Amorphophallus yaoi A.Galloway, Hett. & Medecilo, 2020

5. Amorphophallus yaoi A.Galloway, Hett. & Medecilo View in CoL , sp. nov. — Plate 5 View Plate 5

Etymology. The species is named after George Yao, a superb plantsman,for his many contributions to botany specifically aroids,horticulture and conservation of the flora of the Philippines.

Type. J.R. Callado JRCC1475 (holo PNH 256732 ; iso DLSU-DH), Philippines, Panay Island, Dingle, Iloilo ( Bulabog Putian National Park ),in shaded areas and hilly forest, 27 May 2014 .

Tuber globose, somewhat irregular with raised areas, no offset development, 6–7 cm diam, 6–7 cm high. Petiole 80–100 cm long, 2–3 cm diam, largely smooth, near the base slightly or strongly verruculate, generally grey with a mix of either pale black or pale brown, or pale green with smaller and larger, elongate elliptical dull whitish spots. Lamina 70–80 cm diam, rachises winged above the basal branches; leaflets elongate elliptical, 1.5–15 cm long, 2.5–8 cm diam, upper side glossy green, lower surface glossy pale green, margin even, smooth, top long acuminate. Inflorescence solitary, short pedunculate, held at ground level or 2–6 cm above ground level. Spathe broadly oval, campanulate, 25–30 cm long, 22–28 cm diam, base convolute, separated from the limb by a shallow constriction, inside purple to dull maroon, verrucate with warts slightly separated, outside pale green with scattered whitish rounded spots and black dots; limb oblique, inside basal part pale green, margin or almost entire surface pale to dark purple to dull greenish beige, margin partly rolled inwards, more or less undulating, outside pale green with faint purplish hue to purplish with greenish vertical bands, entire surface with scattered, whitish, rounded spots and less numerous, small punctiform purplish dots. Spadix sessile, 40 cm long, longer than the spathe; female zone cylindric, 4.5 cm long, 3 cm diam, flowers slightly distant; male zone cylindric to subcylindric, with the base constricted, 5.5 cm long, 2 (base)–3 (top) cm diam, flowers congested; appendix narrowly conical to slightly fusiform-conical, 30 cm long, 1.5–3 cm diam just above the base, smooth, sometimes lower 1 cm having thornlike projections 3 mm long, dark purple to dull maroon, gradually tapering to the top. Ovary 4.5 mm diam, 2.5 mm high, 1–3-locular, dark purple; style 5.5 mm long, 1 mm diam, dark purple; stigma shallowly bilobed, 1.25 mm high, 1.5 mm diam (long axis), minutely verruculate, creamy white to bright yellow. Male flowers with 3–5 stamens; stamen 3 mm long, 2.5 mm diam, off-white; filament free; theca truncate, pores slit-like, apical. Pollen creamy white to bright yellow. Infructescence cylindric; berries 1–3-seeded, generally ovate, c. 1.5 cm long, c. 1 cm diam, smooth, dull reddish orange, stigmas persistent; seeds c. 8 mm long, c. 2–3 mm diam.

Distribution — Capiz province, Panay Island; Romblon Island: Odiongan. These occurrences have been verified by the authors, based on photographs of third parties.

Additional material. A. Galloway AGA­1550­01 ( PNH), from a plant cultivated by A. Galloway (orig. coll. A. Galloway, Philippines, Panay Island , Aug. 2003); A. Galloway AGA­2168­01 ( PNH), from a plant cultivated by A. Galloway (orig. coll.: A. Galloway, Philippines, Panay Island, Dumalag , Capiz province, in hilly, shaded areas, 26 Mar. 2011); A. Galloway AGA­2176­01 ( PNH), from a plant cultivated by A. Galloway (orig. coll. Kurt Tan, Philippines, Tablas Island , Romblon, 2010).

Note — Of the four, short pedunculate species in the Philippines, A. yaoi clearly resembles A. urceolatus sp. nov. (see above). It differs from the latter by the spadix being much longer than the spathe, and by the much longer and more slender appendix. The campanulate spathe separates it from A. fornicatus sp. nov. and the elongate, unfolded appendix from A. paeoniifolius .