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Araceae
Rhaphidophora nicolsonii P.C.Boyce
SUMMARY
Large, robust, pachycaul, heterophyllous liane of unknown ultimate height; seedling stage not observed; pre-adult plants (occasionally?) forming terrestrial colonies; LEAVES: adult shoot architecture comprised of elongated, clinging, physiognomically monopodial, densely leafy, flowering stems; stems smooth, without cataphyll and petiolar sheath fibre, internodes to 6 x 2 - 3 cm, separated by prominent oblique leaf scars; flagellate foraging stems not observed; clasping and feeding roots not observed; leaves weakly spiral-distichous; cataphylls and prophylls membranous, soon drying and falling; petiole shallowly grooved, upper part ± terete, 45-70 x 0.5-0.7 cm, smooth, apical and basal genicula very prominent; petiolar sheath prominent, extending 1/2 - 3/4 along petiole, soon falling to leave a prominent, slightly corky scar; lamina sparsely to rarely ± entirely pinnatipartite, or pinnatisect, 28-53 x 26-47 cm, broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, coriaceous, base truncate and very weakly cordate, apex acute to acuminate, individual pinnae up to 4 cm wide, but often leaves with only one division per side and thus pinnae accounting from up to 3/4 of entire lamina, lamina drying strongly discolorous, mid-brown adaxially, pale brown abaxially; mid-rib very prominently raised abaxially, slightly sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, raised abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially; interprimaries sub-parallel to primaries and only slightly less prominent, slightly raised abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially; secondary venation sub-parallel to interprimaries, slightly raised; tertiary venation reticulate; INFLORESCENCE solitary (always?); peduncle terete, to 19 x 1.5 cm; spathe not observed, probably falling swiftly; spadix stoutly cylindrical, sessile, inserted decurrently from 2 cm on peduncle, 14 x 2 cm, green; stylar region well developed, mostly rhombohexagonal, c.c. 2 x 2 mm, truncate, margins deflexed; stigma punctiform, c.c. 0.5 x 0.4 mm; anthers not observed; INFRUCTESCENCE not observed.