AMORPHOPHALLUS FORBESII

PROTOLOGUE: Amorphophallus forbesii (Engl.) Engl. & Gehrm., published in Pflanzenreich H48: 85 (1911).

A. Forbesii (Engl.) Engl. et Gehrm. — Hydrosme Forbesii Engl. in Engler’s Bot. Jahrb. XXXVII. (1905) 123. — Pedunculus brevis? Spatha oblongo-lanceolata, 2,5 dm longa, inferne convoluta, 2,5–3 cm diametiens, a media parte 2,5–3 cm lata sursum angustata. Spadicis quam spatha paullum longioris inflorescentia feminea cylindrica, 3 cm longa, vix 1 cm crassa, mascula fere 3 cm longa, femineae aeque crassa, cylindrica, appendix myosuroidea, 2 dm longa, e basi 6 mm crassa sursum attenuata. Stamina obovata, compressa, latitudine sua paullum longiora. Ovaria depressa, bilocularia, ovulis subsessilibus, in stilum conoideum aequilongum stigmate 4-lobo coronatum contracta.

SYNONYMS:

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS: Hydrosme forbesii Engl. in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 37: 123 (1905)

DISTRIBUTION: Sumatera: Sumatra.

INFLORESCENCE:

Peduncle short? Spathe oblong-lanceolate, 25 cm long, convolute below, 2.5–3 cm in diameter, 2.5–3 cm wide from about the middle and narrowing upward. Spadix slightly longer than the spathe; female inflorescence cylindrical, 3 cm long and scarcely 1 cm thick; male inflorescence nearly 3 cm long, cylindrical and about as thick as the female portion; appendix mouse-tail-shaped, 20 cm long, 6 mm thick at the base and tapering upward. Stamens obovate, compressed, slightly longer than broad. Ovaries depressed, bilocular, with subsessile ovules, narrowing into a conical style about as long as the ovary and crowned by a 4-lobed stigma.

ETYMOLOGY:

Named in honor of Henry Ogg Forbes (1851–1932), Scottish naturalist, explorer, and plant collector, who collected extensively in Sumatra and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. The type material of Amorphophallus forbesii was collected by Forbes in Sumatra as H. O. Forbes 2077a.

REFERENCES:

1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Amorphophallus forbesii (Engl.) Engl. & Gehrm.

2. Pflanzenreich H48: 85 (1911) — protologue.