Alocasia scalprum

Inflorescence solitary; peduncle subequalling the petioles at anthesis; spathe ca. 6 cm long; lower spathe ca. 1.5 cm long, subcylindric, differentiated from the limb by a weak, gradual constriction; limb lanceolate, green, mucronate for ca. 5 mm; spadix somewhat shorter than the spathe, stipitate for 5 mm, the stipe partly adnate to the spathe; female zone ca. 6 mm long, obliquely inserted on the stipe, narrow, ca. 3 mm thick (dry); ovaries subglobose, ca. 1.2 mm diam.; stigma sessile, discoid, almost as wide as the ovary, weakly 2-3 lobed; sterile interstice ca. 9 mm long, the lowermost synandrodia reduced, thence the interstice ca. 3 mm thick, slightly tapering distally; male zone somewhat thicker than the upper part of the interstice, 4.5 mm diam, 8 mm long; synandria rhombo-hexagonal, strongly wavy-edged, ca. 1.5 mm diam.; appendix 1.6 cm long, tapering; infructescence whitish yellow.

VARIEGATED FORMS:YELLOW

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet for this species, comes from the Latin scalprum, which refers to a tool used for scraping, paring, and cutting away, very similar to a modern knife, which the leaf of Alocasia scalprumresembles.

Alocasia sinuata and Alocasia scalprum are sympatric on Samar and Leyte islands, and there are wild collected specimens that show characteristics that are reminiscent of both species.