12. Sauromatum Schott, H.W.Schott & S.L.Endlicher, Melet. Bot.: 17 (1832).
By: Himanchal T. Magar & Mohan Siwakoti
Taxon Description
Tuberous herbs. Leaves solitary, leaflets 5–7, lanceolate, base hastate, apex finely acuminate to caudate. Male and female inflorescences widely distant, short, dense flowers, with a few large clavate scattered neuters close above female. Spathe shortly peduncled, tube cylindric short, margins connate below; limbs very long, reflexed, narrow, open. Spadix sessile, very long. Spadix appendix slender, as long as spathe. Leafing after flowering. Anthers subsessile, 4-celled. Berries obpyramidal, 1-seeded. Ovary oblong, 1-celled; ovules 1–2, basal, erect; stigma sessile. Seeds with endosperm.
Taxon Statistics
Nine species in world. Three species in Nepal.
Key to Species
1a Inflorescence appearing before leaves …………………………….………………….…………….………………… 3. S. venosum
b Inflorescence appearing alongside developing leaves ……………..………….………………….……………….…………………2
2a Leaves dissected; leaflets 5–7. Spathe tube swollen …..…………..…………….………………….…….……. 1. S. brevipes
b Leaves hastate or 3–5-lobed or pedately 5–9 dissected. Spathe base oblong-ovoid ………2. S. diversifolium
1. Sauromatum brevipes (Hook. f.) N.E.Br.; Gard. Chron. Ser. 3, 34: 93 (1903).
Typhonium brevipes Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 6: 511 (1893).
बाँको Baanko (Nepali).
Tuberous herbs up to 20 cm. Tubers globose, 1–2 cm diam., forming several flowered clumps. Leaf solitary, petioles pinkish or dull purplish red, 6–16 cm; leaf blade 5–9-pedatifid, margin undulate; lobes fused at the base, central lobe narrowly lanceolate, 6–10 X 0.7–2.5 cm, lateral lobes linear lanceolate, progressively smaller, base cuneate, apex finely acuminate to caudate. Peduncles pale green, 1–2.5 cm. Spathe yellow-brown with purple spots, dark pink inside, 1.4–3.5 X 1.5–2.5 cm; limb very narrow, tapering from base (ca. 8 mm wide), apex acuminate. Spadix as long as spathe, female zone ca. 3 mm, neuter zone 4–6 mm, male zone ca. 5 mm; appendix pink to yellow, slender, filiform, even in thickness throughout length, ca. 7 cm, apex obtuse.
Distribution: Nepal, E Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau and S Asia.
Altitudinal range: 1400–2800 m
Ecology: Epiphytic on Quercus semecarpifolia forest, tree trunk, open land.
Flowering: May–July. Fruiting: May–July.
2. Sauromatum diversifolium (Wall. ex Schott) Cusimano &Hett., Taxon 59: 445 (2010).
Typhonium diversifolium Wall. ex Schott, Aroideae: 13 (1853); Typhonium alpinum C.Y. Wu ex H. Li, Y. Shiao & S.L. Tseng
Tuberous herbs up to 150 cm. Tubers sub-globose, 0.5–1.2 cm diam., producing annual offshoots. Leaf solitary, petioles green, 12–37 cm; leaf blade 3–5-lobed or pedately 5–9-parted, margin entire; central lobe ovate-lanceolate, 6–17 X 1–15 cm, lateral lobes elliptic or linear, base cuneate or hastate, apex acuminate. Peduncles pale green, 3–25 cm. Spathe green outside, green or dark purple inside, 7–13 X 1–2 cm; limb oblong-ovoid, oblong-lanceolate, 4–13 X 2–5 cm, apex acuminate. Spadix shorter than spathe, female zone 5–15 mm, neuter zone 1–3 cm, base swollen, male zone 6–13 mm; appendix dark purple, cylindric, 1–7 cm, apex obtuse or sub-acute.
Distribution: Nepal, W Himalaya, E Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Assam-Burma, E Asia and SE Asia.
Altitudinal range: 2400–4300 m.
Ecology: Open grasslands, meadows, alpine damp open ground, in Quercus semecarpifolia forest.
Flowering: June-July. Fruiting: June-July.
All the herbarium specimens deposited in TUCH and KATH are not in good condition, and most of the specimens only have vegetative parts. Since the floral part has already decayed, it was not possible to observe the floral parts and their characters. Floral characters were, therefore, taken from Flora of Bhutan. Specimens having collection no 1328 (Barcode KATH001990 and KATH001989) exist in KATH under the name Pothos scandens and was determined by D.H. Nicolson. The specimens lack floral part but are vegetatively similar to Pothos chinensis, with the exception that the stem is not straight. These need further collection and thorough examination.
3. Sauromatum venosum (Dryand. ex Aiton) Kunth, Enum. Pl. 3: 28 (1841).
Arum venosum Aiton, Hort. Kew. 3: 315 (1789); Arisaema venosum (Dryand. ex Aiton) Blume; Typhonium venosum (Aiton) Hett. & P.C.Boyce.
Tuberous herbs, 45-90 cm. Tubers corm like, ca. 6 cm diam. Leaf solitary, petioles pale green with dark round blotches, 26–50 cm, stout; leaf blade 9–11-pedatifid, margin undulate; central lobe oblong or oblanceolate, 15.5–25 X 4–9.5 cm, lateral lobes elliptic, progressively smaller, base cuneate, apex acuminate. Peduncles faint yellow to pale green, 3–7 cm. Spathe dark brown, cylindric, 4.5–10 cm; limb oblong triangular, 16–39 X 1.5–4.5 cm, apex acuminate. Spadix almost equaling or slightly shorter than spathe, female zone 8–18 mm, neuter zone clavate, 4–17 mm, male zone 8–10 mm; appendix pale brown, erect, thickest just above base, tapering slightly upwards, 13–31 cm, apex obtuse.
Distribution: Nepal, W Himalaya, E Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Assam-Burma, S Asia, E Asia and SW Asia; Africa.
Altitudinal range: 900–2500 m.
Ecology: Shady places.
Flowering: April–May. Fruiting: May–July.
Herbarium specimens of S. venosum are not available in KATH and TUCH. One specimen has been deposited in RBG, Edinburgh under the name Arisaema intermedium collected by Stainton et al. in 1954 which was later determined as Sauromatum venosum by Jin Murata in 1987. Morphological characters were described based on the digital image of this specimen (specimens deposited in Edinburgh, E).