3. Ariopsis Nimmo, Cat. Pl. Bombay [Graham] :252 (1839).
By: Himanchal T. Magar & Mohan Siwakoti
Taxon Description
Small tuberous herbs. Leaves 1 or 2, simple, petiolate, peltate, entire. Spathe small, cymbiform, open persistent. Spadix shorter than spathe; female adnate to base of spathe. Male flowers cylindric, embedded in the tissue of the spadix. Anthers connate in groups of 3, each 2-celled, surrounding a pore into which all open. Ovary few, oblong, 1-celled; ovules many, 2-seriate on 4–6 parietal placentas; stigma sessile, stellate. Berries 3–6 angled, many seeded. Seeds pendulous, albuminous; embryo axile.
Taxon Statistics
Two species in the world. One species in Nepal.
1. Ariopsis protanthera N.E.Br., Rep. Roy. Bot. Gard. Kew 1877: 51 (1877)
Ariopsis peltata f. protanthera (N.E.Br.) Engl. & K. Krause.
Small tuberous herbs up to 12 cm. Tubers 1.5–2.5 cm diam. Leaves 1 or 2, simple, membranous, dark green stripes adaxially, glaucous abaxially, petioles 6–14 cm, slender; leaf blade peltate, cordate-ovate, 5–10 X 4–10 cm, margin entire, base shallowly cordate, apex apiculate. Peduncles green or brown, shorter than petiole, 2–5 cm. Spathe pale pinkish, 1.5–2 cm; limb incurved, apex apiculate. Spadix shorter than spathe, decurved, female zone pale green with 5-7 yellow flowers, neuter zone absent, male zone pinkish purple with yellow pits; appendix absent.
Distribution: Nepal, E Himalaya, Assam-Burma, Thailand.
Altitudinal range: 900–2000 m.
Ecology: Epiphytic on tree trunk, under rock.
Flowering: May–June. Fruiting: May–June.
- protantherais often mistaken for A. peltata due to high similarity in their characters. A. peltata, first reported and described from Western Ghats of southwest India, is a taller and more robust species, growing up to 40 cm and with larger leaves. Furthermore, A. peltata flowers after its leaves emerge, in contrast to A. protanthera, which flowers before leaf emergence. These two species are also distinct geographically. A. peltata has a restricted distribution, being found only in southwest India, whereas A. protanthera is distributed across the tropical eastern Himalayas, northern Myanmar, and northeastern Thailand.