126 AROIDEANA, Vol. 32 Two New Caladium Species (Araceae) W. L. A. Hetterscheid Botanical Gardens Wageningen University Gen. Foulkesweg 37 6703 BL Wageningen, Netherlands [email protected] J. Bogner Augsburger Str. 43a 0-86368 Gersthofen, Germany J. Boos 1368 Scottsdale Rd. E. West Palm Beach, FL 33417, USA ABSTRACf Wageningen University (Netherlands) (do­ nated by P. Resslar, USA, from cultivated Two caladiums that have been widely stock, probably originating from a plant cultivated are fully described and named as introduced into cultivation by B. Feuerstein new species, together with notes on earlier & N. Caroll, originating from E. Ecuador, confusion over their names. found along a road branching off the road from Baeza to Tena, running along the KEYWORDS Napo river westward to Francisco de Orellana ("Coca"), Napo Prov., Ecuador), Caladium clavatum, Caladium praeter­ 22 July 2008, Hetterseheid H.AR.529-T missum, 'Hilo Beauty', Araceae. (holotype, WAG, spiriteol!.). Plate 1. INTRODUCTION Diagnosis For many decades two Caladium species A congeneribus ceteris tubere propagulis have been in cultivation under a variety of longis rhizomatiformibus, pistillis proxima­ names. One of these is usually cultivated libus partibus stylinis lateraliter connatis under the name Aloeasia 'Hilo Beauty' in differt. Europe and in the United States of America. Plant a seasonally dormant herb. Under­ It was also pictured in the several editions ground part a depressed-globose tuber, of A. B. Graf's 'Exotica' under that name. 9 cm in diam., 7 cm high, top truncated, This species does not flower very often and producing annual, rhizomatous offsets; in over forty years it has only flowered offsets to 11 em long and .8 cm in diam., twice in the Botanical Garden of Munich. terete throughout or with an apical tuber. The other is known in cultivation incor­ Flowering at the end of the vegetative rectly, as Caladium hieolor (Aiton) Vent. period or directly after dormancy and then var. rubieundum Eng!. Both taxa are without leaves. Leaf long-petiolate; petiole undescribed species of Caladium and are to 90 cm long, to 1.5 cm in diam., dark introduced and established here with new brownish purple with darker spots, paler names. when older; lamina broadly obeordate, peltate, 15-60 em long, 10-45 em wide, Caladium clavatum Hett., Bogn. & J. top broadly acute, aristate, upper surface Boos sp. nov. dark green with whitish spots in young Type: collected from a living plant, plants, older plants greenish violet with a cultivated in the Botanical Gardens of greyish waxy hue and small, irregularly \XI. L. A. I-I ETIERSC HEID, J BOGNER, J. BOOS, 2009 127 Plate 1 Caladiu m clavalum; upper left - tuber; upper right - leaf upper surfa ce; lower left ­ inflorescence; lower right - spad ix partl y exposed, showing peltate synandrodes. Photographs: W.L.A. Hette rscheid . 128 AROIDEANA, Vol. 32 angulate pinkish spots, primary and major cal, stalk-like base, 1-3 mm long, decreas­ lateral veins prominent, raised, deep violet ing in length in the upper parts of the sterile to maroon, lower surface greyish purple. zone, and an irregular to suborbicular, Inflorescence single or two, flowering more or less flattened upper part, the latter shortly after each other and producing a 1 mm high, 2-3 mm in diam., off-white, strong sweet scent during female anthesis; entire or with a small central depression or peduncle shorter than petioles, 35-40 cm irregular grooves radiating from the centre, long, .7-.8 mm in diam., smooth, dull dark oval to subangulate or irregular in upper greyish purple with a pale grey wax-layer; view. Pollen in monads (pers. comm. M. spathe 13-19 cm long, base and limb Grayum to J. Boos). Infructescences un­ separated by a strong constriction; base known. strongly convolute, ovoid, 4-5 cm long, 3- 3.5 cm in diam. (closed), 12-13 cm wide Distribution when spread, outside dull dirty greenish with or without a purple flush, at the base ECUADOR, Napo Prov.; BOLIVIA (but dark pink or not, near the margins bright see note 2). pink to whitish or dirty green, all parts covered by a wax layer, inside deep dark Etymology maroon, very glossy; limb oblique, upper The species epithet "clavatum" refers to part revolute, ovate, 9-15 cm long, 5- the shape of the synandrodes of this new 6.5 cm wide, top acute or obtuse with a species. very small acute apiculum, margins revo­ Note 1: Engler's name Caladium bieolor lute, inside white with margins pale pink or var. rubieundum Eng!. (Flor. Bras., pink all over, outside very pale green with 1872:181; plate 41) was used when this pale pinkish flushes. Spadix slightly shorter species was introduced to the horticultural than spathe, 11.5-13.5 cm long, base public, probably in the 1973 Edition of