Rhaphidophora elliptifolia Merr.

Large, robust, pachycaul homeophyllous liane to 10 m; seedling stage a non-skototropic shingling shoot; pre-adult plants occasionally forming small terrestrial colonies of appressed shingling shoots; LEAVES: adult shoot architecture comprised of greatly elongated, clinging, physiognomically unbranched, leafy, non-flowering stems and long, moderately elaborated, free, densely leafy, flowering stems; stems smooth, climbing stems prominently rectangular in cross-section, the surfaces slightly convex, free stems spreading, irregularly four-angled in cross-section, sometimes irregularly terete, with untidy prophyll, cataphyll and petiolar sheath fibre at the tips of active shoots, internodes to 7 x 1.5 cm on clinging shoots, shorter and less stout on free shoots, separated by large oblique to almost straight leaf scars, older stems sub-woody; flagellate foraging stems not observed (absent?); clasping roots densely arising from the nodes and internodes of clinging stems, pubescent; feeding roots rare, clinging, pubescent; leaves spiro-distichous on clinging and free shoots; cataphylls and prophylls membranous, soon drying and degrading into netted and tangled fibres; petiole deeply channelled adaxially, 10-13 x 0.3 -0.4 cm, smooth, apical geniculum well defined, basal genicula rather weakly defined; petiolar sheath prominent, extending to and encircling the apical geniculum, briefly ligulate, soon drying and degrading into netted fibres, eventually falling to leave a continuous slight scar from the petiole base, around the top of the apical geniculum and back to the base; lamina entire, narrowly elliptic to narrowly elliptic-oblong, 20-29 x 4.5-7 cm, coriaceous, upper surfaces semiglossy, lower surfaces matt, base acute to decurrent, apex attenuate with a slight apiculate apicule, margins revolute in dried material; midrib raised abaxially, sunken adaxially; primary venation densely pinnate, raised abaxially and adaxially; interprimaries parallel to primaries and barely less prominent, slightly raised abaxially and adaxially; secondary and tertiary venation ± obscure in fresh material, visible as a very faint reticulum in dried specimens; INFLORESCENCE solitary, subtended by a fully developed foliage leaf and netted petiolar sheath, prophyll and cataphyll fibre; peduncle compressed-cylindric, 5.5 x 0.3 cm; spathe broadly canoe-shaped, stoutly short-beaked, 6-6.5 x 2-2.5 cm, thickly stiff-fleshy, dull yellow, persistent into early fruiting; spadix cylindrical, ± sessile, inserted level on peduncle, c. 5 x 1 cm; stylar region rhombohexagonal, 1.7-2 x 1.7-2 mm, truncate; stigma rounded, raised, c. 0.3 mm diam.; anthers not exserted at male anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE c. 7 cm long (known from partial material only).