Typhonium brownii, also known as the black arum lily, is a species of plant in the Araceae family that is endemic to Australia.

Typhonium brownii
Botanical illustration by Walter Hood Fitch
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Genus: Typhonium
Species:
T. brownii
Binomial name
Typhonium brownii
Schott, 1855
Synonyms
  • Arum orixense R.Br.

Description

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The species is a deciduous, geophytic, perennial herb, which resprouts annually from a rhizome up to 15 cm long and 2–3 cm in diameter. The deeply trilobed to triangular leaves are borne on stalks up to 30 cm long. The inflorescence has a foecal smell and is pollinated by dung beetles; it is enclosed in a 20 cm long spathe, greenish on the outside and deep purple on the inside. Flowering takes place in summer. The fruits are reddish and about 10 cm in diameter. [1][2]

Distribution and habitat

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The species is known from south-eastern Queensland and New South Wales, where it grows in areas with rainforest, along the banks of creeks and in the spray zone of waterfalls.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Hay, A (1993). "The genus Typhonium (Araceae-Areae) in Australasia". Blumea. 37 (2): 345–376. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  2. ^ A. Hay (1993). "Typhonium brownii Schott". PlantNET. Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 6 October 2021.