Volume 16 > Part 2 > Year 2023 > Page 493 > Zingiberaceae > Etlingera

10. Etlingera megalocheilos (Griff.) A.D.Poulsenwfo-0000808630

Etlingera of Borneo: 167. 2006.— Achasma megalocheilos Griff., Not. Pl. Asiat. 3: 426. 1851; Valeton, Icon. Bogor. 2: t. 188, 199. 1903; Holttum, Gard. Bull. Singapore 13: 191. 1950; Burtt & Smith, Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 31: 221. 1972.— Amomum megalocheilos (Griff.) Baker, Fl. Brit. India 6: 236. 1892.— Hornstedtia megalocheilos (Griff.) Ridl., J. Straits Branch Roy. Asiat. Soc. 32: 146. 1899; Schumann, Pflanzenr. IV, 46 (Heft 20): 199. 1904; Ridl., Fl. Malay Penins. 4: 270. 1924. Plate LVIII: B.

Accepted Name : This is currently accepted.

Synonyms & Citations :

Description : Rhizome long-creeping, 1.5–3.5 cm diam., ± sericeous, scales brown, to 4–9 cm long, acute, striate (when dry), shiny, glabrous; stilt roots absent. Leafy shoots to 3–6 m long, 1–1.5 m between neighbouring leafy shoots, with up to 30 leaves per shoot; base to 6–10 cm diam., brownish green, pink when young, reticulate, ± pubescent, more so on young shoots; sheath brownish or yellowish green, pinkish red in lower part when young, reticulate, pubescent on cross-bars and near margin of lower sheaths, glabrous and areolate in upper part, ± pubescent or ciliate at and along margin; ligule to 1.5–2.5 cm long, entire, apex obtuse (sometimes split secondarily), brown or dark purple, sericeous especially in centre at base and apex, margin ± ciliate; petiole to 3.5–6 cm long, canaliculate, above sericeous at base or densely tomentose; blade narrowly ovate to oblong, to 116 by 23 cm, length to width ratio 4.4–5, above smooth (not plicate), beneath pale green, young leaf tinged ± purple-brown, glabrous, sometimes pubescent, base cuneate, oblique, apex acuminate (0.5–1 cm), asymmetrical, margin long ciliate, caducous. Flowering shoot 12–18(–29) cm long, arising from rhizome, receptacle convex, to 4 mm long, with 16–26 flowers, 1–8 open at a time; peduncle subterranean, ascending, 3–19 cm long, sericeous, peduncular bracts to 4–5.7 by 3–4.5 cm, ovate, cucullate, clasping, acute, shiny, slightly mucronate, cream to brownish, ± pubescent in lower half, shortly tomentose in upper half; spike partly embedded in soil, 6–11 cm long (including flowers), flowers extending vertically 2–2.5 cm above bracts (apex of labellum distanced 5.2–5.5 cm from apex of supporting bracts); spike only including bracts cylindrical to obovoid, 5–8 by 3–4 cm; sterile bracts: 1–3, to 4.5–6.2 by 2.2–5.3 cm, narrowly to broadly obovate, pointed, not distinctly mucronate, cream to pale brown, apex brown, reddish or pink, ± pubescent at base, finely tomentose in upper half, margin ± ciliate; fertile bracts 4.2–6.7 by 0.8–2.5 cm, narrowly obovate, apex pointed, inrolled or ± torn, pink in upper quarter, slightly tomentose near apex, margin ciliate; pedicel 1–2 mm long, below bracteole, densely sericeous; bracteoles 4.7–5.7 cm long, membranous, cream, slightly pink at apex, pubescent in lower half, sparsely tomentose in upper, apex bidentate, ciliate, 1.2–2.2 cm short of apex of calyx. Flower 7.5–10 cm long (12–13.5 cm when straightened); ovary 5–7.5 by 3–6 mm, obovoid, densely sericeous; style 7.5–8.4 cm long, tinged red, sparsely tomentose adaxially in upper 1 cm; stigma 3.2–4 mm wide, glossy ruby-red, rounded pentangular, with a few hairs at base above, ostiole narrowly elliptic, transverse, 2–2.5 mm, facing down- or forwards; epigynous gland 0.6–1 cm long, bilobed, pointed, apex glabrous; calyx 6.6–7.2 cm long, reaching to base of anther and 2–6 mm short of corolla, ± pink at apex, with some appressed hairs especially in upper half, apex tridentate, teeth usually close together, apex tufted; floral tube 4.7–7.1 cm long, red at apex, glabrous, tube inside with scattered hairs adaxially from filament and 2.5 cm below; abaxially in a patch 1 cm below labellum coinciding ± with lateral lobe incision outside; lobes pinkish red, glabrous, reaching to base of anther but not covering it, dorsal lobe 2.3–2.7 by 0.7–0.8 cm, narrowly obovate, lateral lobes 2.2–2.5 by 0.4–0.45 cm, narrowly ovate to strap-shaped; staminal tube 1.1–2 cm long, glabrous or scarcely tomentose adaxially; labellum hourglass-shaped, angled 110–125° to the tube, 5.7–7 cm long, dark red and thickened in centre, glabrous, lateral lobes erect, appressed to sides of anther, 2.2 cm wide when flattened, margin red, orange or bright yellow, revolute, central lobe spathulate, entire, 1.4–2.2 cm across when flattened, extending 4.2–5.4 cm beyond anther, margin red, orange or bright yellow, ± undulate and crenulate; stamen 1.4–1.6 cm long, red; filament 5–6 by 3.5–5 mm, slightly tomentose; anther 9.5–11 by 3.5–5 mm, broadest at apex, emarginate 1–1.5 mm, angled 130–150°, red, margin at apex slightly raised; thecae dehiscent in upper ½–⅔ for 4–7 mm, 3–6 mm from base to 1 mm from apex, sometimes with a few short hairs at base. Infructescence: peduncle subterranean; head 4–7 by 6–9 cm, hemispherical, ± compressed, bracts not persistent, with 22 fruits per head; pedicel 1.5–3 mm long, fruit 3–4 by 2–3.5 cm, rounded obovoid, sides flattened at base, apex with well-developed warty ridges or wings, pale golden-sericeous, brown (pinkish reddish when not mature); seeds ca 4 by 3 mm, rounded angular.

