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Araceae
Schismatoglottis retinervia Furtado
SUMMARY
Small, sometimes colony-forming herb to c. 20 cm tall. Stem creeping to sprawling and somewhat elongate, to c. 20 cm long, c. 0.5 cm diam., epigeal, rooting along its length, occasionally branching, pleionanthic, internodes 0.5-1 cm long. Leaves several together along the distal parts of the stem and clustered at the apex; petiole 8-12 cm long, sheathing in the lower ?-½; wings of sheath fully attached to petiole, tapering, membranous; lamina very dark green adaxially, paler abaxially, elliptic and slightly falcate, 7-12 cm long × 2.5-4 cm wide, the base acute, the apex acute and slightly acuminate for c. 5-8 mm; midrib abaxially prominent, adaxially flush with the lamina; primary lateral veins 8-9 on each side, mostly alternating with lesser interprimaries, diverging at 80-100°, then gradually up-curved more or less throughout their length to spreading most of the way across the lamina then abruptly upcurved (variable to some extent even on same stem), abaxially prominent in older leaves; secondary venation mostly arising from the midrib, occasionally from the base of the primary veins; tertiary venation forming a conspicuous tessellate reticulum abaxially. Inflorescence solitary; peduncle to c. 2 cm long, not or only slightly exserted from the leaf bases. Spathe creamy white, 2.5-3 cm long; lower spathe 1 cm long, ovoid, differentiated from the limb by a constriction; limb broadly ovate, c. 1.8 cm long, mucronate for 2-4 mm, deciduous. Spadix white, 2.2 cm long, sessile; female zone 6 mm long, narrowly conoid; pistils somewhat lax, subglobose, 0.5 mm diam.; stigma sessile, button-like, c. ½ the diameter of the ovary; interpistillar staminodes confined to a ring at base of female zone; sterile interstice attenuate, partly naked, 3-4 mm long, at the base an irregular whorl of abortive pistils, distally these scattered, finally a loose group of abortive stamens; male zone obconoid, 6 mm long, 1.5 mm diam. at base, 4 mm diam. distally; stamens crowded, dumbbell-shaped, more or less truncate with the connective slightly mounded between the thecae; pores each with a heavily flanged rim; appendix conic-ellipsoid 5 mm long and wide at the base, the tip acute, composed of irregularly polygonal, more or less flat-topped staminodes c. 0.75 mm diam. Fruiting spathe short-peduncled, erect, urceolate, c. 1 cm long.