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Araceae
Rhaphidophora cravenschoddeana P.C.Boyce
SUMMARY
Large, robust, pachycaul (?), homeophyllous liane to unknown ultimate height; seedling stage not observed; pre-adult plants consisting of sparse terrestrial colonies; LEAVES: adult shoot comprised of elongated, clinging, physiognomically unbranched, non-flowering stems and free lateral, leafy flowering stems; stems with cataphylls and prophylls degrading to long sparse ragged fibres and weak sheets of tissue, internodes 0.5-3 x 0.5-2 cm, separated by prominent to very large unevenly oblique corky leaf scars; flagellate foraging stem and clasping roots not observed; feeding roots stout, arising singly from the node, densely velvety-hairy; leaves spiro-distichous; cataphylls and prophylls quickly degrading to long sparse ragged fibres and weak sheets of tissue; petiole canaliculate, 6-46.5 x 1.3-1.5 cm, apical geniculum very large, prominent, basal geniculum very weakly defined; petiolar sheath very prominent, extending to apical geniculum, swiftly degrading to long ragged fibres and weak sheets of tissue, later falling leaving a jagged scar; lamina entire, ovate to oblong-elliptic or oblong-ovate, strongly oblique, 8-53 x 6-26 cm, submembranous, drying discolorous, adaxially dark brown, densely faint dark speckled, abaxially greenish brown, base oblique, one side rounded to almost truncate, other subacute, apex subacute to acuminate or briefly attenuate; midrib very prominently raised abaxially, slightly sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, prominently raised abaxially, very slightly raised adaxially, drying paler than lamina; interprimaries parallel to primaries, much less prominent, slightly raised abaxially, very slightly raised adaxially; secondary venation parallel to interprimaries and only slightly less prominent, very slightly raised abaxially and adaxially; tertiary venation reticulate, weakly raised abaxially, invisible abaxially; INFLORESCENCE solitary, subtended by a ± fully developed foliage leaf and one or more degrading papery cataphylls; peduncle laterally compressed, stout, 13-15 x 0.7-1 cm; spathe slender canoe-shaped, 22 x 4 cm, stoutly long-beaked, caducous before male anthesis, falling leaving a large scar; spadix stoutly cylindrical, sessile, inserted more or less level on peduncle, 17-19 x 1.5-2 cm, yellow green; stylar region hexagonal, 1.5-2 x 1.2-1.5 mm, truncate; stigma punctiform to slightly ellipsoid, very slightly raised, 0.4 x 0.4-0.5 mm diam.; anthers long-exserted at male anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE not observed.