Araceae
Arum hainesii Riedl
SUMMARY
Tuberous herb sprouting (in autumn ?) from a discoid, vertically orientated tuber 3-6 cm across, 2-2.5 cm thick. Petiole terete, 45-60 cm long, 4-5 mm wide, mid-green, paler basally. Leaf-blade hastate, apex acute to slightly obtuse, 10-33 cm long, 8.5-24 cm wide, dull mid-green. INFLORESCENCE scent unknown. Peduncle much shorter than the leaves, terete, 8-10 cm long, 3-4 mm wide, mid-green. Spathe 15.5-25 cm long: spathe-tube cylindric, 3.5-4 cm long, 2-2.5 cm wide, constricted apically, exterior pale green, interior paler, usually suffused with purple; spathe-limb lanceolate, 12-21 cm long, 2.5-4.5 cm wide, erect, acuminate, externally and internally pale green. Spadix less than ½ as long as the spathe limb, up to 13 cm in total length; appendix cylindric, stipitate, 4.5-5.5 cm long, 4-4.5 mm wide, pale brown, slightly farinose (artifact of drying ?). Staminodes in 5 whorls forming a zone 4-5 mm long; bristles filiform, flexuous, 7-8 mm long, pale cream; bases bulbiform, smooth, dull cream. Interstices : upper 2.5 mm long, ± smooth, cream; lower 2 mm long, longitudinally ridged, cream. Staminate flowers in an oblong zone 2 mm long, 5 mm wide; anthers and connectives dark purple. Pistillodes in 3 or 4 whorls forming a zone 2.5-3 mm long; bristles filiform, flexuous, 4-5 mm long, pale cream; bases compressed-semiglobose, smooth, cream. Pistillate flowers in a cylindric cluster 8-10 mm long, 3-4 mm wide; ovaries oblong, truncate, 2-2.25 mm long, pale yellow, purple apically; stigma cream. Fruiting spike oblong-cylindric, 4 cm long long, 1.5 cm wide; berries ovoid, 4.5-9 mm long. 3-3.5 mm wide. Germination not known.