Alocasia atropurpurea

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant from the Philippines}}

{{Speciesbox

| image =

| image_caption =

| status = CR

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite journal |title=Alocasia atropurpurea: Medecilo, M.P. & Ong, R.G.: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T133705A3872871 |journal=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |date=1 January 2008 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T133705A3872871.en}}

| genus = Alocasia

| species = atropurpurea

| authority = Engl.

| synonyms =

}}

Alocasia atropurpurea is a flowering plant in the family Araceae endemic to northern Luzon in the Philippines. It is classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and has only been recorded in Mount Polis and an unspecified locality in the Mountain Province.

Taxonomy

Alocasia atropurpurea was first described by the German botanist Adolf Engler in Das Pflanzenreich in 1920. The type specimen was collected from Mount Polis in 1913. The specific epithet atropurpurea is Latin for "dark purple-colored", referring to the distinctive color of the spathe. It is a member of the genus Alocasia in the arum family Araceae.{{cite journal |last1=Hay |first1=Alistair |title=The genus Alocasia (Araceae-Colocasieae) in the Philippines |journal=Gardens' Bulletin Singapore |date=1999 |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=1–41}}{{cite book |last1=Engler |first1=Adolf |title=Das Pflanzenreich: regni vegetablilis conspectus|chapter= Additamentum |date=1920 |publisher=Leipzig, W. Engelmann |page=132 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16815015#page/438/mode/1up}}

Distribution

Alocasia atropurpurea is endemic to northern Luzon in the Philippines. It has only been recorded in Mount Polis and an unspecified locality in the Mountain Province.{{cite news |last1=Pena |first1=Rox |title=Pena: Alocasias species |url=https://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/opinion/pena-alocasias-species |access-date=21 January 2024 |work=SunStar |date=12 August 2022}}

Description

Alocasia atropurpurea is a large robust plant with large heart-shaped leaves that are around {{convert|40|cm|in|abbr=on}} long. The petioles can reach a length of {{convert|50|cm|in|abbr=on}}. The spathe of the flower is around {{convert|14|cm|in|abbr=on}} long with a deep purple-brown blade (hence its name). The lower spathe is {{convert|4|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and rounded. The spadix is a little shorter than the spathe.

See also

References