Alpinia mesanthera Hayata, Icon. Pl. Form., 5: 225. 1915. Moo, Fl. Taiwan 5: 840. 1978 (as doubtful species); Wu & Chen, Fl. Reipubl. Popul. Sin. 16(2): 94. 1981; J. J. Yang & J. C. Wang in S. T. Chiu & C. I. Peng, Proc. Cross-Strait Symp. Florist. Diversity Conserv. 191. 1998.
角板山月桃
Languas mesanthera (Hayata) Sasaki, Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Form. 14: 85. 1924.
Plant 2.0-3.0 m. Leaves sessile to petiolate; blade 60-80 × 8-12 cm, oblong to lanceolate, tip acuminate, base cuneate, subcoriaceous, glabrous or pubescent; ligule 1.5 cm long, entire or bilobed, coriaceous, hairy on outer surface. Inflorescence a thyrse, curvingly ascending, villose, flower-bearing part 25-36 cm long, lower rachilla 0.3-0.6 cm long, with 2 flowers, upper ones with 1 flower, without bract. Flowers pedicellate; bracteole white, tip pink, folded around the bud, glabrous, deciduous; calyx white, tip pink, tubular, 1.8-2.2 cm long, shortly 3-lobed and deeply split unilaterally, minutely pubescent on outer surface; corolla white, tube 1-1.2 cm long, lobes oblong, outer surface sparsely pubescent, margin ciliate, dorsal lobe 2.3 × 3.0 cm, laterals 2.5 × 1.2 cm; labellum yellowish, ovate, involute, 4.0 × 4.5 cm, with red stripes and spots at the center, apex emarginate; staminodes linear, 0.3 cm long, with red stripes; anther 1.2 cm long; filament band-form, 1-1.5 cm long; stigma funnel-form, apex densely hairy; style slender, ca. 3.6 cm long; epigynous glands united on one side, massive, 0.3 cm long; ovary green, villose, 0.7 × 0.5 cm. Fruits capsular, red, globose to triangulate, 1.8 × 1.5 cm, costate, sparsely hairy. Seeds 10-28, black-brown, angular; aril white, membranous.
TAIPEI : Hsiaokotou, Yang 868, 1247, 1504, 1653, 1855, 1889(TNU); Sanhsia, Yang 1876(TNU); Kappanzan, Hayata s.n. Jul. 1912 (Type of A. mesanthera, TAI photo !). NANTOU : Hsinyi, Yang 1745, 1758(TNU).
Endemic, scattered at low altitudes.
