4. Anadendrum Schott, Bonplandia (Hannover). 5: 45. 1857.
上树南星属 shang shu nan xing shu
Authors: Heng Li & Peter C. Boyce
Plants creeping against trees or over boulders by mean of adhesive roots. Leaves distichous, petiolate, undivided, pinnately veined; distal nodes of stem with usually 2 normal leaves with distinct sheaths, and (mostly) several strongly to entirely reduced leaves with strongly developed sheaths; petioles of other leaves only at base moderately sheathing, pulvinus distinct; trichosclereids and laticiferous vessels absent. Inflorescences emerging from a rhipidium carried at shoot tips (or sometimes laterally displaced), with each inflorescence subtended by a reduced leaf comprised mainly of an expanded petiolar sheath. Spathe white or green, cymbiform, oblong-ovate, initially tubular-inrolled and beaked for ca. 1/4 spathe length, at last entirely spreading, often caducous. Spadix cylindric, with stipe well developed. Flowers many, bisexual; perigone a single cuplike structure, membranous, truncate. Stamens 4; filaments strap-shaped; anthers longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary 1-loculed, 1-ovuled; ovule central-basal; stigma sessile, transversely inserted. Berry subglobose, distinctly truncate apically. Seed large.
Nine species: tropical Asia, from India to Malaysia; two species in China.
One of us (Boyce) notes that the names Anadendrum latifolium and A. montanum are misapplied here. True A. latifolium is endemic to Peninsular Malaysia (type from Perak), and the type of A. montanum is from Indonesia (Java). In fact, there are three species of Anadendrum in China, but all are as yet undescribed. Further work is needed to resolve this situation.