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Araceae
Rhaphidophora schlechteri K.Krause
SUMMARY
Slender to moderately robust, leptocaul, homeophyllous (?) liane to 20 m; seedling and pre-adult plants not observed; LEAVES: adult shoot architecture comprised of elongated, clinging, physiognomically unbranched, leafy, non-flowering stems and very short to somewhat lengthened, unbranched, free, sympodial, leafy, flowering stems; stems smooth, flexuous, terete, without prophyll, cataphyll and petiolar sheath fibre, internodes 1-9 x 0.5-1.5 cm, separated by thin, slightly oblique, leaf scars, older stems woody; flagellate foraging stems absent; clasping roots arising singly from the node; feeding roots not observed; leaves spiro-distichous, scattered; cataphylls and prophylls membranous, caducous; petiole grooved adaxially, 7-14 x 0.2-0.3 cm, smooth, with a very slight apical and prominent basal geniculum; petiolar sheath very prominent on newest leaves, very broad basally, narrowing c. 1/2 way along petiole and extending beyond the apical geniculum by two tiny ligules, caducous leaving a continuous scar from the petiole base, around the top of the apical geniculum and back to the base; lamina entire, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, slightly to prominently oblique, 10-34 x 4-9.5 cm, thinly coriaceous, base obtuse-cuneate to rounded and minutely cordate, apex falcate, acute to long-acuminate, with a tiny tubule; midrib slightly raised abaxially, flush to very slightly sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, slightly raised on both surfaces; interprimaries sub-parallel and barely less distinctive than primaries; secondary and tertiary venation reticulate, conspicuous in dry material; INFLORESCENCE solitary, subtended by a incompletely developed foliage leaf and one or more prominent caducous cataphylls; peduncle slightly compressed-terete, 5-9 x c 0.5-1 cm; spathe cigar-shaped, apex stoutly beaked, 4-11 x c. 3.5 cm (flattened out), thick, marcescent, falling as fruits ripen, green at male anthesis; spadix cylindrical, stipitate, inserted slightly obliquely on stipe, 6-8.5 x 1.5-2 cm, creamy white; stipe terete, 0.5-1 cm long; stylar region depressed-rhombohexagonal, c. 1.2 x 1.3 mm, truncate; stigma punctiform, c. 0.3 mm diam., raised at male anthesis but barely prominent in dried material; anthers strongly exserted at male anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE stoutly cylindrical, c. 8 x 3 cm, with dry spathe persisting.