Distribution and IUCN Assessment of the Voodoo Lily Amorphophallus (Thomsonieae, Araceae) of the Philippines including an Amended Taxonomic Key

Tamayo, Maverick N.

In this study, all currently recognized endemic species of Amorphophallus in the Philippines were created with distributional maps and assessed against the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) standards and guidelines. Fourteen (14) species were assessed and twelve (12) were categorized as threatened species. Of these, seven (7) are critically endangered (CR): A. adamsensis, A. caudatus, A. fornicatus, A. minimus, A. natolii, A. palawanensis, and A. salmoneus; one (1) endangered (EN): A. calcicola; and four (4) vulnerable (VU): A. cidarioides, A. declinatus, A. urceolatus, and A. yaoi. Two species did not qualify for threatened species category namely, A. rostratus (NT) and A. longispathaceus (LC) mainly due to a relatively widespread distribution. Major threats to these species include kaingin (slash and burn), mining and quarrying, increasing agricultural farms, illegal logging, increasing human settlements, tourism, invasive species, landslides, wildfires, and typhoons. To aid conservation efforts, the biology of each Amorphophallus species including population size and trends including the life history, distribution, and ecology should be further studied. Implementation of an area-based management plan should also be developed, and habitat trends should be closely monitored. An amended taxonomic key of the 14 species is also herein provided to aid in identifying all the naturally occurring species in the country.