Studies on Homalomeneae (Araceae) of Borneo XVIII: Homalomena prolixa and H. scutata, two new species of doubtful affinity

Over the past several years a combination of fieldwork and the maintenance of an extensive living collection has enabled considerable progress in understanding the internal taxonomy of Homalomena (Araceae: Homalomeneae) such that, with the caveat that much is still needed in terms of testable analyses, we are increasingly confident of the informal species groups and species complexes so far delimited (Boyce & Wong 2008; Ng & al. 2011; Wong & Boyce 2011).
Inevitably species are sometimes encountered that are unassignable to any of the informal taxa currently recognized. In instances where these species have a unique set of characteristics, we are usually confident to create a new informal taxon (e.g. the Wongii complex, Boyce & Wong 2011) in the belief that in time similar uniquely characterized species will be found. However, from time to time species are found that exhibit a confounding set of morphological distinctions that bridge between two or more informal taxa and are thus unassignable. We are here describing two such novelties.