Arum gratum Schott

Tuberous herb sprouting in early winter from a discoid, vertical tuber 3.4-5 cm across, 1.5-2.5 cm thick. Petiole terete 17.5-25(-30) cm long (up to 50 cm long according to Mouterde, 1966), 3-4.5 mm wide, deep green. Leaf-blade hastate-sagittate to oblong-hastate, apex subacute, 9-18 cm long, 7-12 cm wide, deep green, occasionally with jagged purple-black blotches. INFLORESCENCE sweet-smelling. Peduncle very much shorter than the leaves, often absent above soil level, 0-2.5 cm long, 4-5 mm wide, pale green, longitudinally striped with reddish brown. Spathe 12-18.5 cm long; spathe-tube often partially buried, oblong-ventricose, 2-3.5 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide, constricted apically, exterior off-white below (if buried) or pale green (if exposed), mid-green, stained with purple above, this colour intensifying towards the margins and apex, interior with a pale greenish white lower half and purple upper half; spathe-limb elliptic-ovate, 10-15 cm long, 5-6.5 cm wide, cucullate, acute to minutely acuminate, externally pale green flushed with pale purple, apex and median vein greenish, internally olive-green, flushed with pale purple, occasionally with jagged purple-black blotches. Spadix less than ? as long as the spathe-limb, 5.5-6.5 cm in total length; appendix strongly clavate, stipitate, 4-4.5 cm long, 5-6 mm wide, reddish purple to greenish purple, stipe purple. Staminodes 3 whorls forming a zone 1.5-2 mm long; bristles filiform, flexuous, 2.5-3.5 mm long, cream, tipped with purple; bases conic, smooth, cream. Interstices : upper 0.5-1 mm long, smooth, cream; lower ± absent. Staminate flowers in an oblong zone 4-5 mm long, 3.5-4 mm wide; anthers and connectives dull purple. Pistillodes in 1 whorl forming a zone 0.5-1 mm long; bristles aristate, stiff, 1.5-2 mm long, cream, minutely tipped with purple; bases globose, smooth, pale cream. Pistillate flowers in a globose-cylindric cluster 5-7 mm long; ovaries globose, 1.5-2 mm long, cream, barely stained with purple apically; stigma white. Fruiting spike cylindric, 3-4.5 cm long, 2-2.5 cm wide; berries pyriform, 7-10 mm long, 3.5-4.5 mm wide. Germination unknown.