Pothos chinensis [(Raf.) Merr. ]

Pothos chinensis (Raf.) Merr.

Pothos chinensis

General description:

Deciduous herb to 0.6 m tall. Subterranean stem a subglobose tuber, 3–5 cm across × 2–3.5 cm high, cream. Pseudostem 25–30 × ca 2 cm at base, pale green or magenta. Cataphylls to 30 cm long, similar in colour to the pseudostem; petiole 20–25 × 1 cm at the base, similar in colour to the pseudostem, with faint pink stripes in the upper part; leaf blade trifoliolate; leaflets 20–25 × ca 15 cm, margins entire, apex acuminate, ending in a short arista, 0.5 cm long, subsessile or shortly petiolulate, dark green, glossy above, underside paler with slightly raised veins; central leaflet broadly elliptic-ovate, base convex or cuneate; lateral leaflets asymmetrical, ovate, base convex. Inflorescence held slightly above the foliage; peduncle 20–30 cm long × ca 6 mm wide, similar in colour to the petiole; spathe tube cylindrical, 6–7 × 1.5–2 cm; spathe limb ovate-lanceolate, 7–10 × 3.5–4 cm, acuminate; spadix appendix long exserted from the spathe at anthesis, cylindrical, 8–15 cm long × 4–6 mm across at base, sessile, ending outside the tube in a carmine, long, filiform and pendulous tail covered with filiform, dark carmine, bristly projections, these ca 25 mm long; fertile zone staminate or bisexual, 2–3 cm long; staminate flowers loosely arranged, 2–4-androus, anthers carmine, on short stalks; thecae dehiscent by elongate pores; pistillate flowers loosely arranged; ovaries ovoid, green; stigma penicillate, on a short style. Infructescence on an erect peduncle, subcylindrical, ca 2.2 × 1.8 cm; fruits densely packed, ovoid, red, 3–4 mm wide. Seeds globose, ca 1–2 mm diam.

General Description Reference:
Boyce, Peter Charles, Sookchaloem, D., Wilbert Leonard Anna Hetterscheid, Gusman, G, Niels Henning Gunther Jacobsen, Idei, T., Nguyen Van Du, 2012. Araceae
Distribution Reference:
Boyce, Peter Charles, Sookchaloem, D., Wilbert Leonard Anna Hetterscheid, Gusman, G, Niels Henning Gunther Jacobsen, Idei, T., Nguyen Van Du, 2012. Araceae
Habitat Reference:
Boyce, Peter Charles, Sookchaloem, D., Wilbert Leonard Anna Hetterscheid, Gusman, G, Niels Henning Gunther Jacobsen, Idei, T., Nguyen Van Du, 2012. Araceae
Distribution:

Nepal through N.E. India and Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar to S.W. China (types of P. cathcartii, P. chinensis var. lotienensis, P. seemanii, P. warburgii & P. yunnanensis), including Hong Kong (type), Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam (type of P. balansae), Taiwan.

Habitat:

On rocks and trees and in clearings in tropical or subtropical primary or disturbed lowland wet or dry evergreen forest, rainforest, sandstone, limestone, granite, clay, loam or sandy soil. 250–1970 m asl.

Uses:

Used fresh and applied topically on insect and animal bites [Brun et al. 502]; decoction from entire plant used in bath to treat tumours [Brun et al. 704] and drinking for anti-cough [Anderson 5572].

Uses Reference:
Boyce, Peter Charles, Sookchaloem, D., Wilbert Leonard Anna Hetterscheid, Gusman, G, Niels Henning Gunther Jacobsen, Idei, T., Nguyen Van Du, 2012. Araceae
Taxonomy
Taxonomic Notes:

Confusion between P. chinensis and P. scandens is possible. In flower P. chinensis is immediately recognizable by the straight, not bent, stipe and the generally larger, paler, fewer, more scattered inflorescences. Additionally, P. scandens produces solitary inflorescences whereas P. chinensis frequently produces inflorescences in pairs. Generally P. scandens has flowering shoots arising at many of the leaf axils of long pendent fertile shoots, thus there are often numerous inflorescences. By contrast, P. chinensis tends to produce flowering shoots only in the most distal leaf axils of short spreading fertile shoots, thus inflorescences are rather few. Inflorescence colours also differ; purple spathe and cream fertile spadix in P. scandens, green spathe and white to yellow fertile spadix in P. chinensis. Field observations have detected a faint sweet odour from inflorescences of P. chinensis but no detectable odour from P. scandens. Sterile material of P. chinensis can be difficult to differentiate from P. scandens. Generally the petioles are less than half as long as the leaf blade, and the leaf blade is twice or more as broad as the petiole. However, variation is such that intermediates are common. A feature noted in P. chinensis but yet to be recorded for P. scandens, is the occurrence of flagelliform foraging shoots.

