Rhaphidophora Hassk.
SUMMARY
HABIT : evergreen, usually climbing herbs, more rarely repent, often extremely robust, climbing branches often thick, producing anchor and feeder roots, flagelliform shoots also produced, stem often square in cross section. LEAVES : many, distichous, juvenile shingle plants occur in some species. PETIOLE : geniculate apically, sheath usually relatively long. BLADE : lanceolate or oblong, ± oblique, entire, perforate or pinnatifid to pinnatisect, often very large, lobes often subfalcately narrowed; primary lateral veins pinnate, running into marginal vein, often not differentiated from secondaries, secondary laterals ± parallel-pinnate, higher order venation reticulate. INFLORESCENCE : usually solitary, rarely more. PEDUNCLE : relatively short. SPATHE : boat-shaped, deciduous. SPADIX : subcylindric, conic, clavate, often extremely thick, sessile to stipitate, shorter than spathe. FLOWERS : bisexual, perigone absent. STAMENS : 4, filaments oblong-linear, anthers much shorter than filaments, connective slender, thecae ellipsoid, dehiscing by longitudinal slit. POLLEN : dicolpate, extended monosulcate to perhaps fully zonate, ellipsoid or hamburger-shaped, medium-sized (mean 33 µm., range 24-55 µm.), exine foveolate, subreticulate, rugulate, fossulate, scabrate, retiscabrate, verrucate, or psilate. GYNOECIUM : obconic-prismatic to oblong, truncate, ovary 1- to partially 2-locular, ovules few to many, anatropous, funicle long, placentae parietal to basal, sometimes ± subaxile, partial septa variably intrusive, stylar region well developed, usually broader than ovary, usually truncate apically, rarely elongate-conic, stigma broadly elliptic or oblong and then transverse or longitudinal, or punctate-prominent. BERRY : usually many-seeded, stylar region deciduous at maturity, red or yellow. SEED : oblong, testa thin, smooth, embryo axile, straight, endosperm copious.