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Araceae
Rhaphidophora floresensis P.C.Boyce
SUMMARY
Large, moderately robust, semileptocaul (?) homeophyllous (?) liane unknown ultimate height; seedling and pre-adult plants unknown; LEAVES: adult shoot architecture not fully known but apparently comprised of clinging, physiognomically monopodial, leafy, non-flowering stems and long, moderately elaborated, free, sympodial, densely leafy, flowering stems; stems smooth, free stems, ± terete in cross-section, without fibre at the tips of active shoots, internodes to 3 x 1 cm, separated by large ± straight leaf scars; roots unknown; leaves spiro-distichous on free shoots; cataphylls and prophylls conspicuous, membranous, very quickly drying and falling; petiole deeply grooved adaxially, 11-22 x 0.2-3.5 cm, smooth, apical and basal genicula well defined; petiolar sheath prominent, extending to the apical geniculum, swiftly drying and leave s slightly corky scar; lamina entire, elliptic to falcate-lanceolate, 21-24 x 4-7 cm, very thinly coriaceous, base acute, apex acuminate with a prominent apiculate tubule; midrib raised abaxially, slightly sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, barely visible in dried specimens; interprimaries parallel to primaries, almost invisible; secondary and tertiary venation just about visible as a faint reticulum; INFLORESCENCE solitary, subtended by a large papery cataphyll; peduncle strongly compressed cylindric, c. 7 x 0.3-0.5 cm; spathe canoe-shaped, stoutly very long-beaked, 9-12 x c. 2 cm, stiff-leathery, swiftly falling (at female receptivity?), yellow; spadix slightly tapering-cylindrical, 6.5-8.5 x 1-1.3 cm sessile, inserted level on peduncle; stylar region rhombohexagonal, c. 1.8 mm diam., stigma punctiform, raised, c. 0.3 mm diam.; anthers barely exserted at anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE c. 9 x 1.5 cm.