Common name
English: Black Bat Flower
German: Fledermausblume
Mandarin: 箭根薯 (jian gen shu)
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae (2625)
Phylum: Tracheophyta (2528)
Class: Liliopsida (388)
Order: Dioscoreales (2)
Family: Dioscoreaceae (13)(family description)
Genus: Tacca (2)
Epithet: chantrieri André (1)
Synonyms: Clerodendrum esquirolii H.Lév., Schizocapsa breviscapa (Ostenf.) H.Limpr., Schizocapsa itagakii Yamam., Tacca esquirolii (H.Lév.) Rehder, Tacca garrettii Craib, Tacca macrantha H.Limpr., Tacca minor Ridl., Tacca paxiana H.Limpr., Tacca roxburghii H.Limpr., Tacca vespertilio Ridl., Tacca wilsonii H.Limpr.
breviscapa => having a short scape (flower stem)
chantrieri => in honor of Chantrier Frères, famous horticulturalists of Mortefontaine, France, in the second half of the nineteenth century
esquirolii => in honor of Joseph Henri Esquirol (1870-1934), French missionary, linguist and plant collector in Yunnan, P.R. China
macrantha => large-flowered
minor => smaller, lesser
Characteristics
Climate: tropical
Habitat: mesophytic
Habit: herb
Flower colour: purple