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Araceae
Rhaphidophora ustulata P.C.Boyce
SUMMARY
Large, moderately robust, semileptocaul (?) homeophyllous (?) liane unknown ultimate height; seedling and pre-adult plants unknown; LEAVES: adult shoot architecture not fully known but apparently comprised of clinging, physiognomically monopodial, leafy, non-flowering stems and free, sympodial, densely leafy, flowering stems; stems smooth, free stems, ± terete in cross-section, without fibre at the tips of active shoots, internodes to 2 x 0.75 cm, separated by large ± straight leaf scars; roots unknown; leaves scattered-distichous on free shoots; cataphylls and prophylls conspicuous, membranous, very quickly drying and falling; petiole deeply grooved adaxially, 15-22 x c. 0.2 cm, smooth, apical and basal genicula well defined, in dry material the apical geniculum drying much darker (dark brown) than the petiole (pale orange-brown); petiolar sheath very prominent, extending to the apical geniculum, briefly acute-ligulate, swiftly drying and falling in chartaceous strips to leave a slightly corky scar; lamina entire, elliptic to falcate-elliptic-lanceolate, 24-34 x 4-7 cm, thinly coriaceous, drying strongly discolorous, pale yellow-brown abaxially, mid-brown adaxially, base acute, briefly decurrent, apex acuminate with a prominent apiculate tubule; midrib slightly raised abaxially, slightly sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, very slightly raised abaxially and adaxially; interprimaries parallel to primaries, less prominent, very slightly raised abaxially and adaxially; secondary and tertiary venation just visible as an extremely faint reticulum; INFLORESCENCE solitary, subtended by a fully developed foliage leaf in which the petiolar sheath is greatly expanded; peduncle strongly compressed cylindric, 2-3 x c. 0.3 cm; spathe narrowly canoe-shaped, slender very long-beaked, c. 8 x 1.2 cm, stiff-thinly leathery; spadix strongly tapering-cylindrical, sessile, inserted level on peduncle, 7.5-8.2 x c. 1.2 cm; stylar region rhombohexagonal, 1-1.2 mm diam., truncate; stigma elongate to discoid, ± flat, c. 0.3 mm diam.; anthers not exserted at anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE unknown.