Biarum pyrami (Schott) Engl.

Tuber globose-discoid 2–4 × 2–2.5 cm, mid-brown. Leaves hysteranthous (var. pyrami ) or synanthous (var. serotinum ), long-petiolate, encased basally by numerous (2 – )7–13 × 0.5–2 cm elliptic-lanceolate sub-fleshy, later papery, cataphylls, these pale greenish, occasionally with faint purple spots externally at first, later pale straw-yellow; petiole 8–16 cm × 2.5–4.5 mm, margins slightly winged, adaxial surface channeled distally, expanded proximally into broad membranous wing, mid-green; leaf lamina oblong-elliptic to ovateelliptic, 6–18 × 3–8 cm, apex subacute to slightly rounded, base briefly decurrent to rounded, occasionally sub-truncate, c. 9–10 primary lateral veins per side, margins fl at, occasionally crispulate, leaf lamina deep green, with black-purple or green bullae (var. pyrami ) or smooth (var. serotinum ). Inflorescence appearing in late autumn (var. pyrami ) or early winter (var. serotinum ), smelling strongly foetid of cattle dung and carrion; peduncle 4–7 cm × 3–4 mm, off white. Spathe 10–25 cm long; spathe limb lanceolate, (7 – )15–18.5 × 2–3.5 cm, long-acuminate, erect at first but soon refl exing and coiling, exterior mid-green stained and spotted purple-brown, especially towards the margins (var. pyrami ) or unspotted (var. serotinum ), interior deep purple brown, sometimes with paler speckling along the middle and towards the apex; spathe tube globose, ventricose, 3–4 × 2.5–3.5 cm, margins connate for a ¼ of their length, exterior whitish below ground, purple-brown above, interior dark purple. Spadix equalling to slightly exceeding the spathe limb, 9–26 cm long; spadix appendix cylindricfusiform 5.7–22 cm × (3 – ) 5–9 mm, deep purple-brown. Staminate flowers in a zone 10–15 × 5–6 mm, anthers purple. Interstice 14–16 × 2–3.5 mm, deep purple, rarely dull creamy yellow. Pistillodes in a zone 5–10 mm long at the base of the interstice, sparse; bases slightly swollen, purple; bristles filiform, flattened distally, 5–7 mm long, cream, sometimes flushed deep purple. Pistillate flowers in a hemispherical cluster c. 10 × 3–5 mm high, ovaries bottle-shaped, 1.5–2 × 1–1.25 mm, deep purple, paler below, style c. 1.5 × 0.33 mm, purple, stigma sub-capitate, c. 0.50 mm in diam., white. Infructescence globose, 2–3 cm in diam., consisting of c. 50 berries; berries oblong-pyriform, 7–10 × 5–6 mm, silvery-lilac, stained purple proximally, seed sub-turbinate, 5–6 × 4–5 mm wide, testa reticulate, dark brown.