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Araceae
Rhaphidophora okapensis P.C.Boyce & Bogner
SUMMARY
Moderate, slightly robust, semi-leptocaul, homeophyllous neotenic liane to unknown ultimate height; seedling stage and pre-adult plants not observed; LEAVES: adult shoot architecture comprised of clinging, physiognomically unbranched, densely leafy, sterile stems, and clinging, leafy flowering stems; stems terete in cross-section, smooth, without prophyll, cataphyll and petiolar sheath remains, internodes to 5 x 0.75 cm, separated by slightly swollen nodes with + sloping scars, older stems sub-woody; flagellate foraging stems not observed; clasping roots arising sparsely from the internodes, smooth to very slightly pubescent; feeding roots not observed; leaves distichous, those on adherent shoots weakly shingling to slightly scattered, those on free shoots pendent to slightly spreading; cataphylls and prophylls membranous, caducous; petiole shallowly and broadly grooved, 1-4 x 0.1-0.2 cm, smooth, apical and basal genicula quite prominent; petiolar sheath prominent, membranous, ligulate, ligule extending c. 1.5 cm beyond apical geniculum, soon drying and adhering to stem, later disintegrating and falling; lamina ovate, adaxially mid-green, abaxially paler, very stiffly coriaceous, 2.5-8.5 x 0.9-4 cm, base cordate to rounded and slightly notched, apex long acuminate with a pronounced tubule; midrib proximally raised abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially; primary venation pinnate, slightly raised on both leaf surfaces; interprimaries sub-parallel to and barely distinguishable from primaries, slightly raised on both leaf surfaces; secondary venation reticulate, slightly raised abaxially and adaxially; INFLORESCENCE solitary on short leafy shoots, subtended by a fully developed or reduced foliage leaf, and a soon-degrading, membranous, long-ligulate prophyll; peduncle terete, 4-6 x 0.15-0.2 cm; spathe broadly canoe-shaped, rounded, minutely apiculate, 3-3.5 x 1.2-1.5 cm, stiffly fleshy, yellow, turning purple, (early marcescent?) leaving a large scar at the base of the spadix; spadix stout, cigar-shaped, stipitate, inserted level on stipe, 1.9-2.2 x 0.75-1 cm; stipe 4-4.5 x 1-1.2 mm; stylar region conical, regularly rhombohexagonal in plan view, 0.8-1 x c. 1 mm; stigma slightly raised, punctiform, c. 0.4 mm diam.; anthers exserted at male anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE not seen.