Pycnospatha palmata Gagnep.

Tuberous herb with usually one leaf, rarely with two leaves; with a resting period. Tuber depressed-globular, 3-8 cm in diam., outside brown, with many tubercles on upper part of the same color, (.3-) .5-.8 (-1.0) cm in diam.; roots thick, 3-4 mm in diam. Petiole terete, more or less smooth (not spiny), (10-)14-60(-70) cm long and 1.5-3(-5) mm in diam., green or whitish flecked, sheath (5-)7-13 cm long. Leaf blade very variable, green, adult blade divided in three main parts, ca. 20 cm in diam. Juvenile and pre-adult leaf blade with a petiole 12-20 cm long, first blade entire and subhastate, 6-9 cm long and 9-12 cm wide, apex more or less acute, then followed by a lobed blade, ca. 10 cm long, apex cuspidate, two lateral, rounded lobes on each side, 2-3 cm long and ca. 1.5 cm wide, the two basal lobes more or less divided again and bilobed, up to 4(-5) cm long and ca. 2 cm wide; or already trilobed with a simple middle part, ca. 10 cm long and ca. 2 cm wide, apex more or less acute to cuspidate, the two lateral lobes bilobed, 4-5 cm long and ca. 1.5 cm wide, the lower lobe with a short or inconspicuous further lobe, ca .. 7-1.0 cm long, apices more or less acute to blunt; or blade divided in three main parts, middle part very narrow elliptic, 5-10 cm long and 4-6 cm wide, apically very irregularly short lobed (one to two short lobes on each side), apices acute to cuspidate, otherwise middle lobe entire and the two lateral lobes bilobed; adult blade divided in three main parts, middle part divided in two shorter lateral lobes or in four lobes, very narrow elliptic-oblong, 10-14 cm long and 1-2 (-3) cm wide, apices cuspidate to acuminate, the two lateral lobes bilobed or one more lobed, very narrow elliptic-oblong, 10-14 cm long and 1-2(-3) cm wide, the lower lobe usually unequal and broader, or the two basal lobes further lobed; venation completely reticulate, the main veins already divided in the anterior and the two basal lobes, veins further divided in the other lobes, higher order veins between the primary veins thinner, a thin and inconspicuous collective vein very near the margin. Inflorescence solitary, relatively small, usually appearing without leaves or sometimes with a leaf. Peduncle (5-)7-10 cm long and 1.7-2 mm in diam. Spathe fornicate, (3.5-)4-7 cm long and .6-1.0 cm wide, not constricted, nearly half of its length turned over, apex acute, fleshy, outside purple with longitudinal yellowish stripes and basally yellowish, inside deep purple. Spadix much shorter than spathe; spadix ovoid-conoid, 1.5-2.5 cm long, below .5-.8 cm in diam., short stipitate, densely covered with flowers, appendix lacking, flowering from top to base (basipetal in sequence). Flowers bisexual, naked. Stamens several (ca. 6), filament flat, ca. 1 mm long, thecae more or less oblong, yellow, .8-1.0 mm long and .5-.6 mm in diam. opening by a slit; pollen grains ellipsoid, monosulcate, exine microreticulate. Gynoecium ca. 3.5 mm long, ovary ovoid, unilocular; with one anatropous ovule, ca. .8 mm long and .35 mm in diam., funicle short, placentation basal; style 2.0-2.5 mm long, purple, attenuate towards the stigma and usually turned upwards, standing much over the anthers; stigma small, hardly broader then the style, stigma somewhat sunken in the center. Infructescence matures with the leaf; infructescence 4-5 cm long and ca. 3.5 cm in diam., densely covered with berries. Berry more or less globular, dark green, basally getting lighter green, one-seeded, 7- 8 mm in diam., with style and stigma remnant, pericarp densely covered with conical protuberances (so more or less spiny).