Wednesday, September 15, 2021

[Botany • 2021] Amorphophallus minimus (Araceae: Thomsonieae) • A New Species from the Montane Forest of Nueva Ecija, Luzon island, Philippines


Amorphophallus minimus R.Bustam., C. Claudel and M.N.Tamayo, 

in Bustamante, Claudel, Altomonte, Udasco et Tamayo, 2021. 

Abstract
Amorphophallus minimus (Araceae) is herein described and illustrated as a new species from the montane forest of Nueva Ecija, Luzon island, Philippines. A. minimus has an overall resemblance to Amorphophallus palawanensis Bogner and Hett., however, it is easily distinguished by having a club-shaped and colliculate appendix that is contiguous with the male zone, oblate stamens (2 per flower), presence of leaf bulbils, and its overall small dimensions. Amorphophallus minimus is currently the only species in the Philippines found to inhabit a montane forest ecosystem.

Keywords: Caraballo Mountain Range, lichen mimicry, Malesia, staminodes, subg. Amorphophallus, Thomsonieae

Amorphophallus minimus sp. nov.
Habit of flowering plant
Photo by L. Udasco. 

Amorphophallus minimus sp. nov.
(A) Habit of vegetative plant, (B) habit of flowering plant, (C) leaves, (D) inflorescence, (E) spadix showing the details of the appendix including the female and male zones, (F) appendix surface, (G) detail of the male flower, (H) female flower, (I) detail of stigma.
Illustration by Jayson A. Mansibang.

Amorphophallus minimus sp. nov.
 habit of vegetative and flowering plant in situ
Photo by L. Udasco. 

Amorphophallus minimus R.Bustam., C. Claudel and M.N.Tamayo, sp. nov.
 subg. Amorphophallus

Etymology: The epithet ‘minimus' is derived from the Latin word ‘minima' meaning small. The name depicts the relatively small size of both the vegetative and flowering phase of the new species.


Rene Alfred Anton Bustamante, Cyrille Claudel, John Charles A. Altomonte, Leonardo C. Udasco and Maverick N. Tamayo. 2021. Amorphophallus minimus (Araceae), A New Species from the Montane Forest of Nueva Ecija, Luzon island, Philippines. Nordic Journal of Botany. DOI: 10.1111/njb.03251