obliquely inserted on the spathe base; Graf's Exotica, using a picture of a single female zone cylindric-fusiform, 23-26 mm leaf tagged "Caladium bicolor rubieunda". long, 12-13 mm in diam. at the middle, top and base slightly attenuated, flowers dense­ However C. clavatum is by no means a ly crowded; sterile zone more or less form of C. bieolor since the latter has sessile cylindric or conical, 2-4 cm long, 14 mm synandrodes, free styles, a peduncle longer in diam. at the base, 10 mm in diam. at the than the petioles, no scent and does not top, entirely covered by synandrodes, these produce rhizomatous offsets. more or less distant; male zone conical with The rhizomatous offset development is a attenuated and subcylindric basal part, 7- unique character setting C. clavatum apart 7.5 cm long, 13-16 mm in diam. near the from all other Caladium species, and the base of the conical part, the latter slightly fusion of adjacent stylar regions is also a bilaterally compressed, subacute, covered character of this species unique in the all over by densely crowded synandria. Araceae. In Syngonium, a genus phyloge­ Pistils elongate, cylindric, 3 mm long, netically closely related to Caladium, all .8 mm in diam.; ovary 2 mm long, free; the gynoecia are fused entirely in one stylar region 1 mm long, those of adjacent inflorescence. pistils laterally fused to form a (dis-)contin­ For differences with C. praetermissum n. uous layer; stigma more or less orbicular, sp., see below. .6-.8 mm in diam., .1 mm thick, shallowly Note 2: the natural distribution of C. corrugate, off-white. Synandria peltate, clavatum in S. America remains unknown. consisting of 4-5 stamens, 2.5 mm long, Since many Caladium species have been 2-3 mm in diam., irregular angulate and moved around by humans as so-called lobed in upper view. Synandrodes elon­ "indian charm" plants (Rodway, 1917), gate, more or less clavate (lower ones) to their present distribution may be entirely subpeltate, 2-4 mm long, with an obconi- or partly artificial, where plants escaped w. L. A. HETIERSCHEID,). BOGNER,). BOOS, 2009 129 from villages and established themselves in thin and inconspicuous. Cataphylls 13- the surrounding ecosystems. 19 cm long. Peduncle ca. 25 cm long and .3-.4 cm in diam., same color as petiole. Caladium praetermissum Bogn. & Hett. Spathe 10 cm long, only very slightly sp. nov. constricted, limb of spathe cream-colored, Alocasia 'Hilo Beauty' (in Graf, 1985) apex mucronate, ca. 3 mm long. Spadix much shorter than spathe, ca. 5 cm long; Type: collected from a living plant, female zone ca. 2 cm long and 6 mm in grown in the Munich Botanical Garden, diam.; sterile zone with synandrodes be­ origin unknown (only known in cultiva­ tween female and male flowers .8-1.0 cm tion), May 1981, Bogner 1557 (holotype, long and ca. 2 mm in diam.; male zone 1.8- M), Plate 2. 2.0 cm long and ca. 3 mm in diam., fertile to apex, apex acute. Flowers unisexual, Diagnosis naked. Female flowers densely arranged, A Caladio bicolore caule rhizomatoso stigma orbicular, nearly as broad as ovary, crasso, foliis dilute viridibus maculis maior­ .9-1.0 mm in diam., slightly depressed in ibus irregulariter albis aut cremeis vel the center. Synandria somewhat densely aliquantum cinereis, synandriis c1avatis arranged, lower ones more or less elliptic inter floribus femineis et masculis differt. and upper ones lobed in upper view, .7- Evergreen herb. Underground part a .8 mm in diam., thecae lateral. Synan­ thick rhizome, 3.5-18 cm long and 2.5- drodes loosely arranged, subclavate to 8.0 cm in diam., suberect to erect, outside peltate, ca. .8 mm long and stipe ca. brown, producing few short rhizomatous .3 mm in diam., widened at top and there offsets. Petiole nearly terete, the ventral ca . .5 mm in diam., flattened, orbicular in side somewhat flattened, 34-108 cm long upper view. Infructescences unknown. and (.5-) .7-1.5 cm in diam., uniformly Chromosomes: 2n = 28. purple-colored or purplish, only the upper part slightly paler; sheath 10-35 cm long. Etymology Leaf blade cordate-peltate, membranous, The species epithet ''jJraetermissum'' 21-42 cm long and 14-31 cm wide, pale means overlooked or forgotten, referring green to mid green, with larger, irregular to it being considered an Alocasia for a cream-colored to somewhat greyish spots long time. (spots darkening with age of the leaves) on upper surface, lower surface much paler; Cultivation spots translucent, apex cuspidate, basal lobes 6-13 cm long and rounded, sinus C. praetermissum is an evergreen herb (at base) v-shaped and 4-10 cm deep, which grows well in a pot in light, humus­ insertion of petiole 2-3 cm below the sinus, rich soil but needs warm (greenhouse-) venation reticulate, midrib strong, on each conditions.