疆南星 jiang nan xing

Arum griffithii Schott.

Herbs, tuberous, sprouting in late autumn from a disciform, vertically oriented tuber 2-5 cm in diam., 2-2.5 cm thick. Petiole mid-green, stained dull purple, terete, 10.5-28 cm × 2.5-4.4 mm. Leaf blade dark to mid-green, sagittate to sagittate-hastate, 11-30 × 4-12 cm, apex acute. Inflorescence not scented; peduncle exceeding leaves, pale green proximally, deep green distally, terete, 11-32 cm × 5-7 mm. Spathe 12-22 cm; tube outside green, inside white, oblong-cylindric, 2.5-4 × 1.2-1.6 cm, slightly constricted apically; limb erect at first but soon flopping forward, outside mid-green with faint purple staining, inside dull purple, deeper purple along middle, paler proximally, brownish purple to purple distally, narrowly lanceolate, 9-18 × 1-3 cm, acuminate. Spadix 2/3-3/4 as long as spathe limb, 9-20 cm in total length; female flowers in an oblong-cylindric cluster 15-17 × 5-6 mm; ovary pale greenish yellow, oblong, 2-3 mm; stigma pale grayish mauve; pistillodes in 3 or 4 whorls forming a zone 3-4 mm; bristles glossy deep violet, subulate-filiform, 3-4.5 mm; bases dark purple, bulbiform, verrucate; staminodes in 2 or 3 whorls forming a zone 3-5 mm; bristles flexuose, glossy deep violet, filiform, 2-2.5 mm; bases dark purple, barely conic, verrucate; interstices: proximal 2.5-3 mm cream-colored, longitudinally ridged; distal 1.5-2 mm cream-colored, smooth; appendix dull yellow to orange-brown, purple, or brownish purple, base paler, cylindric, tapering basally, 6-17 cm × 3-7 mm; male flowers in an oblong zone 6-7 × 4-5 mm; anthers and connectives maroon. Infructescence cylindric, 4-4.5 × 1.8-2.2 cm. Berries oblong, 4-9 × 3-4 mm. Fl. Apr-May.

Among rocks in damp soil pockets and crevices, occasionally along damp field edges; 1600-3700 m. SW Xinjiang, W Xizang [N Afghanistan, N India, Kashmir, W Nepal, N Pakistan, Tajikistan, E Turkmenistan, SE Uzbekistan; SW Asia (NE Iran)].

Arum jacquemontii has a wide distribution, occurring from the NE corner of Iran to the W Himalayas (Boyce, Gen. Arum, 139, map 17. 1993). Arum korolkowii Regel as reported in FRPS (13(2): 100-101. 1979) is, in fact, A. jacquemontii. Although similar to A. korolkowii, A. jacquemontii is readily distinguished by its dull purple, not striped, petioles, the purple spathe limb, longer spadix appendix, and purple, not green, staminode and pistillode bases. Further, the pollen exine of A. jacquemontii is spinulose and not scabrous as in A. korolkowii. An important geographic difference is that A. jacquemontii grows farther south and east and at higher elevations than A. korolkowii.