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Araceae
Chlorospatha nicolsonii Croat & L.P.Hannon
SUMMARY
Terrestrial or hemiepiphytic herb, to ca. 1 m tall; stem decumbent, with remnants of old leaf bases and cataphylls persisting ± intact and weakly fibrous at upper nodes (all measurements made from dried material); internodes 2-4 cm long, 8-10 mm diam., drying weakly glossy, dark brown, occasionally finely irregularly transversely-ridged, the ridges darker than surface; cataphylls ca. 16-19 cm long, apex not known, drying weakly glossy to semi-glossy, dark reddish brown, weakly fibrous. LEAVES 2-3, erect-spreading; petioles 38-60 cm long, drying glabrous, semi-glossy, dark reddish brown, sheathed 15-22 cm, ca. 1f.I of total length; sheath decurrent at apex; free portion 3-5 mm diam. midway; blades subhastate, 28-35 cm long, 18-22 cm wide, 1.7-2.2 times longer than wide, acute to acuminate at apex, broadest at base, 1.9-2.8 times wider at base than across anterior lobe (measured tip to tip across posterior lobes), weakly to moderately constricted in area of petiole attachment, drying thinly coriaceous, concolorous to moderately bicolorous; upper surface drying matte to weakly glossy, occasionally in part semi-glossy, dark brown to greenish brown; lower surface drying weakly glossy to semi-glossy; anterior lobe 18-20.5 cm long, 9-9.5 cm wide, 2-2.2 times longer than wide, 1.2-1.3 times longer than posterior lobes, broadest below middle, usually near base, ± symmetrical; posterior lobes directed outward, 13.5-17.5 cm long, 4-5.5 cm wide, 3.4-3.8 times longer than wide, narrowly rounded to bluntly acute at apex, broadest below middle, ± symmetrical to weakly inequilateral, the inner side occasionally weakly narrower, ± rounded toward base, briefly attenuate and decurrent onto petiole; outer side ± straight toward base; all venation (except reticulate) drying weakly to moderately darker than surface; midrib round-raised on lower surface, drying ± raised; basal veins 4-6 pairs, coalesced into a prominent posterior rib; primary lateral veins 3-4 pairs, arising at 30-60°, most acutely toward apex, weakly to moderately arcuate, occasionally strongly arcuate or irregularly ascending, convex on lower surface, drying ± flattened to weakly raised; secondary veins raised on lower surface, drying ± flattened to weakly raised; tertiary veins drying entirely or in part prominulous and otherwise distinct on lower surface; reticulate veins obscure; collective veins 3, the innermost arising from one of the lowermost lateral veins on inner side of posterior lobe, loop-connected with all preceding lateral veins, parallel to margin to moderately scalloped, 3-7 mm from margin. INFLORESCENCES erect, to 3 per axil; peduncle held within the sheath, 11-15 cm long, 1.5-3.5 mm diam., drying weakly glossy to semi-glossy, dark brown; spathe entirely cream-colored or yellow, erect, 7-8.5 cm long, acuminate at apex, weakly or not at all constricted between tube and blade; spathe tube 3.2-4.4 cm long, 3-4 mm diam., drying matte, dark reddish brown on outer surface, weakly glossy on inner surface; spathe blade 4-4.5 cm long, 5-6 mm diam., dry-ing weakly glossy to semi-glossy, pale-medium to medium-dark reddish brown on both surfaces, marcescent, erect after anthesis; spadix erect, 6-8 cm long, sessile, adnate to spathe 2.7-3.8 cm at base, the entire length of pistillate portion and occasionally narrowly onto sterile staminate portion; pistillate portion 2.7-3.8 cm long, 2-3 mm diam., wider than thick, drying cream to tan; fertile staminate portion cream or yellow, 2.5-3.5 cm long, 3-4 mm diam., ± cylindrical, narrowly rounded at apex, drying medium to medium-dark yellowish brown; sterile staminate portion 3-8 mm long, 2-3 mm diam., cylindrical or weakly broadest at apex, drying medium to medium-dark yellowish brown, minutely darker red-brown-speckled; pistils weakly coherent to laxly arranged, ca. 3 across the axis (viewed from above), ca. 1.5 mm long; ovaries subglobose, ca. 1 mm long, 1.5-2 mm diam., drying dark brown; style mantle-like, ca. 0.5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm diam., comprising l/4-1/3 of the length of pistil, as broad as to weakly narrower than ovary apex, briefly attenuate (attenuate portion ca. 0.4 mm long), the margins weakly or not at all coherent with those of adjacent styles; stigma ca. 0.5 mm diam., weakly elevated on and weakly broader than narrowed portion of style, drying yellowish tan; synandria 1-1.3 mm long, 1.8-2 mm diam., coherent, truncate, (2)3-4(5)-lobed, (2)3-4(5)-androus (mostly 4); sterile flowers 0.5-1 mm long, 1 mm x 2 mm diam., elongated in direction of axis, coherent, truncate, irregularly subprismatic, in 3-5 whorls. BERRIES not known.