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Araceae
Rhaphidophora oligosperma Alderw.
SUMMARY
Large, moderately robust, homeophyllous (?) liane to 15 m; seedling stage and pre-adult plants unknown; LEAVES: adult shoot architecture comprised of elongated, clinging, physiognomically monopodial, leafy, non-flowering stems and long, moderately elaborated, free, sympodial, densely leafy, pendent flowering; stems drying prominently longitudinally ridges, terete in cross-section, internodes to 1.2 - 7 x 0.5-1.5 cm, separated by large oblique, very prominent leaf scars; flagellate foraging stems, clasping roots, & feeding roots unknown; leaves distichous on free shoots; cataphylls and prophylls membranous, conspicuous, quickly drying and falling; petiole broadly canaliculate, 7.5-18 x 0.3-0.4 cm, smooth, apical and particularly basal genicula well defined, drying darker then petiole; petiolar sheath very prominent, extending to and encircling the apical geniculum, briefly ligulate, very swiftly drying and falling to leave a continuous conspicuous scar from the petiole base, around the top of the apical geniculum and back to the base; lamina entire, lanceolate to oblong lanceolate, ± falcate, 14-33 x 4-8 cm, thinly coriaceous, base acute, apex acute to long-acuminate with a slight tubule; midrib raised abaxially, slightly sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, raised abaxially and adaxially; interprimaries parallel to primaries and only slightly less prominent; secondary and tertiary venation reticulate, rather prominent in dried specimens; INFLORESCENCE solitary, subtended by a fully developed foliage leaf and one (more?) conspicuous cataphylls; peduncle compressed-cylindric, 8 x 9 cm; spathe narrowly cigar-shaped, long stout-acuminate, 6-7 x c. 1 cm, exterior light green; spadix very slightly tapering-cylindrical, stipitate, 3-4(-7) x 0.6-0.75 cm; stipe 3-3.5 mm long; stylar region weakly rhombohexagonal, c. 0.8-0.9 mm diam., truncate; stigma punctiform, ± flat, c. 0.25 mm diam.; anthers well exserted at anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE tapering-cylindrical, 4.5-9.5 x 0.75-1 cm, ovaries few-seeded.