Typhonium roxburghii var. longispathum

K. M., Manudev & Nampy, S., 2022, Taxonomic identity of Typhonium roxburghii var. longispathum (Araceae) and notes on the extended distribution of T. bulbiferum, Rheedea 32 (1), pp. 55-58 : 56-58

Status of Typhonium roxburghii var. longispathum

According to Nirola and Das (2014) Typhonium roxburghii var. longispathum is characterised by the presence of elongated, black bulbils formed above ¾ of the petioles, linear-lanceolate spathe blade with a long filiform curly apex, a single whorl of downward curved neuters and pale white appendix as long as the spathe. In the protologue of T. buliberum, Dalzell (1852) wrote “ Petiolis folio triplo longioribuss triatis apice bulbiferis ..... Spadix spathaea equilongus, filiformis, attenuata, pallide flava ..... Genitalia rudimentaria supra ovaria carnosa colorata (flava), uniserialia, acinaciformia, patentia ”. All these diagnostic features are the same for the variety described by Nirola and Das (l.c.). A critical examination of the protologue and living material showed that the characters used to characterize var. longispathum fall within the range of T. bulbiferum , hence T. roxburghii var. longispathum is reduced here to a synonym of T. bulbiferum .

Nirola and Das (2014) provided pictures of T. roxburghii Schott which appeared to be a misidentification. According to Nicolson and Sivadasan (1981), T. roxburghii has an appendix smoothly tapered from a sometimes somewhat swollen base and spreading, strongly decurved neuters. The plant in the pictures (Nirola & Das, 2014: Plate 1 A1-A3) has a stipitate spadix appendix and multiseriately arranged, slightly recurved, yellow and slender neuters which is most probably T. inopinatum Prain. However , this identification is uncertain owing to the fact that the presence of globose bulbils at the apex of petioles and on petiolules as indicated by Nirola and Das (l.c.) has not yet been confirmed in this species.