B. taraw

Culture

Endangered Status

Vulnerable IUCN category VUD2

Original Botanical Description or Link to

http://www.as-botanicalstudies.com/content/pdf/s40529-015-0099-1.pdf: Lithophytic rhizomatous herb 20–35 cm tall. Stem 11–16 mm diameter, glabrous, internodes 5–10 mm long. Stipules broadly triangular, asymmetric, 13–15 × 15–17 mm, keeled, acuminate, entire, glabrous, persistent, maroon becoming dark brown and papery with age. Leaves on erect petioles; petioles 13–20 cm long, red at the base, greener apically, terete, 5–7 mm in diameter at the base becoming more slender apically, sparsely lanate when young, the hairs appressed, subglabrous with age, the hairs rubbing off easily, broad-based 10 mm long fleshy red hairs fused into a ring at the base of the petiole; lamina peltate, petiole inserted 3–3.5 cm from midrib, distinctly coriaceous, not variegated, in various colour forms on different plants from pale to very dark matt green above, whitish to pinkish green below, broadly ovate, 6–8 × 9–10 cm, upper surface mostly glabrous, sometimes with a few scattered 2 mm fine long brown hairs between the veins, the pale eye above the petiole attachment with a few hairs; lower surface sparsely lanate on the veins and lamina; venation palmate, main veins 9, pink or green, slightly prominent beneath, flat above; apex obtuse; margin very shallowly sinuate-dentate; edges reddish becoming green when mature; stomata in clusters of 3–7. Inflorescence erect, 40–58 cm long, bisexual, male and female flowers open at the same time as the inflorescence matures, cymose, each unit consisting of a central male flower with a lateral female and lateral further unit, branching up to 6 times, with 40–80 flowers in total, not mass-flowering; primary peduncle 30–45 cm long, 5–7 mm diameter at the base becoming more slender apically, base is reddish becoming green at the upper third part, sparsely lanate when young, subglabrous with age, the hairs rubbing off easily, secondary peduncles 1.5–4 cm long, subglabrous; bracts broadly rounded-triangular, conduplicate, ca. 10 × 12 mm, entire, glabrous, deciduous, overlapping, translucent pale green or pinkish green. Male flowers pedicel 8–15 mm long, glabrous; tepals 4, uniformly white or pink, entire, glabrous; outer 2 oblong, 13–17 × 10–13 mm; inner 2 obovate, folded and retuse, 11–14 × 8–9 mm; androecium with ca. 50 stamens, sessile; filaments united at the base, unequal, 1.25–2 mm long, longer filaments found in the centre of the androecium; anthers yellow, 1.75 mm long, oblong-oblanceolate, slits lateral tending to unifacial towards the apex, running for 3/4 the length of the anther, connective extended. Female flowers pedicel 20–30 mm long, glabrous, with 2 min fleshy 0.5 mm long hair-like bracteoles spaced 1–2 mm below the ovary; ovary 12 × 20 mm including wings, green or pink; capsule ca. 9 × 6 mm, 3-locular, placentae bifid; wings 3, unequal, larger wing ca. 9 × 14 mm, shallowly angular to rounded, flat (not cucullate), smaller 2 wings ca. 11 × 4 mm, truncate; tepals the same as the male flowers; styles 3, bifid, stigmatic surface spirally twisted. Fruit drying pale brown, the same size and shape as the ovary. Somatic chromosome number, 2n = 28.