Rhaphidophora puberula (Araceae)
Moderate to large, rather robust, semi-pachycaul homeophyllous liane to 5 m; seedling stage not observed; pre-adult plants often forming small terrestrial colonies; LEAVES: adult shoot architecture comprised of elongated, clinging, physiognomically monopodial, leafy, non-flowering stems and short, usually unbranched, free, sympodial, densely leafy, flowering stems; stems smooth, terete in cross section, with very sparse prophyll, cataphyll and petiolar sheath fibre, this soon falling, internodes to 13 x 1.5 cm on adherent shoots, usually shorter and stouter on free shoots, separated by large, straight, corky leaf scars, older stems woody; flagellate foraging stems absent; clasping roots sparsely arising from the nodes and internodes of clinging stems, pubescent; feeding roots rare, adherent, pubescent; leaves distichous on adherent and free shoots; cataphylls and prophylls membranous, quickly drying and degrading into very sparse fibres, these soon falling; petiole deeply grooved to basally canaliculate, 9-33 x 0.2-3 cm, with the distal portion and apical geniculum minutely pubescent, especially when newly expanded, apical and basal geniculum moderately prominent; petiolar sheath very prominent, extending to just below the apical geniculum, swiftly drying and degrading into sparse, soon-falling; lamina entire to slightly perforated, perforations round to rhombic, extending c.c. 1/5-1/4 of lamina width on each side of the midrib, ovate to oblong-lanceolate or oblong-elliptic, oblique to falcate, minutely pubescent abaxially when young, 8-34 x 3.5-10.5 cm, thinly coriaceous to sub-chartaceous, base unequal, rounded, acute to slightly decurrent, apex acute to acuminate; mid-rib prominently raised and pubescent abaxially, ± sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, slightly raised abaxially and adaxially, the leaf appearing slightly quilted, pubescent in younger leaves, indumentum mostly shed in older leaves; interprimaries sub-parallel to primaries, very slightly less prominent, slightly raised abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially; secondary venation tessellate to weakly reticulate, slightly raised; tertiary venation not visible; INFLORESCENCE solitary, very rarely two together, fragrant of frangipani and pineapple (fide Hay et al. 9029) subtended by a fully developed foliage leaf and, if more than one inflorescence, then second preceded by a large cataphyll; peduncle strongly compressed-cylindric, 4-9 x 0.4-0.6 cm; spathe canoe-shaped, stoutly long-beaked, 5.5-19 x 1-6.5 cm, stiff-fleshy, dull green to dull yellow, pale yellow internally, falling (after?) female receptivity to leave a large, straight scar; spadix very weakly clavate cylindrical, sometimes slightly curved, sessile, inserted ± level on peduncle, 3-11.5 x 1-1.6 cm, cream; stylar region mostly hexagonal, 1.5-2 x 2.1-2.5 mm, truncate; stigma punctiform, prominent, 0.5-0.75 x 0.45-0.75 mm; anthers exserted at anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE stoutly oblong-cylindrical, 4.5-14 x 1.5-2 cm.
Superficially similar to R. foraminifera, especially in the perforate-leaf forms, R. puberula can be readily distinguished from R. foraminifera by the production of inflorescences on free lateral shoots and in having the active shoot apices without the characteristic black mucilage of R. foraminifera. Generally, flowering plants of the perforate-leaved forms of R. puberula have smaller leaves that are noticeably less perforated than those of R. foraminifera.
Peninsular Malaysia (Pahang, Perak, Selangor), Sumatera (including Kepulauan Batu and Kepulauan Mentawi), Nusa Tenggara and throughout Borneo.
On trees and rocks in primary and secondary lowland to mid-elevation dipterocarp forest, often on steep slopes, on granite and limestone.