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Araceae
Rhaphidophora cryptantha P.C.Boyce & C.M.Allen
SUMMARY
Moderate-sized, slender to somewhat robust, semi-leptocaul, homeophyllous neotenic liane to 3 m; seedling stage unknown; pre-adult plants shingling, hardly or not forming terrestrial colonies; LEAVES: adult shoot architecture comprised of clinging, physiognomically unbranched, densely leafy, sterile stems and very abbreviated, free, flowering stems arising from the axils and remaining concealed behind the leaves of the main stem; stems rectangular in cross-section, widest side slightly convex, smooth, dark green, without prophyll and cataphyll fibre but with newest parts very thin, adherent, petiolar sheath tissue, internodes 1-5 x 0.2-0.5 cm, separated by ± straight scars; flagellate foraging stems rather weakly developed, usually at least partially leafy; clasping roots arising from the internodes, prominently pubescent, spreading but usually not extending much beyond the leaf span; feeding roots not observed (absent?); leaves distichous, shingling and ascending on adherent shoots, densely arranged and slightly spreading on free shoots, on flagella shoots leaves scattered with internodes between carrying a prominent cataphyll of short duration; cataphylls and prophylls membranous, caducous; petiole very shallowly grooved, 0.75-1.5 x 0.3-0.4 cm, smooth, apical and basal genicula barely visible; petiolar sheath prominent, membranous, long-ligulate, margins of ligule fused, the ligule extending up to 3.5 cm above base of lamina and enclosing shoot apex, caducous but adhering to stem; lamina broadly ovate, coriaceous, base cordate, apex rounded with a tiny tubule; midrib barely visible abaxially and adaxially; primary venation reticulate, barely visible abaxially, slightly raised and silver-grey adaxially; interprimaries more-or-less absent; secondary venation reticulate, flush abaxially, very weakly raised adaxially, silver-grey; INFLORESCENCE sequentially produced from a shoot arising from behind the leaf, each subtended by a very small membranous, caducous prophyll and one or more very reduced leaves; peduncle terete, 0.75-1 x 0.2-0.3 cm; spathe ellipsoid, weakly beaked, 3.5-4 x 1.2-1.5 cm, spongy-fleshy, yellow, inflated and gaping at female anthesis and then closing and drying onto developing infructescence; spadix ellipsoid, stipitate, inserted ± level on stipe, 2.1-2.2 x 0.7-0.8 cm, creamy white; stipe 5-6 x 2-2 mm, white; stylar region irregularly rhombohexagonal, 2-2.2 x 2.1-2.3 mm, weakly conical; stigma very prominently raised on a c. 1 mm stipe, punctiform to globose, c. 0.5 mm diam.; anthers exserted at male anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE not seen.