Studies on Potheae (Araceae) of Borneo II: Pedicellarum M.Hotta subsumed into Pothos L., and recognition of three new species

Abstract

Pedicellarum is subsumed into Pothos as Pothos paiei. Four species, three taxonomically novel (Pothos degenerans, ecclesiae and P. fractiflexus) and one pre-existing (Pothos oliganthus) are discussed. The reproductive structures are reinterpreted and floral terminology used in this paper is in line with paving the way to interpreting the ‘inflorescence’ of Pothos, and indeed of all other aroids, as a unique array of structures that are neither flowers nor inflorescences as defined by current prevailing orthodoxy, but something of both.

Target sequence data shed new light on the infrafamilial classification of Araceae

“…The second has long consisted of three genera: Pothos , Pothoidium , and Pedicellarum . However, Pedicellarum has recently been subsumed into Pothos by Wong et al (2020), a change supported by the present study despite our limited sampling. Furthermore, our very limited sampling also seems to indicate that Pothoidium might also be nested in Pothos , as it appears to group within Pothos with subgenus Pothos .…”

Checklist of aroids (Alismatales, Araceae) from Sabah (Malaysian Borneo)

“…An extensive literature search was carried out for species without specimens seen (indicated in species list below). For identifications, the following taxonomic treatments were consulted: Gibbs (1914), Furtado (1935, 1939, Nicolson (1969), Jacobsen (1985), Hay (1992Hay ( , 1996Hay ( , 1998, Bogner and Hetterscheid (1992), Boyce and Poulsen (1993), Boyce (1994Boyce ( , 1998Boyce ( , 1999Boyce ( , 2000Boyce ( , 2001Boyce ( , 2009, Hetterscheid (1994), Hetterscheid and Ittenbach (1996), Nguyen and Boyce (1999), Bogner and Hay (2000), Hay and Yuzammi (2000), Hay (2001), Hetterscheid andvan der Ham (2001), Gusman and Gusman (2006), Ahmad Sofiman and Boyce (2010), Baharuddin and Boyce (2010), , Li and Landolt (2010), Boyce and Wong (2013), Wong et al (2013Wong et al ( , 2018Wong et al ( , 2020aWong et al ( , 2020b, Kartini et al (2015aKartini et al ( , 2015b, Low et al (2018), andOkada et al (2020). All identified taxa were compared with the types.…”

“…Identification. In general appearance very close to P. degenerans, but readily differentiated by pedicellate florets and shallow saucer-like receptacle (Wong et al 2020b). Distribution and ecology.…”

“…Most recently a Sabahan, Jyloerica Joling has begun work on the aroids of Sabah for her M.Sc. research (Wong et al 2020a(Wong et al , 2020b, which includes the critical checklist presented here.…”

Distribution of Araceae and the Diversity of Life Forms

“…In this clade, the habit diversity is variable, ranging from species occurring in seasonally dry habitats (ranging from only a few weeks of arid condition to periods of several months). For subfamily Pothoideae this is notably true for tribe Anthureae, the massive group containing Neotropical Anthurium, a genus comprising an estimated 3,000 species which inhabits nearly every corner of the neotropics as well as its smaller Asian component, the tribe Potheae with what is increasingly considered to consist of a single genus, Pothos (Boyce & Croat, 2011;Wong et al, 2020).…”