130 A FLORA OF MANILA 
Female inflorescence a solitary, conical-ovoid, 1-celled ovary; ovules many. 
Fruit membranaceous, few-seeded. (Probably from the Greek “watery,” 
in allusion to its habitat.) 
A monotypic genus. 
1. P. stratiotes L. Quiapo (Tag.). 
Leaves few or many, 2.5 to 15 cm long, the basal part thickened, of 
very porous tissue, truncate or rounded, somewhat pubescent, the nerves 
raised on the lower surface. Spathes few, tomentose, white, about 12 
mm long, oblique, short-peduncled, in the center of the rosette of leaves. 
(Fl. Filip. pl. 468.) 
Floating on stagnant water, sometimes rooting on muddy banks, abun- 
dant, fil. at intervals; throughout the Philippines. Tropics generally. 
4. ACORUS Linnaeus 
Herbs growing in wet soil, from very aromatic rootstocks. Leaves 2- 
ranked, equitant at the base, ascending, sword-shaped, coriaceous. 
Peduncle leaf-like, continued as the ensiform spathe. Spadix cylindric, 
dense, sessile, flowering at the base first. Flowers small, perfect. Sepals 
6, orbicular. Stamens 6. Ovary conical, 2- or 3-celled; ovules many. 
Fruit a few-seeded berry. (An ancient name, origin obscure.) 
Species few in the north-temperate regions, 2 in the Philippines. 
*1. A. caLAmMus L. Acoro (Sp.); Lubigan (Tag., Vis.) ; Sweet Flag. 
Rootstock stout, branched, aromatic. Leaves linear, flat, smooth, acu- 
minate, 25 to 60 cm long, 1 to 1.5 cm wide. Peduncle compressed. 
Spathe green, much-elongated, similar in shape to the leaves. Spadix 
3 to 5 cm long, 1 cm or less in diameter, densely flowered. , 
Occasionally cultivated, certainly introduced; I have seen no Philippine 
specimens in flower. Of wide distribution in the northern parts of both 
hemispheres. 
5. AMORPHOPHALLUS Blume 
Herbs from large fleshy corms, flowering before the leaf appears. 
Leaves with a long, roughened and mottled petiole, 3-parted, the segments 
spreading, pinnately lobed or dissected. Spathe various, often very large, 
campanulate and open, or convolute and ovoid, the limb short and broad, 
or narrower and much elongated. Spadix included or exserted, the ap- 
pendage large, short or long, the flower-bearing part short, cylindric, 
male and female flowers contiguous. Anthers 2 to 4, sessile. Ovaries 
globose to obovoid, 1- to 4-celled; ovules solitary. Fruit a globose to 
ovoid, fleshy, 1- to 4-seeded berry. 
Species about 80 in the tropics of the Old World, 5 in the Philippines. 
1. A. campanulatus (Roxb.) Blume. Pungapung (Tag., Vis.). 
Corm depressed-globese, up to 30 cm in diameter. Leaves usually 
solitary, the petiole stout, up to 1.2 m high, warty-roughened, mottled 
with gray, the blades up to 1 m in diameter, trisected, the segments 
dichotomous, the ultimate ones pinnately divided into oblong to oblong- 
obovate, acuminate lobes. Spathe sessile, broadly campanulate, dull- 
purplish, margins somewhat spreading or recurved, waved and crenulate, 
up to 30 cm in diameter. Spadix hardly longer than the spathe, the appen- 
dage ovoid, variously sulcate or depressed, up to 15 cm long, foetid when 
in flower. 
