Araceae
Zomicarpa Schott
SUMMARY
Laticifers anastomosing. HABIT : small, seasonally dormant herbs, tuber subglobose to depressed-globose. LEAVES : few. PETIOLE : sheath short. BLADE : entire ovate-cordate when juvenile, adult blade trisect to pedatisect, lobes oblong-elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, outer ones smaller; primary lateral veins of lobes pinnate, joined into submarginal collective vein at least in upper half of lobe, 1-2 marginal veins also present, higher order venation reticulate. INFLORESCENCE : 3-5 in each floral sympodium, appearing before or with leaves. PEDUNCLE : longer than petiole, slender. SPATHE : somewhat constricted, entirely persistent, tube only laxly convolute, slightly gaping at anthesis, obliquely held, blade longer than tube, expanded at anthesis, distinctly or slightly bent forward at constriction, ± erect, sometimes fornicate, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, acuminate. SPADIX : shorter than spathe, female zone few- and laxly flowered, adnate to spathe, contiguous with male zone, male zone cylindric, longer than female, laxly to densely flowered, appendix erect or bent forward near base, clavate to subcylindric, smooth or ± covered with sterile flowers (Z. steigeriana). FLOWERS : unisexual, perigone absent. MALE FLOWER : 1-2-androus, free, filaments distinct or very short, connective distinctively coloured, thecae ellipsoid, opposite, dehiscing by apical pore. POLLEN : inaperturate, spherical to subspheroidal, medium-sized (mean 32 µm., range 32-33 µm.), exine spinose. STERILE FLOWERS : sparse when present, conic and acuminate towards base of appendix, otherwise wart-like. FEMALE FLOWER : gynoecium cylindric or ovoid to subglobose, ovary 1-locular, ovules 6-11, anatropous, funicle distinct, placenta basal, style shortly attenuate, stigma broad, discoid-hemispheric. BERRY : depressed-globose, whitish below, darker at apex, few-several-seeded. SEED : ovoid to ellipsoid, testa smooth, thin, transparent, micropyle shortly rostrate, funicle strophiolate, swollen, white, embryo axile, elongate, endosperm copious.