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| Arisaema kayahense J. Murata, in Murata, Aung et Tanaka, 2020. |
Abstract
A new species Arisaema kayahense J. Murata is described from Kayah State, eastern Myanmar. This species was growing sideway from crevices of steep limestone rock under evergreen forests at about 1400 m elevation.
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| Arisaema kayahense. A, B. Staminate inflorescence at early stage of anthesis, habit (A) and cut opened (B). C, D. Staminate inflorescence at later stage of anthesis than A, habit (C) and flattened (D). E, F. Manually opened pistillate inflorescence showing spadix appendix, pistils and neuter projections. G. Pistillate inflorescence with withered spathe. Scale bars: 2 cm. |
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| Arisaema kayahense, habitat in Myanmar (Kayah State, Mt. Shin Phy Taung, Phruso Township, Loikaw District, 12 June 2019). A. Staminate individuals in three different flowering stages. B. Pistillate individuals at early fruiting stage. |
During field exploration to Kayah State, eastern Myanmar, in the early rainy season (June) in 2019, a strange Arisaema (Araceae) growing sideway from crevices of steep limestone rock was discovered. The species is characterized by having a leaf with verticillate leaflets with margins strongly revolute when opening and an inflorescence with a widely triangular ovate spathe blade and a small spadix appendix. Since it did not match any known species of the genus, it is here described as a new species Arisaema kayahense J. Murata. The leaf with verticillate leaflets and the spilodistichous leaf arrangement suggest that this species belongs to sect. Sinarisaema Nakai (Ohi-Toma et al. 2016, Murata et al. 2018).
Arisaema kayahense J. Murata, sp. nov.
Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the name of the state in eastern Myanmar where this species were discovered. Kayah State had been closed for a long time due to its local political situation, and opened only recently to outsiders including foreign nationals.
Jin Murata, Mu Mu Aung, Nobuyuki Tanaka. 2020. Contributions to the Flora of Myanmar VI: Arisaema kayahense (Araceae), A New Species from Kayah State. The Journal of Japanese Botany. 95(2); 85-88. DOI: doi.org/10.51033/jjapbot.95_2_11001
