Homalomena marasmiella Kartini, P.C.Boyce. & S.Y.Wong

Wong, Sin Yeng & Joling, Jyloerica, 2021, Checklist of aroids (Alismatales, Araceae) from Sabah (Malaysian Borneo), Check List 17 (3), pp. 931-974 : 951

Homalomena marasmiella Kartini, P.C.Boyce. & S.Y.Wong

Figure 4F

Material examined. MALAYSIA – Sandakan • Labuk & Sugut / Kinabatangan border, Telupid, Sungai Telupid ; 05°35′49″N, 117°04′35″E; 128 m elev.; 25 Mar 2015; M. Lo AR5192 (holo SAN, iso SAR) .

Identification. Homalomena marasmiella differs from Sarawak H. stella P.C.Boyce & S.Y.Wong and H. vagans

P.C.Boyce, the two species it most closely resembles, by the mushroom-shaped interpistillar staminodes and cut tissues smelling of coriander leaves (vs. columnar interpistillar staminodes and tissues with a smell reminiscent of turpentine). Homalomena marasmiella is further distinguished from H. stella and H. vagans by being restricted to ultramafic rocks ( H. stella and H. vagans occur almost exclusively on shale). From H. stella , H. marasmiella is differentiated by having the leaves scat- tered along a creeping and rooting rhizome-like stem (vs. a rosette of leaves on a compact, erect stem) and the presence of a naked interstice separating the pistillate and staminate flower zones. From H. vagans , H. marasmiella is differentiated additionally by chartaceous leaf blades. All observed plants of H. marasmiella have the leaf blades with fine broken streaks of pale grey varie- gation approximately coinciding with the primary lateral veins, whereas H. stella and H. vagans have plain green leaves ( Kartini et al. 2015a).

Distribution and ecology. Endemic to Sabah. Homalomena marasmiella is known only from the type locality, Sungai Telupid, Labuk & Sugut, Telupid. Homalomena marasmiella occurs on lightly shaded vertical earth banks over ultramafic rock under moderately humid low- land forest at an elevation of ca. 130 m.