Colletogyne (Araceae)
HABIT : seasonally dormant herbs, tuberous. LEAVES : 1 (-2). PETIOLE : sheath short. BLADE : cordate; primary lateral veins pinnate and also arising from petiole insertion, forming submarginal collective vein, 1-2 marginal veins also present, secondary and tertiary laterals mostly parallel-pinnate, higher order venation reticulate. INFLORESCENCE : 1-3 in each floral sympodium, appearing before or with leaves. PEDUNCLE : shorter than petiole. SPATHE : obovate, not constricted, erect, fully expanded at anthesis, closing later and persisting to fruiting stage, red-spotted on greenish background. SPADIX : fertile to apex, female zone adnate to spathe, female and male zones contiguous. FLOWERS : unisexual, perigone absent. MALE FLOWER : 1-androus, filament conoid, variegated, anther apical-oblique, thecae ellipsoid, dehiscing by slit. POLLEN : inaperturate, spherical, medium-sized (mean 39 µm.), exine spinose, obscurely verruculate between spines, spines long, stout. FEMALE FLOWER : gynoecium surrounded by a cup-like, variegated synandrodium, ovary ovoid-ellipsoid, 1-locular, ovule 1, orthotropous, funicle short, placenta basal, style shortly attenuate, stigma discoid-capitate. BERRY : fusiform, stigma remnant persistent, reddish-spotted. SEED : ellipsoid, testa thin, smooth, embryo with lateral plumule, endosperm absent.
Seasonally dormant tuberous geophytes; leaf blade with secondary and tertiary venation parallel-pinnate, finer venation reticulate; spathe expanded, obovate, inner surface covered with reddish spots; spadix with female zone adnate to spathe; flowers unisexual, perigone absent; female flowers surrounded by a variegated synandrode. Differs from Arophyton and Carlephyton in having synandria reduced to one stamen, thecae apical on conical filament, spadix fertile to apex, leaf blade always cordate (leaves various in Arophyton ).
N. Madagascar.
Tropical deciduous forest, on limestone; geophytes in holes or crevices with leaf litter.