Araceae
Stylochiton

Stylochiton milneanus Mayo

First published in Fl. Trop. E. Africa, Arac.: 47 (1985)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania. It is a rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/158290/5193525

Conservation
VU - vulnerable
[IUCN]

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

Distribution
Tanzania (T3-6)
General Description
Rhizome ± horizontal, 0.5-1 cm. thick. Cataphylls up to 8 cm. long, pubescent-villous with weak white hairs, pale green with purplish speckling, upper part very broadly auriculate with undulate margins, convolute around petiole forming a broadly spreading spiral flange, apex emarginate with terminal, 1-3 cm. long, sagittate, long-stipitate projection. LEAF solitary, subtended by several cataphylls; petiole 15-26 cm. long, green to reddish purple, basal sheath short, inconspicuous, enclosed within cataphylls; blade broadly triangular in outline, sagittate to sagittate-hastate, 18-23 cm. long, 10-25 cm. broad, lower surface ± sparsely pubescent with weak white hairs, more densely pubescent on veins, apex acute to obtuse, with 0.5-0.7 cm. long terminal apiculum, basal lobes separated by oblong to broadly parabolic sinus. INFLORESCENCE appearing before the leaves, subtended by several cataphylls; peduncle 1.5 cm. long. Spathe 11-13 cm. long, pale green and densely pubescent on outer surface; basal tube erect, 3.5-5 cm. long, upper part cylindric, 1-1.2 cm. in diameter, lower part greatly inflated, depressed-globose, 1.5-2.5 cm. long, 2-3 cm. in diameter; apical limb ovate-elliptic, margins somewhat revolute, 6-8 cm. long, 2.5-3 cm. broad, inner surface somewhat thickened, smooth, green- to primrose-yellow, apex with 1-1.6 cm. long, subulate, twisted apiculum. Spadix 5 cm. long, projecting somewhat from mouth of spathe-tube; staminate part cylindric, 3.8-4 cm. long, 0.8 cm. thick, ± contiguous with pistillate part; pistillate part hemispherical, 1-1.2 cm. long, 1.1-1.3 cm. broad. Staminate flowers with 4-5 stamens; perigons ± congested, more distant towards base, rhomboid, margins massively thickened, conspicuously rugose; filaments filiform; central pistillode cylindric-conic with acute apex, longitudinally rugose, usually projecting somewhat above perianth-margins. Pistillate flowers 13-14, spirally arranged; perigon subregular, 4-6-sided, massively thickened and mealy on upper surface; ovary subglobose, rugose on upper surface, 1-locular to incompletely 2-locular; ovules 4-5 on single, intrusive, parietal placenta; style cylindric, white, 3 mm. long; stigma capitate to subdiscoid, 1.5-2 mm. broad. INFRUCTESCENCE: Fruit unknown.
Diagnostic
S. milneanus is closely related to S. salaamicus, differing mainly in shoot and cataphyll morphology. Terminal projection of cataphyll stipitate and sagittate; petiole-sheath short, inconspicuous, enclosed within cataphylls; leaf-pubescence ± sparse with weak hairs.
Habitat
Brachystegia woodland.
[CATE]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • CATE Araceae

    • Haigh, A., Clark, B., Reynolds, L., Mayo, S.J., Croat, T.B., Lay, L., Boyce, P.C., Mora, M., Bogner, J., Sellaro, M., Wong, S.Y., Kostelac, C., Grayum, M.H., Keating, R.C., Ruckert, G., Naylor, M.F. and Hay, A., CATE Araceae, 17 Dec 2011.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0