ALOCASIA NAVICULARIS
SYNONYMS: Colocasia navicularis, 黄苞海芋 (Huángbāohǎi yù)
DISTRIBUTION: Assam, Bangladesh, China (South-Central), India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam
CLIMATE: Tropical humid climate
Humidity is moderate throughout the year, ranging from 60% to 70%
Temperature is varies between the seasons - within the range of 48°F/9°C to 88°F/31°C during the day. Minimum temperatures never dip below 45°F/7°C
Rainy and humid season (October to May) and a dry season between June and October. The average annual rainfall is 1,200 mm
ECOLOGY: Moist evergreen lower-montane forests, sometimes on limestone
SPECIES DESCRIPTION:
Pachycaul herbs, massive, to 1.5 m, evergreen, with milky latex. Stem erect to decumbent. Leaves several together, clustered at tips of stems of larger plants; petiole up to 1.5 m, sheath margins membranous; leaf blade peltate, cordate-ovate, ca. 130 × 120 cm, apex shortly acuminate; primary lateral veins 9–12 on each side
INFLORESCENCE:
Inflorescences 2 or 3 together among leaf bases; peduncle 40–45 cm, stout, much exceeding cataphylls at anthesis. Spathe 10–20 cm, constricted ca. 1/6 of way from base; proximal part green, ovoid; limb dark yellow, broadly oblonglanceolate, 18–15 × 4–8 cm, cowl-like at anthesis. Spadix shorter than spathe, shortly stipitate; female zone 1–2 × ca. 1.5 cm; pistil mid-green, ca. 3 mm in diam.; stigma sessile, 3- or 4- lobed, lobes blunt, pale green; sterile zone equaling male zone, ivory, narrowed corresponding to spathe constriction; synandrodes whitish, stained purple, rhombic-hexagonal, ca. 2.5 mm in diam.; male zone white, cylindric, 3–4 × ca. 1.5 cm; synandria rhombic-hexagonal, convex-topped due to cap-forming synconnective, ca. 1.5 mm in diam.; appendix white, narrowly conic, 3–4 × 1–2 cm, equaling ca. 1/3 length of spadix, ± same thickness as male zone at base. Fruiting spathe ellipsoid, 5–11 cm. Fruit ripening dark red, ellipsoid, ca. 10 × 6 mm.
VARIEGATED FORMS: N/A
ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet derives from the latin navicularis - navis (ship), relating to small ships or boats
NOTES: N/A
CULTIVARS: N/A
HYBRIDS: N/A
