Anubias gigantea
Anubias gigantea A.Chev. ex Hutch.
Anubias gigantea is a semi-aquatic aroid species in the Araceae family, native to West Africa. It was first described in 1939 by John Hutchinson, based on material collected in Guinea by Auguste Chevalier in 1920. The species is closely related to A. afzelii, differing mainly in leaf-blade morphology. It is found in riverbanks and riverbeds, typically on rocky substrates in countries including Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Guinée forestière.
Description
Anubias gigantea has a creeping, prostrate rhizome and produces leaves with a hastately lobed or nearly tripartite blade. The leaf-blade is 13-30 cm long and 5-14 cm broad, with prominent lateral nerves and anastomosing marginal veins. The inflorescence features a spathe 3.5-8 cm long and a spadix slightly longer than the spathe, with densely flowered male and female parts. The berries are depressed-globose, and the seeds are yellow with brownish spots. This species is semi-aquatic, commonly growing along rivers and in riverbeds on rocky substrates.
Distribution
Guinea · Ivory Coast · Liberia · Sierra Leone · Togo · Guinée forestière
Synonyms
Anubias hastifolia var. robustaAnubias gigantea var. tripartita
