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.