Schismatoglottis clarae A.Hay

Robust herb to c. 75 cm tall. Stem hypogeal, clump-forming, hapaxanthic, c. 2 cm diam. Leaves c. 3 together; petiole to 60 cm long, sheathing in the lower ⅓–½, wings of sheath tapering, fully attached; blade oblong-lanceolate to narrowly obovate, 26–37 cm long × 7–13 cm wide, dark green adaxially, paler below, the base acute to rounded, not at all cordate, the tip acute and acuminate for c. 2 cm; midrib not prominent, with c. 11 primary lateral veins on each side, alternating with lesser interprimaries, diverging at 45–60° (wider angle towards middle of blade), soon rather abruptly deflected towards the tip before joining the margin; secondary veins rather obscure, arising from the midrib; tertiary veins forming a tessellate reticulum visible on the adaxial side (dry), abaxially obscure. Inflorescences to 5 together; peduncle to 13 cm long, erect, declinate after anthesis, cataphylls hidden in subtending leaf sheath. Spathe c. 8 cm long; lower spathe ovoid, 3 cm long, green, differentiated from the limb by a distinct constriction; limb ovate, whitish, caducous, c. 5 cm long, acuminate for 1 cm. Spadix c. 7 cm long, sessile; female zone 2.2 cm long, adnate to the spathe for 1 cm, subcylindric (slightly conic in upper ⅓), 8 mm diam.; pistils crowded, subglobose, 1 mm diam.; stigma sessile, button-like, papillate, c. 0.5 mm diam.; interpistillar staminodes scattered among the pistils, more or less irregularly polygonal, slightly convex-topped, c. 0.5 mm diam.; sterile interstice 8 mm long, stout, slightly conic, 5 mm diam., with the staminodes squashed by the spathe constriction; staminodes crowded, irregularly polygonal, c. 0.8 mm diam.; male zone slightly and rather abruptly thicker than sterile zone, 7 mm diam. at base, slightly obconic, 1.6 cm long; stamens very crowded, more or less dumbbell-shaped with the connective mounded between the thecae, c. 1 mm across; pores more or less elliptic; appendix bullet-shaped, 2.4 cm long, the base slightly but abruptly wider than top of male zone, c. 1 cm diam., the tip acute; staminodes of appendix flat-topped, irregularly polygonal, frequently in small connate groups, c. 0.75 mm diam. Fruiting spathe narrowly urceolate, to c. 4 cm long.