Carlephyton Jum.

HABIT : seasonally dormant herbs, tuber depressed-globose. LEAVES : 1-2(-3). PETIOLE : sheath short. BLADE : cordate; primary lateral veins pinnate, forming submarginal collective vein, 1-2 marginal veins also present, secondary and tertiary laterals mostly parallel-pinnate, higher order venation reticulate. INFLORESCENCE : 1-2(-3) in each floral sympodium, appearing before or with leaf. PEDUNCLE : shorter than petiole. SPATHE : not constricted, upper half marcescent, lower part persistent, ± fully expanded at anthesis, later closing, cream to dull purple within. SPADIX : fertile to apex, lower part of female zone adnate to spathe, male and female zones contiguous or with a few bisexual flowers between them, sometimes (C. glaucophyllum) basal zone of spadix composed almost entirely of bisexual flowers. FLOWERS : unisexual, perigone absent. MALE FLOWER : 1-6-androus, stamens connate, synandrium somewhat angled, truncate apically, common connective broad, thecae either marginal, projecting laterally and inverted, thus dehiscing by slit on lower surface, or stamens not completely connate, upper part of filaments ± free and thickened with thecae dehiscing by apical slit, sometimes remote. POLLEN : inaperturate, spherical or subspheroidal, medium-sized (mean 34 µm., range 33-35 µm.), exine spinose. FEMALE FLOWER : gynoecium surrounded by cup-like synandrodium, ovary 1-locular, ovule 1, orthotropous, funicle short, placenta basal, style short, stigma discoid to subhemispheric. BISEXUAL FLOWERS : gynoecium surrounded by synandrium bearing 1-4 thecae, ovary as above. BERRY : ellipsoid to fusiform, orange-red. SEED : ellipsoid, testa thin, smooth, embryo ellipsoid, plumule lateral, endosperm absent.