AMORPHOPHALLUS GLAUCOPHYLLUS
PROTOLOGUE: Amorphophallus glaucophyllus Hett. & Serebryanyi, published in Aroideana 29: 58 (2006).
Amorphophallus glaucophyllus Hett. & Serebr. sp. nov.
Type: collected from a plant cultivated in the Botanical Gardens of Wageningen University (orig. coll.: THAILAND, Kanchanaburi, “isolated table mountain near the Burmese border”, Sappasiri Chaovanich s.n.), 24 June 2005, Hetterscheid H.A.M.1400-T (holotype, WAG, spirit collection.). Figures 10–13.
Ab Amorphophalli grex Pseudodracontii speciebus omnibus petiolo brevi, foliolis crassissimis, stigmatibus maximis echinatis clare sulphureis (versus minoribus, tuberculatis, sublaevibus, eburneis) differt.
DISTRIBUTION: SW. Thailand: Thailand.
DISTRIBUTION NOTE: Kanchanaburi.
SPECIES DESCRIPTION:
Tuber subglobose to depressed globose, ca. 8 cm in diam., bright orangish brown, offset vegetative propagation unknown. Leaf solitary; petiole 12–15 cm long, 1–1.4 cm in diam., sturdy, smooth, semi-glossy, background colour pale olive green, with numerous small or larger and then confluent, blackish green spots; lamina moderately dissected, anterior segment sometimes undivided, 30–40 cm wide, rachises unwinged; leaflets elliptical, 10–17 cm long, 4–7 cm wide, acute, leathery, upper surface bright pale grey-blue, lower surface bluish green.
INFLORESCENCE:
Inflorescence appearing a while after leaf maturation, longer than leaf; peduncle 35 cm long, 0.7 cm in diam., coloured as petiole but with additional small, scattered white spots; spathe cymbiform, triangular-ovate, slightly hooded, 12 cm long, 6 cm in diam., outside uniformly pale green, after female anthesis changing to whitish green, inside whitish green and at the base a short dark purple zone, base within very shallowly rugulose, apex sharply acute; spadix shorter than spathe, sessile, 8 cm long; female zone cylindric, 6 mm long, 8 mm in diam., flowers congested; male zone cylindric, 5 cm long, 1 cm in diam., flowers distant; appendix stipe 7 mm long, 4 mm in diam. at the middle, appendix conical, 1.7 cm long, 0.9 cm in diam. at the base, apex obtuse, surface deeply corrugated separating rod-like papillae and short sinuous muri, off-white. Ovary depressed, 1.2 mm high, 2.2 mm in diam., off-white; style short and thick, 0.4 mm long, 1 mm in diam., off-white; stigma depressed, 1.5 mm in diam., 0.4 mm high, entire, strongly echinulate, bright pale yellow, unilocular; stamens consisting of 3–4(–5) stamens; stamens 2–2.5 mm long; filaments entirely or basally fused, column 1–1.5 mm long, 0.5–0.8 mm in diam., off-white; anthers free but in the lowermost flowers more or less laterally fused to form synandria, subglobose, ca. 1 mm in diam., off-white. Pollen striate with psilate polar caps.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek glaukos, “bluish-grey” or “glaucous,” and phyllon, “leaf,” referring to the unusually bright grey-blue upper surface of the leaflets, one of the most distinctive vegetative features of the species.
NOTES:
The bright yellow and strongly echinate stigmas are new to this group (formerly Pseudodracontium-group) of Amorphophallus, as are the extremely bright bluish-grey leaflets.
REFERENCES:
1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Amorphophallus glaucophyllus Hett. & Serebryanyi
2. Aroideana 29: 58 (2006) — protologue.
3. Alan Galloway — Amorphophallus glaucophyllus, alangallowaybotanicals.com.