Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson

Global description

Amorphophallus paeoniifolius is a geophyte plant without stem, made up of a large tuber and a single leaf of great size coming out directly of the ground by a long vertical petiole. At the top of the petiole the blade spreads out in 3 big horizontal lobes in umbrella, each lobe being itself plurilobed. The flower which develops before the leaf, goes out directly of ground carried by a short peduncle. It is formed by a big campanulate spathe whose outside is cream color and the inside dark purple. In the center of the spathe is a big spadix in the shape of mushroom with the dark purple top.

General habit

Amorphophallus paeoniifolius is a terrestrial herbaceous plant without stem, constituted by a big flower coming out of ground, then replaced by a big single leaf coming out of ground at the end of a long vertical petiole. The leaf measures up to 150 cm in height and 150 cm in diameter.

Underground system

The underground system is a large, flattened, spherical tuber, reaching 10 to 40 cm in diameter, of dark brown color.

Stem

The stem is absent

Leaf

A solitary leaf develops from the tuber. It is carried by a large vertical petiole measuring 50 to 150 cm in height, and 2 to 4 cm in diameter, smooth or warted, of green color often spotted of purple. At the top of this petiole develops a blade composed of 3 large lobes arranged in umbrella, of a general diameter from 50 to 150 cm. Each main lobe is itself several times divided, lobed, pennatilobed, sometimes until the central vein. Each terminal lobe of 5 to 15 cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide is elliptic to obovate, with a short acuminate top. They are arranged obliquely to the midrib and the margin on the lower side is broadly decurrent along the midrib. The margin is entire, both sides are glabrous. The lobes are profusely furrowed with numerous parallel arcuate veins meeting near the margin, but remaining 3.0 to 0.8 cm from the margin of the leaf blade. The leaf blade is bright green.

Inflorescence

The single inflorescence emerges directly from the ground from the tuber, carried by a peduncle 5 to 20 cm long and 3 cm in diameter. It consists of a large fleshy campanulate spathe of 20 to 30 cm height and 25 to 35 cm diameter, whose basal part is rolled and the top is widened in cup with spread and undulated margin. The outer side is greenish to creamy yellow while the inner side is dark purple in the upper part and creamy yellow in the lower part. In the center of the spathe is a large mushroom-shaped spadix, 17-25 cm long, slightly shorter than the spathe. The female basal part about 7 cm long is a cylindrical tube of creamy yellow color, the male median part is obconical, 5 cm. It is surmounted by a sterile terminal appendage, forming a conical rounded cap of dark purple color.

Flowers

The female flowers from 10 to 17 mm with ovary of 2-3 mm purple. The male flowers from 4 to 5 mm, with oblong subsessile anthers.

Fruit

The fruits are ovoid to oblong berries of 10 to 13 mm, red, containing 2 to 3 seeds.

Origin

Amorphophallus paeoniifolius is native to South East Asia from India to China to Northern Australia. It is also considered native to the Comoros and Mayotte.

Worldwide distribution

This species has been introduced in Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion and Seychelles, in some islands of the Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago) and the Pacific (New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, Polynesia).

https://www.gbif.org/species/2871533