Rhaphidophora perkinsiae (Araceae)
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.
Very similar to R. elmeri but distinguishable by the primary lateral veins barely distinguishable from the interprimaries, the whole primary and interprimary venation appearing densely pinnate on the abaxial leaf surface, and by the shorter (10-12 cm vs 14-17 cm) spadix. The spathe of falls early on during anthesis, contrasting with R. elmeri in which it appears that the spathe persists into fruiting, before eventually rotting away. Rhaphidophora perkinsiae is similar to R. acuminata but distinguishable by the larger, thinner leaf lamina and the lack of cataphyll remains at the tip of the active shoots.
Philippines (Leyte, Luzon, Mindanao, Negros), Taiwan (Lanyu Island), Japan (Ryukyus: Iriomote-Jima)
Primary to disturbed forest, areas with scattered trees, mossy forest.