Schismatoglottis maelii P.C.Boyce & S.Y.Wong

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

General Description

Lithophytic herb to c. 50 cm tall. Stem condensed, erect to creeping, c. 2–2.5 cm thick, with internodes to c. 0.5 cm long, pleionanthic. Leaves to c. 15 together; petiole 15–25 cm long, terete,  mid-green, sheathing only at the extreme base, the wings of the sheath extended into a bicarinate narrowly lanceolate free ligular portion to 13–18 cm long, drying dark brown; lamina oblong, deflexed at insertion on petiole and held subpendent, 14–25 x 5– 15 cm, deep lustrous green adaxially, abaxially almost the same, the base obtuse and slightly decurrent, the tip acute and with a tubular mucro up to 8 mm long; midrib very prominent-rounded abaxially, adaxially impressed to semi-flush with the lamina, with 5–28 primary lateral veins on each side, irregularly alternating with the prominent interprimary veins and diverging at 60–70°; secondary venation very prominently deep green-transparent abaxially, impressed adaxially, arising from the midrib and from the bases of the primary veins; tertiary venation obscure, all primary and secondary veins impressed adaxially and giving the lamina a prominently finely corrugated texture. Inflorescences 1–4 together, nodding, subtended by lanceolate cataphylls resembling the ligular leaf sheaths, strongly fragrant of crushed raspberries at anthesis; peduncle to 7 cm long, terete, pale green, not exceeding the cataphylls, deflexed at the junction of the lower spathe and long-decurrent on the spathe (corresponding to the female zone). Spathe 7.5–8 cm long; lower spathe c. 2 cm long, green, differentiated from the limb by a pronounced constriction level with the top of the interstice; limb 5.5–6 cm long, pale green with darker green veining, apex mucronate for c. 3 mm, interior sticky at female anthesis when conspicuously inflated, then crumbling-caducous at male anthesis. Spadix to 4.5 cm long, subcylindric; female zone c. 1.8 cm long, adnate to the spathe in the lower 2/3, the free part slightly conoid, apically 6.5 mm diam.; pistils numerous and crowded, subcylindric, c. 0.4 mm diam.; stigma sessile, about the diameter of the ovary, button-like, papillate; interpistillar staminodes very few among the pistils, otherwise confined to a single row along the spathe/spadix adnation and a further incomplete row at the junction of the female zone and the interstice, overtopping the pistils, elongate mushroom-shaped, round-topped; sterile interstice 6 mm long, white, somewhat obconoid, distally 6 mm diam.; staminodes of interstice crowded, irregularly polygonal, the lower most resembling the interpistillar staminodes, the upper more flattened, 0.5–1 mm diam., flat-topped; male zone 2 cm long, cylindrical, basally isodiametric with top of interstice, tapering to a blunt point in the upper half; stamens rather dense, somewhat irregularly rectangular with the connective wide and raised and the pores small on the narrower edges of the connective, 0.7–10 mm across; appendix, c. 1 cm long, blunt-conic, composed of densely packed trapezoid to triangular irregular staminodes, the apex slightly depressed. Fruiting spathe mid-green, narrowly urceolate, up to 3 cm long.

Distribution

Sarawak, known only from the vicinity of Bau, Kuching Division.

Habitat

Lithophytic on thin layers of humus and in shallow litter pockets on sandstone boulders and cliffs.

Diagnostic

Schismatoglottis maelii belongs to the Schismatoglottis multiflora group (see Hay & Yuzammi 2000: 84) by reason of the pleionanthic shoots, free-ligular leaf sheath, and the inflorescence held subhorizontal by the bent peduncle and caducous spathe limb. It may immediately be distinguished from all other species in the group by the prominently raised striate veins, and from most species by the curiously brilliant green leaves.

Schismatoglottis maelii is most similar to S. mayoana Bogner & M.Hotta in possessing a sterile appendix with large staminodes and a sterile interstice but is readily differentiated by the markedly corrugated adaxial venation, smaller spadix (up to 4.5 cm in S. maelii vs. 8 cm in S. mayoana) and different inflorescence odour. The freshly opened inflorescences smell strongly of crushed raspberries in notable contrast to all other Schismatoglottis so far sampled, including species probably most closely related to S. maelii, e.g., S. nicolsonii A.Hay, S. mayoana, etc., in which the newly opened inflorescence emits a pungent smell reminiscent of acetic acid.