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Araceae
Rhaphidophora stenophylla K.Krause
SUMMARY
Large, rather robust, semi-leptocaul, homeophyllous liane to unknown ultimate height; seedling stage very slender terrestrial to climbing, leaves arranged in two ranks; pre-adult plants clinging, slender, with very narrow leaves; adult shoot comprised of elongated, clinging, physiognomically unbranched, non-flowering stems and free lateral, leafy flowering stems; stems terete to strongly compressed, but not rectangular in cross-section, without cataphyll, prophyll and petiolar sheath fibre, internodes 1-3 x 0.2-2 cm, separated by prominent almost straight, slightly corky leaf scars; flagellate foraging stem absent; clasping roots arising from nodes and internodes; feeding roots not observed; LEAVES spiro-distichous in mature plants; cataphylls and prophylls caducous; petiole deeply canaliculate, 2-16 x 0.2-1 cm, apical geniculum small and very obscure, basal geniculum weakly defined; petiolar sheath very prominent, broadly winged and extending to apical geniculum, persistent almost through to leaf fall; lamina entire, linear-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate or narrowly oblong-lanceolate, slightly falcate, 9-38 x 1.5-4 cm, subcoriaceous, base subacute to slightly decurrent, apex acute to briefly acuminate with a prominent tubule; midrib raised abaxially, sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, slightly raised abaxially, almost flush adaxially; interprimaries reticulate-parallel to primaries, almost indistinguishable from them, slightly raised abaxially, almost flush adaxially; secondary venation reticulate, hardly visible; INFLORESCENCE solitary, subtended by a ± fully developed foliage leaf; peduncle slightly laterally compressed to terete, 6-10 x c. 1 cm; spathe broadly canoe-shaped, stoutly long-beaked, 11-13 x 1.5-2.5 cm, stiffly fleshy, yellow, caducous leaving a large scar at the base of the spadix; spadix cylindrical, slightly curved, long stipitate, 6-9 x 1.5-2.2 cm, inserted level to almost truncate on stipe, white; stipe slender to stoutly terete, 2.5-3 x 3-0.4 cm; stylar region rhombohexagonal, 1-2 x 1-1.5 mm, conical; stigma punctiform, prominently raised, c. 0.3 mm diam.; anthers strongly exserted at male anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE not observed.