Culcasia ekongoloi Ntépé-Nyamè

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

Distribution

Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, Zaire

Diagnostic

By the minute stigma, the frequent sympodial branching of the finely (‘tubéreuse’) [verrucose] stem, the ascending venation, this species is very close to Culcasia insulana, but it differs principally by the existence of a network of holey parenchyma, and by the stipitate spadix.

Habitat

In Cameroon, this species is abundant in gallery forest in regions in the west, Adamaoua, and it seems, towards Dschang; to a lesser degree, and doubtfully in the regions of Ntem and Dja, in humid gallery forest.

General Description

Plant creeping, then climbing to 6 m above the ground; Anchor roots short, 0.5-3 cm; Stem densely and finely verrucose, 2-5 mm thick when dry; branching generally sympodially into 2 unequal branches, the shorter one, 2-3 cm, most often becoming the flowering shoot; Internodes 2-9 cm. LEAVES: Petiole 7-11 cm; Sheath spreading and ending abruptly, 1-3 cm from the apex of the petiole; Blade 10-22 x 4-8 cm, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, very assymetric, base cuneiform to obtuse, shortly decurrent on the petiole, apex shortly acuminate, curved in a scythe shape; 4-7 pairs of primary veins, shortly ascending; Dense network of secondary veins and veinlets as prominent as the primary veins; In each mesh, a translucent network corresponding to a holey parenchyma; Glandular lines or dots absent o3r rarely present on the lower surface of the blade, which is generally thick and waxy. INFLORESCENCES terminal, 1-6; Peduncles generally almost as long as the petioles, 3-9 cm, often borne on a very short floral shoot; Spathe, 2-3 cm, green, acuminate, not constricted at the base, rapidly caducous; spadix cream, included, stipe thick, 2-7 mm long; Stigma small, ca. ¼ of the apex of the ovary, unilocular, uniovulate; Ovule campylotropous. INFRUCTESCENCE: Berries green, then orange, finally red.