ALOCASIA BOA
ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION:
Ab Alocasia hollrungii Englcr spalha maculata, stigmate crasse lobato, synandriis rhomboidiis, foliis leviter pinnatifidis differt.
Typus : Irian Jaya, Idenburg River, 4 km SW of Bcrnhard Camp, March 1939, Brass 13377 (A!, holo; L!)
SYNONYMS: Xenophya 'Frenchville'
DISTRIBUTION: New Guinea
CLIMATE: Equatorial lowland humid forest
Humidity is consistently high in the lowlands ranging from 80% to 90%
Temperature is relatively uniform throughout the year - within the range of 73°F/23°C early in the morning to 90°F/32°C during the day. Minimum temperatures in the lowland areas don’t generally dip below 68°F/20°C
The average rainfall per year is between 3,300 millimetres and 4,600 millimetres, depending on locality.
ECOLOGY: N/A
SPECIES DESCRIPTION:
Moderately robust herb to c. 1 m tall; rhizome erect to decumbent, to c. 1.5 m long, naked, dark brown, to 4 cm diam.; leaves to 6 together; petioles mottled pinkish and chocolate, to 55 cm long, sheathing in the lower l/2-2/3rds, the wings of the sheath persistent; blades sagittate, shallowly pinnatifid, with the lobes about as wide at the base as deep, somewhat serrate, with a single primary vein running to the narrowly rounded tip; anterior lobe to c. 40 cm long, to c. 27 cm wide at base; anterior costa with c. 10 primary lateral veins on each side, diverging at an angle of c. 60 degrees, somewhat impressed adaxially, prominent abaxially; posterior lobes 1/3— 1/2 the length of the anterior, weakly pinnatifid on both sides of the posterior costae; secondary venation flush with the lamina on both the adaxial and abaxial sides; interprimary collective veins absentINFLORESCENCE:
Inflorescences paired, on short peduncles, subtended by a maculate cataphyll; spathe mauvish pink, mottled chocolate, c. 16 cm long, constricted c. 3 cm from the base, the lamina narrowly lanceolate, clasping the spadix, opening only slightly, mostly level with the male zone of the spadix; spadix very shortly stipitate, equalling the spathe; female zone c. 1.2 cm long, 1 cm diam., with c. 40 pistils; ovaries unilocular, pluriovulate; ovules anatropous; stigma bluntly 3- or 4-lobed, on a very short style; interstice of sterile organs c. 2 cm long, somewhat attenuate in the upper part; male zone c. 3.5 cm long, 6 mm diam.; synandria rhomboidal, c. 2 mm long, flat-topped, ivory, the anthers opening by apical pores; appendix c. 7.5 cm long, 4 mm diam., gradually tapering distally and proximally; orange-red berriesVARIEGATED FORMS: WHITE, YELLOW
ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet refers to the serpentine colour and pattern of the spathe. This species is morphologically intermediate between Alocasia hollrungii and Alocasia brancifolia and it was initially believed the plants cultivated at Port Moresby to be hybrids between these species. However, the type collection lies outside the known range of Alocasia hollrungii.
Burnett (1984) noted that this species has entered cultivation under the name Xenophya 'Frenchville'
NOTES: Known only from the type collection, as occasional individuals in lowland rainforest, and from plants cultivated in the National Capital Botanical Garden, Port Moresby, said to be from near Wewak, though no voucher specimen has been located.
CULTIVARS: N/A
HYBRIDS: N/A
