Arum apulum (Carano) P.C.Boyce

Tuberous herb sprouting in late autumn from a discoid, vertically orientated tuber 4-6 cm across, 2-2.5 cm thick. Petiole terete, 12-34 cm long, 2-4.5 mm wide, dull green, stained with purple for c. ¼ of its length. Leaf-blade hastate-sagittate, apex subacute, 8-16 cm long, 5-13 cm wide, deep green. INFLORESCENCE smelling very weakly of horse dung and urine. Peduncle much shorter than the leaves, terete, 4-11 cm long, 3-5 mm wide, dull purple. Spathe 12-18 cm long; spathe-tube oblong-ellipsoid, 4-4.5 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide, constricted apically, exterior mid-green, interior purple, paler towards the apex; spathe-limb oblong-lanceolate, 7-10.5 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, erect, acuminate, externally purplish green, green towards the margin, internally dark purple, the margin and apex mid-green. Spadix c. ? as long as the spathe-limb, 4-6 cm in total length; appendix slender-clavate, long-stipitate , 3-4 cm long, 3-5 mm wide, purple, stipe reddish purple. Staminodes in 3 or 4 whorls, forming a zone 3-4 mm long; bristles filiform, flexuous, 3-3.5 mm long, purplish cream; bases compressed conic, verrucate, cream. Interstices: upper 3.5-4 mm long, longitudinally ridged, cream; lower 2-3 mm long, ± smooth, cream. Staminate flowers in an oblong zone 2.5-3 mm long, 5-5.5 mm wide; anthers purple and connectives cream. Pistillodes in 1 or 2 whorls forming a zone 1.5-2 mm long; bristles filiform, flexuous, 3-7 mm long, purplish cream; bases bulbiform, verrucate, cream. Pistillate flowers in an oblong-cylindric cluster 7-11 mm long, 5-7 mm wide; ovaries oblong, truncate apically, 2.5-3.5 mm long, pale lime-green; stigma purple. Fruiting spike oblong-cylindric, 3-5 cm long, 2-2.5 cm wide; berries oblong-pyriform, 5-9 mm long, 4-6 mm wide. Germination unknown.