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Araceae
Schismatoglottis brevipes Hook.f.
SUMMARY
Stem epigeal, pleionanthic, to c. 30 cm long, c. 8 mm diam., decumbent, creeping to trailing, internodes c. 1-3 cm long. Leaves 1-6 per module; petiole c. 15 cm long, c. 3 mm diam., the margins minutely alate and sometimes crisped, slightly asperous, minutely hairy/spinulous (hand lens required), pale green to purplish, sheathing in the lower ½-¾; wings of sheath fully attached, tending to degrade at least in the upper half, becoming dark brown and flaking shortly after the emergence of the enclosed leaf, c. 5 mm wide, more or less straight, tapering, not ligular; blade c. 9-12 cm long × c. 4-6 cm wide, pale to mid-green, slightly glossy to dull, not variegated, usually tinged bronze when young, (elliptic to) ovate, widest about the mid-point, the base obtuse to rather weakly cordate with posterior lobes (0-) c. 8 mm long, the tip acute to weakly acuminate, the margin smooth to weakly undulate; midrib abaxially prominent, with 6-9 primary lateral veins on each side, diverging from the midrib at 50-70°, c. 1 cm apart; interprimary veins irregularly present; secondary venation flush adaxially and abaxially, arising from the midrib and the bases of the primary veins; tertiary venation not or faintly visible adaxially, visible abaxially, forming a tessellate reticulum. Inflorescences 1-5 together; peduncle to c. 5 cm, thin, 2.5 mm diam., erect at anthesis, then dangling. Spathe 5.5-7.5 cm long; lower spathe narrow ovoid, to 3.5 cm long, c. 1.5 cm wide, green; limb persistent until well after anthesis, then deliquescing, lanceolate, acuminate tipped, opening only slightly, the distal portion remaining convolute, with only the ventral part of the male zone exposed. Spadix 5-6 cm long; female zone 2-2.5 cm long, more or less cylindric, slightly curved towards dorsal side of spathe, obliquely inserted to adnate for c. ? its length; pistils c. 0.75 mm diam., globose-polyhedral, pale green, somewhat distant and sometimes patchily distributed; style nil; stigmas globose; interpistillar staminodes numerous, irregularly distributed, c. 1 mm high, larger than the pistils, globular, very shortly stalked, white; sterile interstice 1-1.3 cm long, cylindric to slightly tapering, 5-8 mm thick, partly naked, consisting proximally of rather crowded structures resembling interpistillar staminodes, distally of scattered groups of much smaller staminodes resembling the stamens; male zone c. 1.5 cm long, 5 mm thick, cylindric to slightly spindle-shaped, the lower part corresponding with the spathe constriction; stamens dumbbell-shaped, c. 1 mm across, with the connective rather slender, slightly shorter than the thecae; pollen dusty, white; appendix very short, 3-5 mm long, conic; staminodes of appendix columnar, ivory white, c. 1 mm diam. Fruiting spathe declinate, urceolate.