AMORPHOPHALLUS HIRSUTUS
PROTOLOGUE: Amorphophallus hirsutus Teijsm. & Binn., published in Natuurkundig tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië 24: 332 (1862). The protologue is reproduced below.
DISTRIBUTION: Nicobar Is., W. Sumatera: Nicobar, Sumatra.
DISTRIBUTION NOTE: Western Sumatra.
SPECIES DESCRIPTION:
Tuber depressed-globose, to ca. 13 cm in diam., brown, no offset development. Leaf solitary or rarely paired; petiole to ca. 100 cm long, ca. 4 cm in diam., largely smooth but the base sometimes very slightly rugulose, background color bright pale green, to the base nearly entirely covered by or with less numerous, tiny blackish green dots and scattered, larger, whitish dots or blotches; lamina ca. 1 m in diam.; leaflets elliptic-lanceolate, 7-20 cm long, 2.5-5 cm in diam., acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE:
Inflorescence solitary, short-peduncled; peduncle ca. 4-10 cm long, ca. 1 cm in diam., green; spathe campanulate, broadly triangular-oval, ca. 14-25 cm long, ca. 16-29 cm in diam., acute, slightly constricted between base and limb, margin undulate, base outside plain green or with small blackish spots, limb outside dark purplish brown, inside as outside but glossy and paler towards the base, base within dark maroon and paler maroon, ridged-verrucate, verrucae ridgelike. Spadix sessile, shorter than spathe, ca. 8-22 cm long; appendix globose with a suddenly narrowed, truncate top, covered with tiny, stiff hairs.
ECOLOGY:
Found on limestone
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin hirsutus, “hairy” or “bristly,” referring to the minute, stiff hairs covering the abruptly narrowed, truncate apex of the spadix appendix. The combination of this hair covering and the unusual globose appendix makes the species morphologically distinctive within the genus.
NOTES:
1. Amorphophallus hirsutus belongs to the group of Amorphophallus paeoniifolius and allies, though its short anthers are unique in this group. The shape and sculpturing of the appendix render this species unique in the entire genus. Its morphology in general is nearly entirely intermediate between Amorphophallus paeoniifolius and Amorphophallus prainii. Spathe shape, spathe colors, spadix colors and female flowers are strongly reminiscent of Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, whereas the leaf is hard to distinguish from Amorphophallus prainii. Another unique feature of this species is its bright pink colored seedlings. Slightly older leaves display a pinkish reddish margin. Amorphophallus hirsutus has been obscured from study ever since its discovery by Teijsmann last century. Several years ago, the late James Trice (Tennessee) ran into a colony in western Sumatra, and one of his plants flowered in the Missouri Botanical Garden, of which an excellent picture is seen on the front cover of Aroideana Vol. 14. Recent expeditions by Mary Sizemore (Deland, FI.) and the late Dr. James Symon have secured this species for further study.
REFERENCES:
1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Amorphophallus hirsutus Teijsm. & Binn.
2. Natuurkundig tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië 24: 332 (1862) — protologue.
3. Alan Galloway — Amorphophallus hirsutus, alangallowaybotanicals.com.