11. Pothos kingii
Hook.f. Figs 10, 10a.
Pothos kingii
Hook.f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 6 (1893) 553; Engl. in Engl., Pflanzenr.
21 (IV.23B) (1905) 38. Syntypes: Malaysia, Perak, Larut, Kunstler
(Dr Kings Collector) 2723 (fl.) (K!); Malaysia,Perak,
Scortechini 1450 (fl.) (K!).Pothos grandispathus Ridl., J.
Straits Br. Roy. Asiat. Soc. 41 (1904) 48 (as grandispatha)
syn. nov. Type: Malaysia, Penang, West Hill, Curtis s.n.
(fl.) (SING! holo).Pothos ridleyanus Furtado, Gard. Bull.
Sing. 8 (1935) 150, syn. nov. [Pothos ellipticus Ridl.,
J. Straits Br. Roy. Asiat. Soc. 41 (1904) 48, nom. illeg., non Pothos
ellipticus Moon ex Miq. (1856)(Sri Lanka)]. Syntypes: Malaysia,
Pahang, Pahang River, Kuala Tembiling, Aug. 1891, Ridley s.n. (fl.)
(SING!); Malaysia, Pahang, Pulau Tawar, Aug. 1891, Ridley s.n. (fl.)
(SING!)
Moderate, slender heterophyllous root-climbing liane to 7 m. Eocaul
not observed; stem of juvenile shoot to 3 mm diam., terete in cross
section, shingle-leaved; stem of mature sterile shoot to 8 mm diam.,
terete in cross section, mid-green, becoming brown with age, mostly
densely clothed with leaves but stems eventually becoming naked,
naked portions with prominent, 50 80 mm distant nodes; fertile
shoot sparsely branched, stem to 5 mm diam., terete in cross section,
densely clothed with leaves; foraging shoot subterete in cross section,
to 1 mm diam., cataphylls falling swiftly and flagellum mostly naked
with prominent nodes to 80 mm distant. Leaves when fresh bright
to mid-green adaxially, slightly paler abaxially, stiffly chartaceous,
air drying dull green with the midrib pale yellow and prominently
raised; petiole 40 120 x 2 2.5 mm, slender, sheath
extending to geniculum, clasping basally on juvenile and mature
sterile shoots, prominent and sheathing to 4/5 of its length on
fertile shoots; lamina 50 250 x 23 90 mm, ovate to
elliptic or lanceolate with 3 intramarginal veins per side, the
lowermost arising from the base, subsequent veins arising from the
lower part of the midrib, outer intramarginal vein remaining very
close and parallel to margin, the second and third progressively
nearer to the midrib, all reaching the leaf tip base acute to rounded,
apex attenuate-mucronate, acute or attenuate, minutely tubulate.
Flowering shoot elongated, leafy, arising from most of the mid-
to distal leaf axils of fertile shoots. Inflorescence solitary;
peduncle 20 50 x 1.5 2.5 mm, stout, reflexed c. 90°
at the base, the inflorescence held inverted beneath the shoot,
yellow to orange-brown; spathe 40 100 x 25 60 mm,
ovate, deeply cucullate, base slightly decurrent on the peduncle,
apex acute, deep purple inside and out, softly-leathery and rather
prominently net-veined; spadix sessile, 25 70 x 3
8 mm, cylindrical, deep purple-brown. Flowers c. 1 mm diam.; tepals
1 x 0.3 mm, oblong-cymbiform, deep purple-brown, apex fornicate,
triangular, truncate, minutely three lobed; stamens 1 4 x
c. 0.5 mm, filaments strap-shaped, thecae c. 0.2 mm diam, creamy-yellow;
ovary 1 1.5 x 0.25 0.75 mm, compressed angular-ellipsoid,
yellow-green to dirty white; stylar region truncate, centrally depressed;
stigma prominently punctiform. Infructescence not observed.
Distribution Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia.
Habitat & Ecology Shady to open areas in wet
primary evergreen forest, often on steep slopes. 50 450m.
Notes Unique in the review area by the deeply cucullate,
softly leathery, deep purple spathe, P. kingii is restricted
to southern Peninsular Thailand and a few localities in Peninsular
Malaysia where it occurs in wet forest. Fertile specimens are instantly
recognizable but sterile material could be confused with vegetatively
almost identical P. lorispathus
(to which P. kingii is allopatric), and P.
curtisii. The latter is known from one locality
in Peninsular Thailand (see below) but is widespread and locally
common in Peninsular Malaysia.
Pothos kingii belongs to a group of species characterized
by thickened, often sharply deflexed long peduncles and often cucullate,
somewhat leathery spathes; P. lancifolius
Hook.f., P. barberianus Schott (Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo),
P. hosei Rendle (Borneo), P. atropurpurescens M. Hotta
(Borneo) belong here also.
Geographically representative selection of collections studied:
THAILAND. PEN64. Ranong: Hard Him Dam, 009° 20N,
098° 25E, 25 April 1974, Larsen & Larsen 33350 (fl.)
(AAU). PEN65. Surat Thani: Khao Sok N.P., trail to Nam Tok Sib Aid
Chan, 15 Sept. 1994, Boyce 962 (fl.) (BKF, K). PEN69. Nakhon Si
Thammarat: Lansagah, Khao Luang N.P., Nam Tok Charone, 05° 50N,
101° 50E, 14 April 1985, Ramari 35 (fl.) (BKF, L, PSU, UKM).
PEN73. Songkhla: Rattapoom, Nam Tok Bori Pat, 16 Oct. 1984, Maxwell
84-338 (fl.) (BKF, GH, P, PSU, UKM). PEN76. Narathiwat: Sungei Kolok,
Nikom Waeng, 26 Feb. 1974, Larsen & Larsen 32619 (fl.) (AAU,
B, BKF, K, L, MO).
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