Friday, September 6, 2024

[Botany • 2024] Amorphophallus samarensis (Araceae) • A New Species endemic to Samar Island, Eastern Visayas, Philippines


 Amorphophallus samarensis Fontarum-Bulawin, Medecilo-Guiang & Alejandro,

in Fontarum-Bulawin, Medecilo-Guiang et Alejandro, 2024. 

Abstract
Amorphophallus samarensis is described as a new species from Paranas, Samar Island Natural Park, Samar Eastern Visayas, Philippines. A. samarensis resembles A. calcicola by having a solitary leaf, long peduncled solitary flower, cylindric female zone, ovary depressed, disk shape, slightly distant ovaries, and absence of staminode. It differs from A. calcicola by having the rachis winged at the distal part of the leaf, pale to dark maroon slightly depressed globose capitate stigma, style color, length of spadix, and truncate anther. The new species is considered Critically Endangered (CR) based on IUCN guidelines due to persistent anthropogenic activities. There are 30 individual plants encountered in the locality with less than 100 sq. km area of occupancy with an observed threat.

Keywords: Amorphophallus calcicola, biodiversity, conservation, critically endangered, taxonomy
 


Amorphophallus samarensis Fontarum-Bulawin, Medecilo-Guiang & Alejandro, sp. nov 

Diagnosis: Amorphophallus samarensis has widely triangular, undulating, pale green, cream to maroon spathe, with maroon spots, an undulate to entire spathe mar-gin; cylindric female zone; spadix longer than spathe; slightly distant depressed globose ovaries; pale to dark maroon slightly depressed globose capitate stigma; elongate cylindrical male zone; truncate anther; absent of staminode; and smooth narrowly elongate cylindric appendix. A. samarensis is like A. calcicola, A. longispathaceus, and A. rostratus for having solitary leaf, spadix longer than spathe, long peduncled solitary flower, ...

 

Norilyn Fontarum-Bulawin, Maria Melanie Medecilo-Guiang and Grecebio Jonathan D. Alejandro. 2024. Amorphophallus samarensis (Araceae), A New Species endemic to Samar Island, Eastern Visayas, Philippines. Webbia. Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography. 79(2),; 295-303. DOI: doi.org/10.36253/jopt-16302