Arisaema schimperianum (Araceae)
Herb to 200 cm tall. Tuber discoid to depressed-globose, up to 5 cm diam. or more. LEAVES 2-3. Petioles with basal sheaths imbricate forming green pseudostem to about 75cm or more, free apical part of petiole 5-40 cm long. Leaf-blade radiately divided to base, circular in outline, leaflets (5-) 9-15, subequal in size, usually narrowly elliptic to elliptic or narrowly oblanceolate, rarely obovate, 4-5-27 x 1-9 cm, acuminate, base cuneate, margins usually finely serrate-dentate with acuminate teeth up to 2 mm long, rarely subentire. INFLORESCENCE equalling or overtopping leaves, free part of peduncle 9-35 cm long, green. Spathe 8-31 cm long; tube cylindric to narrowly obconic, not or hardly constricted apically, 3-12 x 0-8-3 cm, outer surface green with white to yellow longitudinal stripes along veins; limb oblong-lanceolate, sometimes ovate, 5-21-5 x 1-5 cm, shorter or longer than tube, sometimes with very long filamentous tip, green, rarely purple-brown tinged. Spadix usually unisexual, rarely with flowers of both sexes present, 3-8-12-8 cm long, slightly longer than spathe tube; sterile appendix cylindric to conic, 2-9 x 0.2-1.4 cm, narrowed basally, sometimes truncate with stipe up to 1 cm long, apex rounded, pale green to yellowish green; staminate spadix + sessile, fertile part subcylindric, 1.4—4.3 x 0.4-0.8 cm, flowers + distant; pistillate spadix ± sessile, fertile part gradually tapering upwards, 3-5 x 1-2-1-3 cm, flowers congested to ± distant. Staminate flower composed of 2-3 stamens, anthers dehiscing by sub-circular oblique apical slits. Pistils ovoid, 3-4.5 mm long, green, ovary 2-2.5 mm diam., tapering to short style with capitate whitish stigma. INFRUCTESCENCE: Berries subglobose, 0.5-0.8 cm diam., scarlet when ripe, green with yellowish stripes when immature, 3-4 seeded; seeds about 4mm diam.
Leaflets sharply serrulate, teeth directed towards the apex.
A. schimperianum is widespread in Ethiopia, but otherwise occurs only in the Imatong Hills on the Uganda-Sudan border and in NE Zaire. Records we have seen from Kenya are misidentifications of A. enneaphyllum.In the Sidamo region of Ethiopia a distinctive form (Gilbert & Jejford 4327) occurs in which the spathe has a strongly hooded limb with a very glaucous, papillate outer surface. Further collections may show this to merit taxonomic recognition. Other variation of possible taxonomic significance includes the occurrence of brownish spathes in the southwestern part of the range and subentire leaflets in material from Zaire and the Imatongs.
Scattered plants in open forest or at thicket margins, rarely epiphytic, sometimes persisting in open grassland after tree clearance but not forming large groups