Araceae
Arum pictum L.f.
SUMMARY
Tuberous herb sprouting in early to mid-autumn from a discoid vertical tuber 5-7 cm across, 2-2.5 cm thick. Petiole semi-terete, 15-25 cm long, 2-12 mm wide, pale to mid-green with slight purple staining basally, with a conspicuous,open, triangular basal sheath.Leaf-blade ovate-cordate, apex acute to obtuse, 9-25 cm long, 6-18 cm wide, shiny, deep metallic green tinged with purple, especially along the margins when first expanded, the veins paler, blade later becoming dull, deep green with a purple tinge and creamy white to silvery grey main and lateral veins, leaves very occasionally plain green. INFLORESCENCE appearing before or with the leaves, smelling strongly of horse-dung. Peduncle sessile at ground level, orrarely with up to 2 cm visible if growing in deep shade, terete, pale green. Spathe 11.5-21.5 cm long; spathe-tube oblong-cylindric, 2.5-5.5 cm long, 2.5-3 cm wide, constricted at theapex, exterior off-white below ground, pale green with scatteredpurple spots and staining above ground, interior dirty white withpurple staining along the margins; spathe-limb elliptic, 9-16 cmlong, 4-6.5(-8) cm wide, slightly cucullate, shortly acuminate, externally mid-green with heavy, deep purple staining, especially along the margins at the apex, internally velvety deep purple, the apex occasionally mottled mid-green. Spadix approximately 3/5 as long as spathe limb, 8-13 cm in total length; appendix stoutly clavate cylindric, long-stipitate, 6-11 cm long, 7-15 mm wide,deep purple-black with a satin sheen. Staminodes in 3 whorlsforming a zone 3-5 mm long; bristles subulate, stiff, 3-4.5 mm long, cream; bases slightly swollen, smooth, cream. Interstices: upper 2-3 mm long, longitudinally ridged, off-white; lower 1-2 mmlong, longitudinally deeply sulcate, cream. Staminate flowers inan oblong to globose zone, 5-7 mm long and wide; anthers palecream and connectives off-white. Pistillodes absent or very rarely a few vestigial bases present above the pistillateflowers. Pistillate flowers in a globose-cylindric cluster, 11-13mm long, 10-11 mm wide; ovaries oblong, tapering basally, 2.5-3mm long, pale cream; stigma yellow. Fruiting spike elongate-globose, 2.5-5 cm long, 2-4 cm wide; berries oblong-globose, 5-11mm long, 5-7 mm wide. Germination epigeal.