1960] 



SPATHIPH YLLU M 



47 



Type : Jaequin, Ic. PL Rar. 3: pi. 612 (1786-1793). This is an excellent color 

 plate, with enlargements of a single flower. The original description states that 

 the flowers have five perianth segments, although the plate suggests that they 

 have only four. Since all the segments are not of the same size, it is possible 

 that two more segments would be hidden behind the pistil in that illustration. 

 The holotype, Bredemeyer s.n., collected near Caracas, was probably burned at 

 Vienna or Berlin. 



The description presented above was drawn from the Jaequin plate and from 

 the descriptions of various writers who probably examined the Bredemeyer speci- 

 men. 



8. lanceaefolium has remained an unfamiliar species, known only from the 

 type collection. Now the type specimen has been destroyed. No specimens have 

 been identified as 8. lanceaefolium during this investigation. Sagot 769 was 

 referred to this species by other workers, but its non-decurrent spathe and the 

 characteristics of its pistil lead me to identify that specimen unquestionably as 

 S. humboldtii. 



Despite the lack of representative specimens, Jaequin 's description and fine 

 illustration of S. lanceaefolium serve adequately to define the genus Spathiphyl- 

 lum, and consequently to save the generic name. It is noteworthy that an 

 illustration of this species presented by Schott (Aroid. 1: 2. pi. 3B. 1853) is not 

 in complete agreement with that of Jaequin, lending more uncertainty to the 

 exact character of 8. lanceaefolium. The differences between the illustrations 

 are compared below. 



This species appears to be closely related to three other species. The acute base 

 of the leaf -blade distinguishes 8. lanceaefolium from both 8. koeliii and 8. 

 phryniifolium, in which the leaf-blade is obtuse at the base. Differences between 

 S. lanceaefolium and 8. bland urn are uncertain. In the absence of definitive ma- 

 terial of 8. lanceaefolium, and considering their different geography, I have con- 

 tinued to recognize each as a species. 



35. S. kochii Engl. & Krause, Pflanzenreich 4 23B : 123. 1908. Figure 5. 



Leaf -blade elliptic-lanceolate to elliptic, 2-3 times as long as wide, 30-49 cm 

 long and 10-20 cm wide, the apex acuminate-cuspidate, the base obtuse to 

 subrotund, the many pairs of primary lateral veins arising at an angle of ca. 

 45° ; petiole 18-50 cm long, alate in the lower half or more ; geniculum 1.5-2.6 cm 

 long. Peduncle to 60(-70) cm long; spathe elliptic-lanceolate or elliptic, 14-30 

 cm long and 5-10 cm wide, the apex long-attenuate, the base acute and decurrent 

 on the peduncle 1.5-6 cm; spadix 3-6.8 (-9) cm long, on a slender stipe 1.5-3 (-4) 

 cm long; perianth of separate segments, drying very light -colored ; pistil slender- 

 conic, the style long-exserted above the perianth, drying dark-colored, ending in 

 the blunt stigma ; ovary 3-locular. the ovules affixed near the base of the 

 locules, 2-1 in each of the 3 locules, totaling 6-3 ovules per ovary ; fruiting spadix 

 rough ; fruit obovoid, rostrate ; seeds 3 or less, oblique-ovoid, the surface smooth 

 between the ± vertical rows of foveola. 



Jaequin 



Schott 



Specimen flowering 

 Stipe ca. 1 cm long 



Specimen fruiting 

 Stipe longer 

 Spathe elliptic-lanceolate 

 Style attenuate 



Spathe oblong-lanceolate 

 Style blunt-rounded 



