Araceae
Biarum kotschyi (Schott) B.Mathew ex Riedl
SUMMARY
Tuber slightly dorso-ventrally compressed-discoid to ± globosediscoid, 2–5 cm in diam., 1–1.2 cm thick, pale brown. Leaves 5–15, hysteranthous, distinctly petiolate, bases encased by 3–6, 6–9 × 1.5–2 cm elliptic lanceolate, sub-fleshy, later papery, cataphylls, these pale greenish white at first, pale straw-yellow on drying; petiole 5–9( – 22) cm × 4–5 mm, adaxial surface channeled and winged distally, slightly expanded into a wing proximally; leaf lamina elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic, rarely oblanceolate, 6–9.5 × 2.5–4 cm, apex sub-acute, base short-decurrent, c. 5–6 primary lateral veins on each side, margins smooth, lamina dull mid-green. Inflorescence appearing in late autumn, smelling pungently of horse dung; peduncle 3–6( – 17.5) cm × 4–6 mm, pale green to dirty white. Spathe 8.5–10 ( – 15) cm long; spathe limb lanceolate, 5.5–11 × 2–3.5 cm, apex acute, exterior pale dirty green with numerous small pale purple speckles and some purple staining, especially towards the margin, interior deep purple; spathe tube oblong, slightly inflated, 3–4.5 × 1.5–2.5 cm, margins connate for c. ¼ of their length, exterior white with some purple staining basally and apically, interior white stained purple at the base and apex. Spadix c. ¾ as long as, to just exceeding the spathe limb, 8–13 cm long; appendix ± sessile, slender- fusiform, 5–9 cm × 2.5–4.5 mm wide, deep purple. Staminate flowers in a zone 9–12 × 3–4.5 mm wide, anthers cream, tinged purple apically. Interstice 1.75–2.5 cm × 2 mm wide, purple. Staminodes arranged at the base of the interstice, directly above the pistillate flowers, filaments 3–6 mm long, purple. Pistillate flowers in a hemispherical cluster 12–15 × 7–9 mm; ovaries bottle-shaped, 1–1.5 × 0.75–1 mm, cream, stained purple, style c. 0.5 × 0.15 mm, purple, stigma capitate, c. 0.33 mm in diam., purple. Infructescence globose, c. 3–4.5 cm in diam., consisting of c. 40 berries; berries oblong-ovoid, c. 5–6 × 4–5 mm wide, pale purple with darker staining when ripe; seed globose, c. 4 mm in diam., strongly reticulate. 2n not recorded.