Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)

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Tacca chantrieri
Andr‚, Taccaceae
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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 5 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Tacca macrantha H. Limpr.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: jian gen shu

English: batflower, cat's-whiskers, devil-flower

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Rhizome cylindric, growing vertically, up to 10 cm long by 1.5 cm in diameter. Leaves 3-12, rosulate, variable, elliptic, ovate, oblong-(ob)ovate, or (ovate-) lanceolate, 17-55 by 4.4-22 cm, deep green, paler beneath, base cuneately attenuate but not decurrent, sometimes unequal, apex acuminate; nerves pinnate; petiole 11-43 cm by 2-5 mm, sheath 3-15 by 0.3-2 cm. Inflorescences 1-2, up to 25-flowered; scape 6-63 by 0.1-0.7 cm. Involucral bracts 4, (sub)decussate, variable, green to almost black; 2 outer bracts ovate or triangular to ovate-lanceolate, sessile, 2-9 by 0.8-4 cm, apex acute or acuminate, 2 inner bracts thinner, (broadly) ovate to oblong, sometimes unequilateral, 2.5-10 by 1.5-9 cm, sessile or with attenuate base, apex acute or acuminate. Filiform bracts 6-26, up to 20 cm by 0.2-1 mm, pale green or violet green. Flowers 1-2.5 by 0.6-2 cm, buds green, flowers greenish white when young, when older red, violet, purple, or blackish ; pedicel 1.2-4 cm by 0.5-2 mm in diameter; perianth tube 3-7 by 6-15 mm. Perianth lobes mostly reflexed during anthesis and persistent as a small remnant; 3 outer ones (oblong-) ovate or (narrowly) triangular, 5-12 by 3-8 mm, apex acute, acuminate, or mucronate; 3 inner ones (broadly) ovate, or triangular, 4-11 by 4-12 mm; apex acuminate or mucronate, veins prominent at inside. Stamens: adnate portion of the filaments 2-3 by 0.5-1 mm, free apical portion 3 by 1.5 mm; thecae up to 2 mm long, greenish yellow. Ovary 2-7 by 3-5 mm; disk absent; style 2-3 by 2-3 mm; stigmatic lobes 1 by 1.5 mm. Fruit triangular to round on cross-section, 2-4 by 1-2 cm, (lustrous) green, deep orange-red, or purple. Seeds reniform, 3-4 by 2-3 by 1-1.5 mm, glabrous, brown, 9-14-ribbed  (van Steenis et al.; v. 7, pt. 4, pp. 813-14).

"Rhizomes subcylindric, thick. Petiole 10-30 cm; leaf blade oblong to oblong-elliptic, 20-50 (-60) x 7-14 (-25) cm, glabrous or abaxially pubescent, base rounded-cuneate to cuneate, apex shortly caudate. Scape long; involucral bracts 4, dark purple, outer 2 ovate-lanceolate, inner 2 broadly ovate; umbels 5-7 (-18)-flowered. Perianth lobes purplish brown, lanceolate. Stigma 3-lobed. Berry purplish brown, ellipsoid, ca. 3 cm, fleshy, 6-ridged, with persistent perianth lobes. Seeds reniform"  (Flora of China online).

Habitat/ecology:  "Primary and secondary forests, in Malaya at low altitude and on hills, elsewhere ascending to 1400 (-2100) m  (van Steenis et al.; v. 7, pt. 4, pp. 813-14).  In China (native), "forests, valleys, along rivers; 200-1300 m"  (Flora of China online).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, China, Southeast Asia (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
Guam
Guam Island
Guam Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 106)
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
O‘ahu Island   Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1980) (voucher ID: BISH 487303)
Taxon name on voucher: Tacca chantrieri André
New Caledonia
New Caledonia Archipelago
Île Grande Terre introduced
cultivated
MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 134)
Introduit récemment et encore rare dans les jardins.
Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia (Kingdom of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China
China
China (People's Republic of) native
Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013)
Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Xizang, Yunnan
Malaysia
Malaysia
Malaysia (country of) native
van Steenis, C. G. G. J. et al (1948)
Singapore
Singapore
Singapore (Republic of) introduced
cultivated
Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 84)
Thailand
Thailand
Thailand (Kingdom of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam (Socialist Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Tacca chantrieri, please let us know.


Need more info? Have questions? Comments? Information to contribute? Contact PIER! (pier@hear.org)

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This page was created on 2 MAR 2012 and was last updated on 9 MAR 2012.