Arum orientale subsp. orientale

CATE Araceae, 17 Dec 2011. araceae.e-monocot.org

General Description

Tuberous herb sprouting in autumn from a discoid, vertically orientated tuber 3-7 cm across, 1.5-3 cm thick. Petiole terete, 14-45 cm long, 2.5-9 mm wide, dark green. Leaf- blade sagittate-hastate to oblong-hastate, apex acute, 7-32 cm long, 3.5-21 cm wide, dark green. INFLORESCENCE strongly foetid of horse dung and urine. Peduncle much shorter than to just equalling the leaves, terete, 4.5-14 cm long, 3.5-9 mm wide, mid-green. Spathe 13.5-27 cm long; spathe-tube oblong-cylindric, constricted apically, 2-5 cm long. 1.5-2 cm wide, exterior pale to mid-green, stained with maroon-purple especially along the margin, interior greenish white below, mid-purple above; spathe-limb lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or ovate-triangular, acute to acuminate, erect, 12.5-25 cm long, 2.5-10 cm wide, externally dull mid-green margin, interior greenish white below, mid-purple above; spathe-limb lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or ovate-triangular, acute to acuminate, erect, 12.5-25 cm long, 2.5-10 cm wide, externally dull mid-green stained with dark purple along the margin and at the apex, internally dark purple or crimson, darker towards the margin and apex. Spadix slightly shorter to less than ½ as long as the spathe-limb, 6.5-26 cm in total length; appendix stoutly cylindric and constricted of its length above the base in subsp. elongatum, slender-clavate in subsp. alpinariae, briefly but distinctly stipitate or long-stipitate, 4-23 cm long, 4.5-11 mm wide, dark maroon-purple, stipe paler or darker. Staminodes in 3 or 4 whorls forming a zone 3.5-4 mm long; bristles filiform, flexuous, 3-4 mm long, mid-yellow, stained with purple especially towards the tip (subsp. elongatum), or white and unstained (subsp. alpinariae); bases conic to slightly swollen, slightly to markedly verrucate, mid-yellow. Interstices: upper 3-3.5 mm long, longitudinally ridged, sometimes with scattered vestigial staminode bases, pale yellow; lower 2-3.5 mm long, longitudinally ridged, sometimes with scattered pistillode bases, pale yellow. Staminate flowers in a roughly oblong zone 3.5-5.6 mm long. 3-4.5 mm wide; anthers and connectives dull yellow ± stained with deep purple. Pistillodes in 2 or 3 whorls forming a zone 3-3.5 mm long; bristles filiform, flexuous, 0.5-5 mm long, mid-yellow, stained with purple especially towards the apex (subsp. elongatum) or white and unstained (subsp. alpinariae); bases conic, slightly to markedly verrucate, mid-yellow. Pistillate flowers in an oblong-cylindric cluster 9-13 mm long; ovaries oblong, 2-2.5 mm long. pale greenish yellow stained with deep purple apically; stigma pale grey. Fruiting spike (in subsp. elongatum) oblong-cylindric, 5-6 cm long, 3-3.5 cm wide when mature; berries oblong-pyriform, 5-11 mm long, 3.5-5 mm wide. The fruiting spike of subsp.alpinariae is unknown. Germination unknown.

Diagnostic

Inflorescence borne beneath the leaves. Spathe elliptic-lanceolate. Spadix dark maroon-purple, stout, with a short stipe, also constricted about a third of its length above the base.

CATE Araceae, 17 Dec 2011. araceae.e-monocot.org

General Description

Tuberous herb sprouting in early autumn from a discoid, vertically orientated tuber, 3.5-6 cm across, 2-2.5 cm thick. Petiole 13-23.5 cm long, 3-4.5 mm wide, dark to mid-green. Leaf- blade oblong-hastate, 8-14 cm long, 3.5-10 cm wide, apex acuminate, dark to mid-green. INFLORESCENCE smelling of horse-dung. Peduncle subequal to the leaves, terete, 13-26 cm long, 3-4 mm wide, mid-green. Spathe 9-14 cm long; spathe-tube oblong-cylindric, somewhat inflated, 2-3.5 cm long, 1-1.5 cm wide, constricted apically, exterior mid-green, interior white; spathe limb narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic, 7-10.5 cm long, 1-3.5 cm wide, erect, acuminate, externally pale green, internally pale green to purple. Spadix extending less than ½ way up the spathe-limb or subequal to it, 4-7 cm in total length; appendix slender-cylindric, indistinctly stipitate, 2-5 cm long, 2-3.5 mm wide, purple, stipe paler. Staminodes in 3 whorls forming a zone 4.5-5 mm long; bristles filiform, flexuous, 3.5-6.5 mm long, whitish yellow; bases elongate-conic, smooth, cream. Interstices: upper 3-3.5 mm long, minutely longitudinally ridged, cream; lower 3-4 mm long, with a few scattered vestigial pistillode bases, cream. Staminate flowers in a ± quadratic zone 2.5-3 mm long, 3-3.5 mm wide; anthers and connectives purple. Pistillodes in 4 or 5 whorls forming a zone 4-4.5 mm long; bristles filiform, flexuous, 2-6 mm long, whitish yellow; bases barely swollen, smooth, cream. Pistillate flowers in an oblong-cylindric cluster 10-17 mm long, ovaries oblong, flattened apically, 2-2.5 mm long, cream with a purple apex; stigma cream. Fruiting spike unknown. Germination unknown.

Phenology

Flowering May to June.

Distribution

Turkey (SW Anatolia).

Habitat

Deciduous woodland, shady gullies.

Diagnostic

Inflorescence borne low down below leaves. Spathe-tube interior white; spathe-limb with purple-washed interior. Cylindric stipitate purple spadix-appendix, purple staminate flowers. (similar to Arum orientale and Arum hainesii )

CATE Araceae, 17 Dec 2011. araceae.e-monocot.org

General Description

Spathe-limb interior crimson. Spadix-appendix slender-clavate, c. ½ as long as the spathe-limb.

Phenology

Flowering in June.

Habitat

Juniper scrub.