An annotated checklist of the genus Amorphophallus Blume ex Decne. (Araceae): an update on the distribution and conservation status of its species

Abstract

Araceae’s most remarkable genus is Amorphophallus, which is propagated for food, ornamental, and herbal medicine due to its medicinal properties. This checklist includes 241 accepted species of Amorphophallus, featuring their scientific names, covered countries, conservation and distribution status, ecological habitats, and biogeographical regions. Around 83% of Amorphophallus species are native, and 17% were endemic, and found in Burundi, Benin, Cambodia, Cameroon, Congo, China, Equatorial Guinea, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Madagascar, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Thailand is the most species-rich country (66 spp.), while Indo-Malay is the most species-rich biogeographic region (56.65%). Furthermore, limestone areas are the typical ecological habitat in which Amorphophallus species can be found (9.76%). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species documents the genus as ‘Critically Endangered’ (4.15%), ‘Vulnerable’ (2.90%), ‘Endangered’ (0.83%), ‘Near Threatened’ (0.83%), ‘Least Concern’ (0.83%), ‘Data Deficient’ (0.83%); 76.35% (184 species out of 241) were not evaluated because the report’s scope for assessing threatened plants might be inadequate, and 13.70% have no record. This inventory from digital databases will assess a more holistic strategic conservation plan of Amorphophallus species worldwide.