Rhaphidophora elmeri Engl. & K.Krause

Moderately robust, semipachycaul homeophyllous liane to unknown ultimate height; seedling stage not observed; pre-adult plants forming small terrestrial colonies; LEAVES: adult shoot architecture comprised of elongated, clinging, physiognomically monopodial, leafy, non-flowering stems and shorter, clinging, sympodial, densely leafy, flowering stems; stems smooth, slightly compressed-terete in cross-section, without cataphyll remains at the apices of active shoots, internodes to 2-8 x 1cm on free shoots, up to 2.5 cm on adherent shoots, separated by large slightly oblique leaf scars; flagellate foraging stems not observed; clasping roots densely arising from the nodes and internodes of stems, pubescent; feeding roots not observed; leaves distichous; cataphylls and prophylls large and conspicuous, membranous, quickly drying and falling; petiole channelled adaxially, slightly carinate abaxially, 13-25 x 0.4-0.7 cm, smooth, apical and basal genicula well defined; petiolar sheath very prominent, extending to and surrounding the apical geniculum, swiftly drying and soon falling ± whole to leave a conspicuous scar extending around the apical geniculum; lamina entire, oblong to oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, slightly to rather markedly oblique, 16-34 x 8-14 cm, thinly coriaceous, base rounded to sub-truncate and very slightly decurrent, apex rounded-acuminate to acuminate with a slight apiculate tubule; midrib wide, prominently raised abaxially, especially proximally, slightly sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, slightly raised abaxially, densely pinnate and raised adaxially; interprimaries parallel to primaries and much less prominent abaxially, about as prominent as primary laterals adaxially, slightly raised abaxially and adaxially; secondary venation ± obscure in fresh material, visible as a very faint weak reticulum in dried specimens; INFLORESCENCE solitary, subtended by a large briefly persistent cataphyll; peduncle often very stout, compressed-cylindric, 13-22 x 0.7-2 cm; spathe not observed in entirety, seemingly persistent into fruiting and then rotting away at infructescence maturity; spadix stoutly tapering-cylindrical, often markedly curved, sessile, inserted strongly-obliquely on peduncle, 14-17 x 1-2.5 cm; stylar region rhombohexagonal, 0.9-1.2 x 1-1.1 mm, truncate; stigma cylindrical, raised, c. 0.15 mm diam.; anthers exserted at anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE 16 x 2.5 cm.