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Araceae
Rhaphidophora waria P.C.Boyce
SUMMARY
Small but robust pachycaul, homeophyllous (?) liane to unknown ultimate height; seedling stage not observed; pre-adult plants climbing with leaves arranged in two ranks and distinctive by the conspicuous yellow chartaceous petiolar sheaths; adult shoot architecture comprised of clinging, physiognomically unbranched, densely leafy flowering stems; stems with conspicuous smooth papery epidermis and cataphylls and prophylls persistent and drying dark yellow, then degrading into parchment-like remains and fibres, internodes 1-2.5 x 0.3-0.9 cm, separated by almost straight leaf scars; flagellate foraging stem absent; clasping roots densely arising from the nodes and internodes, minutely pubescent; feeding roots not observed; LEAVES distichous; cataphylls and prophylls thinly but stiffly chartaceous, eventually degrading into strips of tissue and fibres, particularly at tips of flowering shoots; petiole deeply canaliculate, 3-15 x 0.2-0.4 cm, smooth, apical geniculum weakly prominent, basal geniculum slightly less so and mostly obscured by cataphyll remains; petiolar sheath extending to apical geniculum, persistent, eventually degrading in strips leaving fibres; lamina entire, lanceolate to elliptic, falcate, 6-23 x 1.5-5 cm, stiffly coriaceous, apex acute, briefly acuminate; midrib raised abaxially, sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, raised abaxially, slightly less raised adaxially; interprimaries sub-parallel to primaries and less conspicuous; secondary venation tessellate-reticulate, raised abaxially, nearly flush abaxially; tertiary venation similar to secondary venation although more or less invisible; INFLORESCENCE several together, each subtended by a prominent chartaceous prophyll and one or more chartaceous cataphylls, the entire synflorescence emerging from a mass of cataphyll remains; peduncle stout, terete to laterally compressed, obscured by cataphylls, 2-4 x 0.3-0.35 cm; spathe canoe-shaped, slightly stoutly beaked, 4-5.5 x 1.5-2 cm, stiff-fleshy, duration unknown; spadix cylindrical, stipitate, c. 3.2 x 0.9 cm, cream; stipe 2-3 mm; stylar region rounded-conical, almost circular in plan view, 0.25-0.4 mm diam.; stigma deeply excavated, c. 0.2 mm diam; anthers not exserted at male anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE not observed.