Piptospatha elongata (Engl.) N.E.Br.

Rheophytic herb 16-40 cm high. Stem condensed, 2-6 cm long, 0.8-1.3 cm diam. with robust more or less reddish-tinged roots 1.5-2.5 mm diam. Leaves several to 12 together; petiole 6-15 cm long, 1.5-2.5 mm diam., slightly canaliculate adaxially, sheathing only at the extreme base, the wings extended into a narrowly triangular purple to reddish ligular portion 3-8 cm long drying dark brown; blade very narrowly elliptic to narrowly elliptic-oblong to oblanceolate, coriaceous, dark green adaxially, paler abaxially, 10-24 cm long × 1.5-3.5 cm wide, the base cuneate, the apex acute and apiculate for 2-3 mm; midrib robust, abaxially prominent, adaxially impressed, with (6-)7-10 primary lateral veins on each side diverging at 35-45° and more or less regularly alternating with lesser interprimary veins especially in the lower half of the blade; secondary venation adaxially more or less obscure, abaxially fine and dense; tertiary venation obscure. Inflorescence solitary (or 2-3 together but then alternating with foliage leaves); peduncle shorter than to equalling, rarely exceeding the length of the whole leaf, 11-22 cm long, 1.8-2.2 mm diam., purple to reddish. Spathe more or less nodding at anthesis, subcylindric-obovoid, 3-4 cm long, apically beaked for 3-4 mm, pink, opening in the upper third, then the upper part caducous. Spadix cylindric, more or less sessile, or somewhat stipitate and then with the stipe adnate to the spathe, 2-2.5 cm long, 0.4-0.5 cm diam.; female zone cylindric, 5-7 mm long, 5-7 mm diam.; ovary subcylindric to subprismatic, c. 0.9 mm diam.; stigma sessile, as broad as the ovary, thinly discoid; interpistillar staminodes absent from among the pistils; neuter organs (staminodes or possibly pistillodes) confined to 1-3 irregular and somewhat oblique rows at the base of the female zone, truncate, more or less sessile, 0.7-0.9 mm diam., about as high as the pistils; sterile interstice absent; male zone cylindric, isodiametric with female zone, 1.3-1.7 cm long, apically obtuse; stamens crowded, truncate, the connective not raised, more or less rectangular from above, glabrous, 1.2-1.4 mm across. Fruiting spathe broadly funnel-shaped, erect, 1.2-1.5 cm diam.; berry obovoid, c. 3.5 mm long × 1.2-2 mm diam.; seed cylindric, very slightly ribbed, 1.4-1.6 mm long, brown but outer integument translucent, with a long curved micropylar appendage which rots away in old seeds.