贡山斑龙芋 gong shan ban long yu

Typhonium gaoligongense (Z. L. Wang & H. Li) Hetterscheid & P. C. Boyce.

Tuber depressed globose, ca. 2 cm high, 2.5-3.5 cm in diam., producing several annual offsets. Petiole uniformly green or dark purple, to 40 cm, proximally often developing intercalary, irregular bulbils; leaf blade deeply 5-13-pedatifid; central lobe elliptic to obovate, to 12 × 5 cm; lateral lobes progressively smaller. Inflorescence appearing before leaves; peduncle largely subterranean, yellowish green with a few scattered purple spots, 4-5 cm × 3-6 mm. Spathe closed at base, outside purplish brown, inside whitish, base triangular-ovate, to 3 × 2.8 cm, tapering to constricted apex; limb strongly convolute at base, slightly arching, outside brownish purple with a few darker spots, inside pale purple, narrowly oblong, ca. 7 × 2.5 cm, apex long acuminate. Spadix shorter than spathe, ca. 6 cm; female zone cylindric, ca. 4 × 5-6 mm; ovary obovoid, 1-loculed, 2-ovuled; sterile zone narrowly conic, ca. 3 cm, carrying staminodes in proximal half, these distally progressively shorter and finally disappearing, distally grooved, verruculose; staminodes clavate, distally changing to aristate and upcurved; male zone oblong, ca. 1 cm × 3 mm; male flowers purple, with 1 stamen, pores apical; appendix stipitate, clavate, ca. 1.6 cm, apex narrowly fusiform-conic, rugose.

● Broad-leaved evergreen forests, shaded ravines; ca. 2200 m. W Yunnan (Gaoligong Shan: Baoshan, Longling, Tengchong).

In all respects, this species is similar to Typhonium horsfieldii (Sauromatum horsfieldii) except for the closed spathe base.