Rhaphidophora perkinsiae Engl.

Moderately robust, semipachycaul homeophyllous liane to unknown ultimate height; seedling stage and pre-adult plants not observed; LEAVES: adult shoot architecture comprised of elongated, clinging, physiognomically monopodial, leafy, non-flowering stems and shorter, clinging, sympodial, densely leafy, flowering stems; stems smooth, terete in cross-section, without cataphyll remains at the apices of active shoots, internodes to 2-5.5 x 1 cm on free shoots, up to 2 cm on adherent shoots, separated by large almost straight 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, very quickly drying and falling; petiole channelled adaxially, 8-16 x 0.5-0.5 cm, smooth, apical and basal genicula weakly defined; petiolar sheath very prominent, extending to overtopping the apical geniculum, ligulate, clasping the newly emerged leaf or inflorescence, swiftly drying and soon falling ± whole to leave a conspicuous scar; lamina entire, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, slightly oblique, 12-20 x 7.5-14 cm, mostly thinly coriaceous, base rounded, apex falcate-acuminate with a prominent apiculate tubule; midrib raised abaxially, slightly sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, slightly raised abaxially and adaxially; interprimaries parallel to primaries and usually hardly less prominent, slightly raised abaxially and adaxially; secondary venation ± obscure in fresh material, visible as a faint reticulum in dried specimens; INFLORESCENCE solitary, subtended by a fully developed foliage leaf; peduncle compressed-cylindric, 6-16 x 0.4-0.6 cm; spathe slender canoe-shaped, stoutly short-beaked, 11-16 x 1.2-3 cm, stiff-fleshy, green, turning almost black prior to falling; spadix cylindrical, sessile, inserted obliquely on peduncle, 10-12 x 1.7-2.5 cm; stylar region weakly rhombohexagonal, often barely angled, 0.9-1.2 x 1-1.1 mm, weakly conical; stigma cylindrical, prominently raised, c. 0.15 mm diam.; anthers exserted at anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE 13-15 x 1.5-3 cm.