. elegans, Corynophallus afzelii var. latifolius, Corynophallus afzelii var. spectabilis, Corynophallus fontanesii, Corynophallus leonensis, Corynophallus leonensis var. elegans, Corynophallus leonensis var. latifolius, Hydrosme fontanesii, Hydrosme leonensis, Hydrosme leonensis var. elegans, Hydrosme leonensis var. latifolius
ACCEPTED INFRASPECIFICS: N/A
DISTRIBUTION: Burkina, Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
CLIMATE: Unknown
ECOLOGY: It is a tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.
SPECIES DESCRIPTION:
N/A
INFLORESCENCE: N/A
VARIEGATED FORMS: N/A
ETYMOLOGY: The epithet comes from the Greek a-(α-) meaning ‘without’ and phyllon (φύλλον) meaning ‘leaf’ to mean without leaves
NOTES: A most remarkable and ornamental species in all its parts. The striking contrast in colors of the spathe and spadix is unmatched in the genus. Its nearest relative, Amorphophallus dracontioides has a similar spadix but the spathe is longer than the spadix and cowl-shaped.
CULTIVARS: N/A
HYBRIDS:
Amorphophallus aphyllus x Amorphophallus dracontioides
Amorphophallus dracontioides x Amorphophallus aphyllus
REFERENCES:
Das Pflanzenreich IV.23c (Araceae-Lasioideae), Fig. 36: 104 (1911)
Additional photos from Wilbert Hetterscheid, Steve Jackson, Marco Malcarne and Fofana Tidiane