Volume 11 > Part 2 > Year 2012 > Page 295 > Araceae > Scindapsus

4. Scindapsus scortechinii Hook.f.

Fl. Brit. India 6: 541. 1893; Engl. & Krause in Engl., Pflanzenr. IV, 23B (Heft 37), 73–74, fig. 31. 1908; Ridl., Mat. Fl. Malay Penins.: 38. 1907; Fl. Malay Penins. 5: 117. 1925. 1942.

Accepted Name : This is currently accepted.

Description : Medium-sized, moderately robust, leptocaulous, homeophyllous, scandent secondary hemiepiphyte to 2 m. Stems terete, 1–1.5 cm diam., smooth, bright green when fresh, drying dark brown; stilt-roots stout, arising at each node. Leaves scattered; petiole 10–17 by 0.3–1 cm, apical and basal pulvini defined; petiolar sheath prominent, reaching to the base of the apical pulvinus, persistent; leaf blade ovate-lanceolate to ovate-elliptic, 10–16 by 4–12 cm, very stiffly coriaceous, base rounded, apex acute, with a prominent apiculate tubule, glossy green when fresh, drying dull orange-brown; midrib raised sharply abaxially, slightly sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, slightly raised abaxially; interprimaries parallel to primaries and only slightly less prominent, slightly raised abaxially; secondary and tertiary venation ± obscure in fresh material and dried specimens. Inflorescence solitary, subtended by a fully developed foliage leaf, arising on a free lateral shoot; peduncle cylindrical, 6–12 by 0.3–0.4 cm; spathe ellipsoid-cigar-shaped, 6–11 by 3–3.5 cm, stoutly long-beaked, thinly stiff-fleshy, deep yellow, late-caducous; spadix fusiform-cylindrical, 5–8 by ca 1 cm, sessile, tapering markedly basally, inserted ± level on peduncle, white. Fruits not seen.

Thailand : PENINSULAR: Yala.

Distribution : Peninsular Malaysia (type).

Ecology : Evergreen upper hill rainforests on limestone; ca 850 m alt.

Vernacular : Phlu chang (พลูช้าง)(Peninsular).

Notes: Unique in Thailand by the scandent habit with a single, stout stilt root emerging at each node. The stiffly coriaceous leaves drying orange-brown are distinctive.