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Araceae
Rhaphidophora teysmanniana Engl. & K.Krause
SUMMARY
Medium slender, leptocaul homeophyllous (?) liane to unknown ultimate height; seedling stage, pre-adult plants and overall adult shoot architecture not observed but adult shoots probably consisting, physiognomically monopodial, leafy, non-flowering stems and long, free, sympodial, moderately leafy flowering stems pendent under their own weight; stems smooth, free stems terete to subterete in cross-section, without prophyll, cataphyll and petiolar sheath fibre, internodes to 1.2-1.8 x 0.4-0.6 cm on free shoots, separated by weakly defined, slightly oblique leaf scars; flagellate foraging stems, clasping and feeding roots not observed; LEAVES spiro-distichous on free shoots; cataphylls and prophylls membranous, very quickly drying and falling; petiole broadly canaliculate, 7-10 x 0.2-0.25 cm, smooth, basal genicula prominent; petiolar sheath fallen on all specimens examined, extending to and encircling the apical geniculum, presumably very swiftly drying and falling to leave a continuous conspicuous scar from the petiole base, around the top of the apical geniculum and back to the base; lamina entire, oblong-lanceolate, subfalcate, markedly oblique, 25-30 x 6-7 cm, thinly coriaceous, base acute slightly unequal-acute, apex long-acuminate, with a prominent apiculate tubule; midrib prominently raised abaxially, slightly sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, prominently raised abaxially and slightly raised adaxially; interprimaries subparallel to primaries, less prominent, very slightly raised abaxially and adaxially; secondary and tertiary venation ± obscure in fresh material, visible as a very faint reticulum in dried specimens; INFLORESCENCE solitary, subtended by a fully developed foliage leaf; peduncle terete, c. 2.5 x 0.15 cm; spathe cigar-shaped, stoutly long-beaked, c. 3.8 x 1 cm, thickly fleshy; spadix weakly cylindrical, sessile, inserted ± level on peduncle, c. 3 x 0.8 cm; stylar region mostly rhombohexagonal, 1-2 x 1.5-2 mm, truncate; stigma punctiform, barely raised, c. 0.25-0.3 mm diam.; INFRUCTESCENCE unknown.