ARACEAE 133 



Occasionally cultivated for its ornamental leaves. Not uncommon in 

 Luzon and probably occurs in other part/ of the Philippines. New Guinea. 



3.^. Indica (Roxb.) Schott.') Biga (Tag.); Badiang (Vis.); Elephant's 

 Ear. Ajocai'ia. -i^(X.crorrht-2^ U) ^ckalf.^ 



A coarse erect plant, the trunk stout, up to 2 m in height. Leaves 

 very large, broadly ovate, the larger ones up to 1.5 m in length, margins 

 slightly undulate, apex acute or acuminate, base deeply cordate, not at all 

 peltate, the petioles lopg, very stout. Spathes peduncled, the tube 4 to 5 

 cm long, the blade yellowish to yellowish-green, up to 23 cm long and, when 

 spread, 9 cm wide, often slightly mottled with purple inside. Pistillate 

 part of the' spadix 3 to 4 cm long, about 1.5 cm thick, contracted above, 

 the fertile part of 'the male inflorescence about 6 cm long, the appendage 



15 cm in length. Berries red when mature, globose or ovoid, fleshy. (Fl. 

 Filip. pi. 177, A. montana.) 



Commonly cultivated, occasionally also found in waste places, vacant ^ 

 lots, etc., fl. all the year; common and widely distributed in the Philippines. '' 

 India to Malaya. 



* Var. VAKiEGATA Engl., differs from the species in having the leaves 

 strongly mottled with white or gray. 



Occasionally cultivated for ornamental purposes. 



4. A. zebrlna C. Koch & Vietch. 



Stem short or none, petioles equaling or longer than the leaves, prom- 

 inently striped or blotched with dark-green and white. Leaves broadly 

 ovate, base deeply cordate, not peltate, entire, 35 to 65 cm long, the apex 

 very shortly and sharply acuminate, the basal lobes oblong-ovate, .15 to 20 

 cm in length. Spathes long-peduncled, greenish, the tube 2.5 to 3.5 cm 

 long, the blade about 10 cm in length, longer than the white spadix. 



Occasionally cultivated; a species known only from Luzon. 



6. A. heterophylla (Presl) Merr. 



Rather slender plants from underg^round rhizoines, glabrous. Leaves 



16 to 25 cm long, green, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, sharply and slenderly 

 acuminate, entire or only slightly undulate, the base deeply cordate, not 

 peltate, the basal lobes spreading or not, oblong to lanceolate, narrow, 

 obtuse, 6 to 10 cm long. Spathes slenderly peduncled, white, 6 to 7 cm 

 long, the limb 4 to 6 cm long, longer than the slender spadix, soon reflexed 

 and deciduous. 



Occasionally cultivated. A- widely distributed endemic species. 



9. COLOCASIA Linnaeus 



Coarse herbs from fleshy corms, with a short caudex, producing flowers 

 and leaves at the same time. Leaves ovate, peltate at the cordate base, 

 stoutly p;etioled< Spathe erect, peduncled, the tube thick, accrescent, per- 

 sistent, constricted at the mouth, the limb erect, elongated, deciduous. 

 Spadix shorter than the spathe, slender or stout, the male and female 

 flowers usually separated by interposed flat neuter ones ; appendage cylindric, 

 subulate, or none. Ovaries ovoid, 1-celled; ovules many, orthotropous. 

 Berries small. (An ancient Greek name.) 



Species 6 or 7, in tropical Asia to Polynesia, 1 in the Philippines, 



