AMORPHOPHALLUS SCHMIDTIAE

PROTOLOGUE: Amorphophallus schmidtiae Hett. & A.Galloway, published in Aroideana 29: 73 (2006).

Amorphophallus schmidtiae Hett. & A. Galloway sp. nov. Specierum numero similis spathis spadicibusque similariter satis indifferentibus, e.g. Amorphophallo asterostigmato, Amorphophallo cicatricifero, Amorphophallo carneo, Amorphophallo excentrico et Amorphophallo napalensi. Ab omnibus his speciebus propagulis carentibus, antherarum poris lateralibus significanter differt. Type: from a plant cultivated by A. Galloway (orig. coll.: LAOS, Bolikhamxay Province, A. Galloway), 29 July 2004, Galloway ACA-1582-01-T (holotype, WAG, spirit collection).

DISTRIBUTION: Laos: Laos.

DISTRIBUTION NOTE: Laos: Bolikhamxay Province, the only locality known.².

SPECIES DESCRIPTION:

Tuber depressed-globose, pale brown, 8.5 cm across and 5 cm high. Petiole smooth, 50 cm long and 2.5 cm across, uniformly rich purplish red. Lamina 100 cm wide, the rachises winged beyond the basal branching points; leaflets elongate elliptic, 3.5-23 cm long and 1.5-7 cm wide, long acute, the second inner collective vein strongly developed, the upper surface rich dark green.²

INFLORESCENCE:

Peduncle as the petiole, 38-40 cm long and 1 cm across. Spathe triangular-ovate, 13.5 cm long and 10 cm wide, erect, outside whitish with a pale purplish flush in the basal half, inside white, the base within nearly smooth, the apex acute. Spadix shorter than the spathe, 8 cm long; female zone cylindric, 1 cm long and 1.2 cm across, the flowers congested; male zone subcylindric, 2.7 cm long, 1.3 cm across at the base and 1.1 cm at the apex, the flowers congested; appendix elongate conical, 4.3 cm long and 1.1 cm across, smooth, obtuse, off-white. Ovary elongate, angular, 1.5 mm long and 2 mm across, pale or mid green, the upper part truncate, unilocular; style 1 mm long and 0.6 mm across, pale green; stigma depressed or slightly hemispheric, entire, 1 mm across and 0.8 mm high, strongly echinate, dirty whitish. Male flowers of 3-5 stamens; stamens 3.5 mm long; filaments 2 mm long, partly fused, off-white; anthers 1.5 mm long and 1 mm across, truncate, off-white, the connective large and pale green, the pores lateral. Pollen striate.²

ETYMOLOGY:

Named for Petra Schmidt, a colleague of the authors who worked on aroids at the Missouri Botanical Garden and as a grower at Plant Delights Nursery.²

NOTES:

1. The spathe and spadix carry no distinguishing features of their own, and the species has to be told from its relatives by the flowers. Among the group it resembles - which includes Amorphophallus carneus, Amorphophallus excentricus, Amorphophallus napalensis, Amorphophallus cicatricifer and Amorphophallus asterostigmatus - it is the only one whose anthers open by lateral rather than apical pores.²

2. The strongly developed second inner collective vein of the leaflet is also unique in that group.²

3. The rich purple-red petiole is shared only with Amorphophallus cicatricifer.²

4. Unlike the species it is compared with, it produces no propagules.²

REFERENCES:

1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Amorphophallus schmidtiae Hett. & A.Galloway

2. Aroideana 29: 73 (2006) — protologue.

3. Alan Galloway — Amorphophallus schmidtiae, alangallowaybotanicals.com.