Steudnera K.Koch

HABIT : medium sized to robust herbs, usually evergreen, sometimes seasonally dormant, stem epigeal, stout, erect or creeping, covered with fibrous remains of leaves and cataphylls. LEAVES : few to several. PETIOLE : sheath very short. BLADE : peltate, ovate or ovate-oblong, acuminate, often emarginate at base; basal ribs short, well-developed, primary lateral veins pinnate, forming submarginal collective vein very near margin, marginal vein also present, secondary and tertiary laterals arising from the primaries at a wide angle, then arching towards leaf margin and forming ± conspicuous interprimary collecting vein, higher order venation reticulate. INFLORESCENCE : solitary. PEDUNCLE : shorter than petiole. SPATHE : yellow or ± dark purple within, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, not constricted, barely convolute at base, ± fully expanded at anthesis, lower part probably persistent to fruiting stage, upper part becoming reflexed and revolute, probably eventually marcescent. SPADIX : much shorter than spathe, densely flowered, female zone cylindric, often longer than male, mostly adnate to spathe, male zone contiguous with female, cylindric, ellipsoid or subglobose, fertile to apex, obtuse. FLOWERS : unisexual, perigone absent. MALE FLOWER : 3-6-androus, stamens connate, synandrium strongly lobed, apically truncate, common connective relatively small, impressed at apex, thecae oblong, contiguous, dehiscing by apical pore. POLLEN : inaperturate, ellipsoid-oblong, small (mean 22 µm.), exine striate. FEMALE FLOWER : gynoecium surrounded by whorl of 2-5, short, claviform staminodes, more rarely staminodes absent, ovary subglobose to ovoid, 1-locular, ovules numerous, hemiorthotropous, funicle distinct, placentae 2-5, parietal, in basal part only or extending from base to apex, style ± lacking, stigma strongly 2-5-lobed. BERRY : ovoid, many-seeded. SEED : ovoid to ellipsoid, testa costate, embryo axile, endosperm copious.