Thailand : PENINSULAR: Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Trang, Satun, Songkhla, Yala.

Distribution : Indonesia, Malaysia (Peninsular – type).

Ecology : forests, 100–800 m alt.

Vernacular : Put (ปุด); ta put (orang asli, Peninsular).

Uses: The orang asli people eat the rhizome to relieve flu, the young shoot as a vegetable, the ripe fruit as a snack, use the pseudostem to make beds and the whole plant to construct the roof of a forest shelter (Katesarin Maneenoon, pers. comm.).

Notes: Poulsen (2006) recognised Etlingera megalocheilos and extended its distribution to Borneo. The type was collected by Griffith at Mt. Ophir (Gunung Ledang) in Peninsular Malaysia but has not been found. A collection including flowers and fruits was made from a single clump at the type locality in 2010, matching perfectly the original description and illustration. Collections made in Thailand differ in tending to have more flowers in the inflorescence (16–26 vs 11–16), a longer labellum (57–70 vs 40–56 mm) and fruits with more pronounced radiating rows of wart-like protuberances. One should consider that in Borneo the labellum of E. megalocheilos varies in length (47–70 mm) thus overlapping with measurements from both Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. At the type locality the lip is red with a bright yellow to orange margin. This is also observed in southern Thailand where the margin may be bright yellow or dark orange to the extent that the labellum appears plain red. Despite this variation, and although the variation in Peninsular Malaysia has not been quantified, it seems acceptable to apply the name to the Thai collections.

Ridley (1899) placed Amomum rubroluteum in synonymy. The colour plates labelled Etlingera rubrolutea by Lim (Folia Malaysiana 2(3): 152, 2001) show E. coccinea but the type of Amomum rubroluteum (Maingay 3169 [1588], 9 June 1866 -K!) has top leaves which seem to be petiolate not sessile so E. megalocheilos is probably the correct identification.