Callopsis Engl.

Laticifers simple, articulated. HABIT : small evergreen herbs, stem a slender hypogeal rhizome, internodes very short. LEAVES : usually minutely hispid on petiole and abaxial surface of blade. PETIOLE : sheath very short. BLADE : cordate-ovate; primary lateral veins pinnate, running into marginal vein, higher order venation reticulate. INFLORESCENCE : 2 in each floral sympodium, appearing with the leaves. PEDUNCLE : slender, equalling or longer than petiole, sometimes exceeding entire leaf. SPATHE : broadly ovate-elliptic to subcircular, acuminate, decurrent, white, ± fully expanded and sometimes arching backwards at anthesis, persistent, closing at fruiting stage. SPADIX : shorter than spathe, female zone entirely adnate to spathe, ± laxly flowered with gynoecia ± biseriately arranged, contiguous with male zone or with short, naked axis in between, male zone equalling female, cylindric, densely flowered, fertile to apex. FLOWERS : unisexual, perigone absent. MALE FLOWER : probably 1-androus (2-3-androus according to Engler 1920a), stamens free, depressed subquadrate, anthers sessile, thecae opposite with subovoid microsporangia dehiscing by single apical pore. POLLEN : inaperturate, spherical to subspheroidal, medium-sized (mean 37 µm.), exine papillate-spinose. FEMALE FLOWER : gynoecium slender, flask-shaped, falcate, yellowish, ovary 1-locular, ovule 1, anatropous, placenta basal, style rather long-attenuate, stigma small, subhemispheric, slightly wider than style. BERRY : ellipsoid and slightly angled, style forming persistent mucro, green. SEED : ellipsoid, testa ± smooth, thin, embryo elongate, straight to slightly curved, endosperm copious.