This note likely won't interest anyone not interested in the detailed information about the aroid species that live in China. If you really want to learn about aroids common to that part of the world the new English version of the Araceae treatment of the Flora of China is now on line at:
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/mss/volume23/Flora_of_China_Vol_23_Araceae.pdf
This is a large PDF file with over 70 pages but if you want to know things like the color of the berries produced on an inflorescence or how to accurately determine a species from that region of the world, this text is valuable. I can promise that many of the plants talked about all the time on this forum are covered in this document but they are discussed using scientific terms.
Steve
Aroids in China including Amorphophallus, Alocasia & others
Steve,
Thanks for posting this; I have saved a copy for my reference and have already reviewed the section on Alocasia. Now, if I could only get my hands on a specimen of Alocasia navicularis, I'd be a very happy girl!
LariAnn
Hi Steve!
Could you try posting the hyperlink again? I can't get it to work.
Mahalo, Dave
LariAnn, Iknew this would be useful to you. You will likely get more out of it than any of since these plants are right up your specialty. Grow something neat with the info. I'll see what I can learn about Alocasia navicularis.
Dave, I'll email you the paper in PDF format. Should be there shortly.
Steve
LariAnn, I wonder why Alocasia navicularis is so rare? The distribution is quite large and it is apparently common in nature. Some things boggle the mind, it sounds really neat! Do you have a photo of this "massive" plant?
Alocasia navicularis (K.Koch & C.D.Bouche) K.Koch & C.D.Bouche, Index Seminum (B) 1855(App.): 2. 1855. Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 6: 524. 1893.— Colocasia navicularis K.Koch & C.D.Bouche, Index Seminum (B) 1853: 13: 1853.
Massive pachycaul evergreen herb to 1.5 m with milky latex. Stem erect to decumbent.
Leaves several together, clustered at the tips of stems of larger plants. Petiole to 1.5 m long; petiolar sheath margins membranous; lamina peltate, cordato-ovate, 130 by 120 cm, apex short acuminate; primary lateral veins 9–12 on each side. Inflorescences 2–3 together among the leaf bases. Peduncle 40–45 cm, stout, much exceeding the cataphylls at anthesis.
Spathe ca 10–20 cm long, constricted about 1/6th of the way from the base; lower part green, ovoid; limb broadly oblong-lanceolate, 18–15 by 4–8 cm, cowl-like at anthesis, dark yellow. Spadix shorter than the spathe, shortly stipitate; female flower zone 1–2 by ca 1.5 cm diam.; ovaries mid-green, ca 3 mm diam.; stigma sessile, 3–4-lobed, the lobes blunt, pale green. Sterile interstice equalling the male zone, ivory, narrowed corresponding to the spathe constriction; synandrodia rhombo-hexagonal, ca 2.5 mm diam., whitish, stained purple; male flower zone cylindric, ca 3–4 cm by 1.5 cm diam., white; synandria rhombohexagonal, convex-topped due to cap-forming synconnective, ca 1.5 mm diam.; appendix elongate-conic, 3–4 by 1–2 cm, equalling �� length of the spadix, about the same thickness as the male flower zone at the base, white. Fruiting spathe ellipsoid, ca 5–11 cm long. Fruits ellipsoid, ca 10 by 6 mm, ripening dark red. Thailand.— NORTHERN: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nan, Lampang, Tak.
Distribution.— N.E. India (Assam), Nepal, N.Bangladesh, N. Burma, N. Lao PDR, N.
Vietnam, S.W. China (not confirmed). Ecology.— Moist evergreen lower montane forest, sometimes on limestone; altitude: 600–1650 m.
.
Notes.— Alocasia navicularis is a common species in the wild but rather poorly
represented in herbaria . It is most similar to A. odora but easily distinguished by the dark yellow spathe limb, and in lacking stolons at the base of the stems.
This message was edited Jul 28, 2010 6:49 PM
Steve,
Yes, it is right there on the IAS website!
Here's the link: http://www.aroid.org/genera/speciespage.php?genus=alocasia&species=navicularis
Now, if there was only a link to a source for it!
LariAnn
I should have looked! Have you tried to contact Alan? Neat plant.
Steve
Thanks Steve,
I still don't know how, or don't have the ability to download a PDF file, that comes from you.
Everything that you have sent me via PDF is still a mystery.
I have gotten hyperlinks to work, but not if they are PDF.
I think the link that works is called html.
I can find some of your links through Google, nothing works through PDF.
Dave, were you able to open the PDF I emailed? For some reason the latest edition of IE8 won't allow me to open them from email but it will allow me to save it to a file or the desktop. Once on the desktop I cn open it and then move it to correct folder.
Steve
Steve,
I did contact Alan, and he told me he'd given that plant away to someone a few years ago, and didn't remember who! He did say he is going to Laos and the Philippines soon and would try to bring one back for me.
LariAnn
I'm checking on a possible source a well.
Steve