10. Remusatia Schott, Melet. Bot. i. 18 (1832).
By: Himanchal T. Magar & Mohan Siwakoti
Taxon Description
Perennial herbs. Tuber bulbous, vertically flattened, producing erect or spreading stolons from the axils of thin and membranous cataphylls; stolons with small, rounded bulbils at the nodes. Leaves 1 or 2, petioles slender; leaf blade ovate, asymmetrically peltate; primary vein multiple, radiating from petiole and pinnately from midrib of main lobe; secondary venation arching at leaf margin, fine inter-marginal veins present. Flowering with or before leaves. Spathe with green, persistent, closed, basal section enclosing female part of spadix and petaloid, deciduous blade. Spadix with terminal club-shaped male section, intermediate slender stipe composed of male neuter, female section basal, sometimes with a single, apical whorl of female neuter. Flowers without a perianth. Synandria of 2 or 3 fused stamens, anthers attached basally to a short, common filaments, 4–6-loculed, each opening by single apical, circular pore. Ovary sub-globular, 1-loculed, ovules basal or parietal, stigma discoid, sessile. Seeds ellipsoid to subglobose, endosperm copious.
Taxon Statistics
Four species in the world. Three species in Nepal.
Key to Species
1a Cataphyll 1, light brown, slender ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. R. pumila
b Cataphylls 4 or more, brownish, broad ……………………..…………………………………………………………….…………………. 2
2a Indistinct male and female zone. Synandria 2-loculed ………………………………………………..……. 1. R. hookeriana
b Distinct male and female zone. Synandria usually 4-loculed ……………………………………….…..………. 3. R. vivipara
1. Remusatia hookeriana Schott, Oesterr. Bot. Wochenbl. 7: 133 (1857).
Gonatanthu sornatus Schott; Remusatia ornata (Schott) H. Li & Q.F. Guo.
Perennial herbs, 45–60 cm. Corms 1–2 cm diam., covered by scales. Stolons erect, much branched, stout; bulbils ellipsoid, stout, 0.2–1.5 mm. Cataphylls 4 or more, brownish, broad, ca. 15 X 3 cm, concealing peduncle. Leaves 2, petioles green, 9–12 cm, sheathing for lower ¼; leaf blade ovate-cordate, 11–13 X 5–6 cm, green adaxially and purple abaxially, base cordate (sinus 2–4 X 1.5–3.5 cm), apex gradually finely acuminate. Peduncles green, 4–6 cm. Spathe green at the base, yellow above, 2–6 X 1–2 cm; limb narrowly lanceolate, scarcely narrowing upwards, apex acute. Spadix shorter than spathe, sessile, yellow-green, female zone 10–12 mm, neuter zone attenuate, 6–8 mm, male zone ellipsoid, 9–10 mm.
Distribution: Nepal, W Himalaya, E Himalaya, Assam-Burma, E Asia and SE Asia.
Altitudinal range: 1500–2400 m.
Ecology: Epiphytic on moist and mossy tree trunk.
Flowering: May–June. Fruiting: May–June.
2. Remusatia pumila (D.Don) H. Li. & A. Hay, Acta Bot. Yunnan., Suppl. 5:28 (1992).
Caladium pumilum D.Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal.: 21 (1825); Gonatanthus pumilus (D.Don) Engler& Krause.
लेलधामखोस Leldhamkhos (Rai), पतरकच Patarkach (Tharu).
Perennial herbs, 30–40 cm. Tubers 2–3 cm diam. Stolons spreading, covered by reddish brown, papery scales; bulbils ellipsoid, few to many, stout, ca. 1 X 1 mm. Cataphyll usually 1, light brown, slender, 3–13 cm, concealing peduncle. Leaves 3 or 4, petioles green, 8–40 cm, sheathing for lower ¼; leaf blade peltate, ovate or oblong-ovate, 9–18 X 3–11 cm, dull yellowish-green on both sides, base shallowly cordate (sinus 0.5–4.5 cm), apex acute or slightly acuminate. Peduncles green, 12–15 cm. Spathe green at the base, yellow above, 12–19 cm; limb narrowly lanceolate, extremely elongated, apex acuminate. Spadix much shorter than spathe, sessile, female zone yellow, 5.5–7.5 mm, neuter zone yellow, 4–5 mm, male zone purple, 9–12 mm.
Distribution: Nepal, W Himalaya, E Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Assam-Burma, S Asia, E Asia and SE Asia.
Altitudinal range: 1000–2800 m.
Ecology: Dense evergreen forests, on damp mossy rocks, trees, and banks.
Flowering: May–July. Fruiting: May–July.
Tender leaves are cooked as a vegetable (Manandhar, 2002).
3. Remusatia vivipara (Roxb.) Schott, Melet. Bot.: 18 (1832).
Arum viviparum Roxb., Hort. Bengal.: 65 (1814); Caladium viviparum (Roxb.) Nees; Colocasia vivipara (Roxb.) Thwaites.
Perennial herbs up to 50 cm. Corms 2–3 cm diam., covered by scales. Stolons erect, stout; bulbils ellipsoid, stout, 0.5–2.5 mm. Cataphylls usually 4, sometimes more, brownish, ca. 15 X 3 cm, concealing peduncle. Leaf solitary, petioles 13–22 cm, sheathing for lower ¼; leaf blade oblong-ovate or lanceolate, 10–20 X 6–15 cm, yellowish-green, lustrous on both sides, base cordate (sinus 2–4 X 1.5–3.5 cm), apex slightly acuminate. Peduncles green, 9–12 cm. Spathe green at the base, yellow above, 4–8 cm; limb obovate, narrowed at base, apex acute, apiculate. Spadix shorter than spathe, sessile, greenish yellow, female zone 1.7–2 cm, neuter zone tapering distally, 1–1.5 cm, male zone club-shaped, 9–19 mm.
Distribution: Nepal, E Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Assam-Burma, S Asia, E Asia and SE Asia.
Altitudinal range: 1500–2400 m.
Ecology: Epiphytic, evergreen forest, oak forest, shady place, boggy place, subtropical forests, epiphytic, on rocks, cliff ledges.
Flowering: March–May. Fruiting: April–September.
Young leaves are used as a vegetable and rhizome is as a medicine (Manandhar, 2002; Uprety et al., 2012).