132. ARACE^. [13. Alocasia. 



Branched latex-tubes occur in stem and leaves. 



I have taken most of the characters of the species from Evgler and Roxhurah 

 the available specimens being few and usually very poor. ' 



I. Not caulescent. Lowest secondary nerves not uniting with 

 the primaries of the basal lobes :— 



ii. caulescent. Lowest lateral nerves .loining- the primaries of 

 the basal lobes and almost reaching- the apex :— 



A. Basal lobes semiovate or ovate, rounded :— 

 1. Basal lobes free to the base or nearly so .— 



Terminal lobe broader than long. Spathe 6-10" cymbi- 



form. Appendix longer than inflorescence ', . 2. macrorrhiza 



lermmal lobe ovate-triangular longer than broad 

 Spathe narrowly cymbiform 8-12" with disagreeable 

 smell, appendix longer than inflorescence . . . 3. Uulica 

 i. -basal lobes more or less connate at base :— 



Spathe cymbiform, fragrant, 5-8" long . . . odora 



B. Basal lobes triangular subobtuse or subacute, connate at (pp 869 870) 



base. Spatlie3-4" ^. fornicafa. 



1. A. montana, Schott. Syn. Arum montanum, Eoxh. 



Caudex a short cylindrical tuber up to 2" diam. Leaves somewhat 

 coriaceous broadly cordate-ovate, polished, 6-8" long and nearly 6" 

 broad, shortly apiculate at the obtuse apex, basal lobes only about 

 one-fourth as long as the broadly ovate terminal lobe with an almost 

 circular sinus between, secondary nerves 3 on each side almost from 

 the base, 4-5 sec. n. higher up ascending within the margin and unitinf^ 

 in an intra -marginal nerve. Petiole stout 8-10". Peduncles several, 

 about 8 long. Spathe cucullate, coloured {Roxb., yellow') with 

 oblong tube 1-1-2" and limb nearly 4", acute. Spadix nearly as lon^^ 

 neuter inflorescence rather suddenly thickened at the base, conoid 

 acute towards the apex and 2-2-5" long. 



Found b.y Boxhurgh in the mountains of the Northern Circars and verv likely 

 occurring m the mountains of I'uri and Mayurbhanj. ^ 



The root is said to be used to poison tigers. Roxb. 



2. A. macrorrhiza, Schott. Syn. .4. odora, C. Koch ; Arum odorum,. 

 Roxb. *■ 



The largest of our terrestrial aroids, forming a considerable aerial 

 stem often 4 ft. high (attains a much greater size in some provinces) 

 and 2-4 diam. more or less clothed with aerial roots. Leaves broadly 

 ovate-sagittate repand, 2-4 ft. long and 1-5-3 ft. broad, deeply cordate, 

 with the basal lobes shortly connate or for about one-tenth of their 

 ength and sinus narrow. Spathe 6-10" long with the tube about 

 half as long as the coriaceous hooded cymbiform cuspidate pale-green 

 hmb. Spadix nearly as long as spathe and appendage nearly as lono- 

 as the flowering part, sinuously sulcate. Ovary incompletely 4-celled!. 



,ni?i!f"f^?" nenr pools and rubl,ish heaps in the moister districts close to the- 

 villages but not indigenous. Fl. c.s. Fr. h.s. 

 The flowers are said to be fragrant. 



EngJer maintains the distinctness of odora and macrorrhiza in 

 which case our plant is probably odora. In addition to the key charac- 

 ters (see above) which are based on his own but are unsatisfactory 

 (as he states that specimens of odora may be found with basal lobes 

 little or scarcely connate), the following appear to be the points of 

 difference and are mainly in relative size :— 



869 



