AMORPHOPHALLUS MILDBRAEDII
PROTOLOGUE: Amorphophallus mildbraedii K.Krause, published in Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 9: 37 (1924).
Amorphophallus Mildbraedii Krause nov. spec. Tuber depressum, in siccitate 5,5 cm latum, 2,5 cm altum. Cataphylla pauca membranacea, sublanceolata, 7-10 cm longa, usque ad 3 cm lata, sordide brunneo-rubescentia. Folii petiolus teres, 7-8 cm longus, 6-8 mm crassus; lamina herbacea sicca obscure olivaceo-viridis trisecta, segmentis I 1,7-1,8 dm longis, segmentis II pinnatisectis, segmentis ultimis anguste linearibus apice acutis basi decurrentibus, usque ad 8 cm longis, 2-4 mm latis. Pedunculus teres, ca. 5 cm longus, 1 cm crassus. Spathae convolutae tubus subgloboso-inflatus paullum depressus, basi obtusatus, marginibus sese obtegentibus, ca. 6 cm diametiens, sursum constrictus, ore ca. 4 cm diametiente; lamina oblique colliformi-patens annulum fere completum efformans, irregulariter ± profunde interdum fere ad basin usque lacerata, usque ad 4 cm lata. Spadicis sessilis inflorescentia feminea cylindrica, 1,5 cm longa, 1-1,2 cm lata; inflorescentia mascula ovoidea, 2,6 cm longa, 1,8 cm lata, a inflorescentia feminea interstitio brevi sejuncta; appendix sterilis laevis cylindroidea, apice late obtusata, 2,5-2,7 cm longa, 1,3-1,5 cm crassa. — Westafrika: Kamerun, Savannengebiet des Baja-Hochlandes im östlichen Mittel-Kamerun unter etwa 6° N zwischen Babua und Budaje (Mildbraed n. 9287 — blühend am 6. Mai 1914).
DISTRIBUTION: E. Cameroon: Cameroon, DR Congo (?).
Doubtfully present in DR Congo (per POWO).
DISTRIBUTION NOTE: Cameroon: the Baja highlands of eastern central Cameroon, between Babua and Budaje (Mildbraed 9287, May 1914)².
SPECIES DESCRIPTION:
Translated from protologue: Tuber depressed, when dried 5.5 cm wide and 2.5 cm high. Cataphylls few, membranous, somewhat lanceolate, 7-10 cm long, up to 3 cm wide, dull brownish-red. Petiole of the leaf terete, 7-8 cm long, 6-8 mm thick; lamina herbaceous, dull olive-green when dried, trisect, the primary segments 1.7-1.8 dm long, the secondary segments pinnatisect, the ultimate segments narrowly linear, acute at the apex and decurrent at the base, up to 8 cm long and 2-4 mm wide.²
INFLORESCENCE:
Translated from protologue: Peduncle terete, about 5 cm long, 1 cm thick. Tube of the convolute spathe inflated to nearly globose and slightly depressed, blunt at the base, with the margins overlapping one another, about 6 cm across, constricted above, the mouth about 4 cm across; limb spreading obliquely like a collar and forming an almost complete ring, irregularly and more or less deeply torn - sometimes nearly to the base - and up to 4 cm wide. Female inflorescence of the sessile spadix cylindrical, 1.5 cm long, 1-1.2 cm wide; male inflorescence ovoid, 2.6 cm long, 1.8 cm wide, separated from the female by a short gap; sterile appendix smooth, cylindroid, broadly blunt at the apex, 2.5-2.7 cm long, 1.3-1.5 cm thick.²
ECOLOGY:
Found in the savanna country of the Baja highlands²
ETYMOLOGY:
Named for Johannes Mildbraed, who collected the type on the second German Central-Africa expedition in 1914.²
NOTES:
1. Krause erected an entire new section of the genus — sect. Colliphallus — for this one species, defined by its extraordinary spathe: the tube inflated into an almost spherical balloon, the limb standing out as a nearly complete, deeply and irregularly lacerated collar.²
2. In leaf shape the species closely resembles Amorphophallus leonensis of the same Sudanian park-steppe province, but the inflorescences of the two are completely different.²
REFERENCES:
1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Amorphophallus mildbraedii K.Krause
2. Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 9: 37 (1924) — protologue.
3. Revision der afrikanischen Arten der Gattung Amorphophallus (Araceae). Englera 25: 1-263 (2003)
Additional photos by Guido Van Asten