Colocasia affinis (Araceae)
Herbs, perennial, terrestrial, with stolons and tubercles. Stolons trailing horizontally, pale green, thin, 3.7–40cm × ca. 4mm, branched; internodes cylindric, 2.7–9cm, with tubercles; tubercles triangular or ovate, ca. 2cm in diam. Leaves 3–7; petiole light green or greenish white, without transverse purple lines, cylindric, 20–45cm; leaf blade pale green abaxially, green or light green adaxially, with 4–6 pairs of large purple spots (lighter when growing in a very shady environment), peltate, ovate-cordate, (5–)16–21 × (4.7–)13–16cm, membranous; primary lateral veins in 3 or 4 pairs, marginal veins inconspicuous. Inflorescences 1–3; peduncle pale green, cylindric, much shorter than petioles, 6.4–15cm. Spathe constricted; tube convolute, green, almost cylindric, 1.3–2.7 × 0.6–1.8cm; limb usually reflexed at anthesis, yellow, greenish white, or yellowish, oblong-lanceolate, 4.2–7.8 × 1.6–3.3cm. Spadix sessile, shorter than spathe; female zone cylindric, short, 0.9–1.7cm × 3–8mm; female flowers green; ovary ovoid; ovules ca. 30; funicle long; placentae parietal; stigma sessile; sterile zone absent between female and male zones or cream-colored, 0.5–0.8 cm × 0.8–2mm; male zone yellowish, pale pink, or cream-colored, 1–1.7cm × 2.5–5mm; male flowers 6–8-androus; stamens connate into a synandrium, yellow; appendix reddish purple, greenish white, or light yellow, cylindric in proximal part but conic in distal part, 1.7–5.1cm × 1.5–6mm. Young berry green. 2n = 28.
This material was reprinted with permission from the Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, and Science Press, Beijing.
This material was reprinted with permission from the Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, and Science Press, Beijing.
Moist shaded places in forests and at forest margins, hillsides in limestone areas.