Taxonomic Notes Reference:
Boyce, Peter Charles, Sookchaloem, D., Wilbert Leonard Anna Hetterscheid, Gusman, G, Niels Henning Gunther Jacobsen, Idei, T., Nguyen Van Du, 2012. Araceae

Fri, 2014-06-20 09:40 -- Anna
Pothos chinensis (Araceae)

General description:

Lianas, small to very large, to 10m, root-climbing. Stem weakly 4-angled or terete in cross section, to 12mm in diam. Leaves paler abaxially, bright to mid-green adaxially; petiole obovate-oblong to linear-oblong or narrowly triangular, 50–140 × 4–20mm, broadly winged, base decurrent to clawed, apex truncate, rounded, or auriculate; each side with 2 or 3 secondary veins and numerous veinlets; leaf blade ovate to elliptic or lanceolate, 3–20.5 × 1.5–20.5cm, apex attenuate-mucronate to acute or attenuate, minutely tubulate; each side with 2–4 intramarginal veins arising from base and either immediately diverging or remaining very close and parallel to midrib and then diverging further along leaf blade, submarginal collecting vein prominent. Flowering shoot much abbreviated, arising from most of mid- to distal leaf axils of fertile shoots. Inflorescences solitary or in pairs; peduncle erect to variously curved, green to brown tinged, 3–25 × 1.5–2.5mm, rather stout. Spathe greenish white or green, occasionally faintly purple tinged, ovate, concave, 4–12 × 4–10mm, base cordate, clasping and slightly decurrent on peduncle, margins inrolled, apex arched to recurved, acute to subacute with a rather stout mucro. Spadix stipitate; stipe erect, straight, green, terete, 5–10 × 1–1.25mm; fertile zone pale green or white, globose to ovoid, 3.5–13 × 3–10mm. Flowers 1–2 mm in diam. Fruit mid-green, ripening to scarlet, obclavate to ovoid or ellipsoid, 10–17.5 × 10–14mm.

General Description Reference:
Hen(g) Li, Guang Hua Zhu, Peter Charles Boyce, Jin Murata, Wilbert L.A. Hetterscheid, Josef Bogner, Niels Henning Gunther Jacobsen, 2010. Araceae in Flora of China @ efloras.org
This material was reprinted with permission from the Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, and Science Press, Beijing.
Diagnostic description:

Confusion between P. chinensis and P. scandens is possible. In flower P. chinensis is immediately recognizable by the straight, not bent, stipe and the generally larger, paler, fewer, more scattered inflorescences. Additionally, P. scandens produces solitary inflorescences whereas P. chinensis frequently produces inflorescences in pairs. Generally P. scandens has flowering shoots arising at many of the leaf axils of long pendent fertile shoots, thus there are often numerous inflorescences. By contrast, P. chinensis tends to produce flowering shoots only in the most distal leaf axils of short spreading fertile shoots, thus inflorescences are rather few. Inflorescence colours also differ; purple spathe and cream fertile spadix in P. scandens, green spathe and white to yellow fertile spadix in P. chinensis. Field observations have detected a faint sweet odour from inflorescences of P. chinensis but no detectable odour from P. scandens.
Sterile material of P. chinensis can be difficult to differentiate from P. scandens. Generally the petioles are less than half as long as the lamina, and the lamina is twice or more as broad as the petiole, narrower and with an attenuate apex. However, variation is such that intermediates are common. A feature noted in P. chinensis, but yet to be recorded for P. scandens, is the occurrence of flagelliform foraging shoots.

Diagnostic Description Reference:
Boyce, Peter Charles, 2009. A review of Pothos L. (Araceae: Pothoideae: Pothoeae) for Thailand
Habitat Reference:
Hen(g) Li, Guang Hua Zhu, Peter Charles Boyce, Jin Murata, Wilbert L.A. Hetterscheid, Josef Bogner, Niels Henning Gunther Jacobsen, 2010. Araceae in Flora of China @ efloras.org
This material was reprinted with permission from the Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, and Science Press, Beijing.
Habitat:

Dense forests, moist mountain valleys, climbing on trees or creeping over rocks.

Uses:

The whole plant is used medicinally to treat rheumatic arthralgia, traumatic injuries, fractures, coughs, and infantile malnutrition caused by intestinal parasites.

Uses Reference:
Hen(g) Li, Guang Hua Zhu, Peter Charles Boyce, Jin Murata, Wilbert L.A. Hetterscheid, Josef Bogner, Niels Henning Gunther Jacobsen, 2010. Araceae in Flora of China @ efloras.org
This material was reprinted with permission from the Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, and Science Press, Beijing.
Misc
Phenology:

Fl. and fr. throughout year.

Wed, 2013-06-12 12:19 -- Anna

CATE Araceae

Araceae

Pothos chinensis (Raf.) Merr.

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Pothos chinensis

Pothos chinensis (Araceae)

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Araceae

Pothos chinensis (Raf.) Merr.

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