Chlorospatha planadensis Croat & L.P.Hannon

Terrestrial or hemiepiphytic herb; stem caulescent, decumbent, with remnants of old cataphylls persisting intact along its lengthj sap milkyj internodes (2-)3.5-8 cm long, 1.7 cm diam., semiglossy, medium green, occasionally weakly violet-tinged, drying matte to weakly glossy, dark green to blackish green (all measurements made from dried materia!); cataphylls marcescent, 10-33 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, obtuse and confluent with a subapical apiculum at the apex, I-ribbed abaxially, drying weakly glossy to semiglossy, medium-dark reddish brown. LEAVES 1-3, erect-spreadingj petiole (21-)60-77 cm long (averaging 66 cm), ca. 1.5 cm diam. near the base, terete, only weakly angular at apex, 3-8 rom diam. midway, glabrous, solid green or purple (especially near base, striate at least at times, drying weakly glossy to semiglossy, dark brown, sheathed 28-29 cm, slightly more than 1/3 of its length, sheath decurrent at the apex; free portion 4-7 mm diam. midway, terete, obtusely angular at the apex; blades subhastate, broadly triangular, 27-41 cm long, 19-27 cm wide (averaging 34 x 21.9 cm), 1.1-1.3 times longer than wide, 0.4-0.8 times length of petioles, broadest at the base, ca. 1.5 times wider at the base than across the anterior lobe (measured tip to tip across the posterior lobes), thinly coriaceous, glabrous, moderately to prominently bicolorous; upper surface broadly quilted, semiglossy, dark green, almost black-green, drying weakly glossy to semi-glossy, brownish green; lower surface medium green, semiglossy, drying semi-glossy to glossy, weakly to moderately paler; anterior lobe 19-28 cm long, 13-19 cm wide, 1.2-1.3 times longer than wide, 1.4-1.6 times longer than the posterior lobes, weakly acuminate at the apex, broadest at or near the base, symmetrical to weakly inequilateral, occasionally with one side ca. 1 cm wider than the opposite side; posterior lobes strongly divergent, 13-20 cm long, (5-) 8.5-11 cm wide, 1.4-1.7 times longer than wide, narrowly rounded at the apex, broadest at the base, weakly inequilateral, the inner side narrower, obtuse to broadly convex toward the base, moderately attenuate and decurrent onto the petiole or possibly occasionally onto the posterior rib; outer side 1.3-1.4 times wider than the inner side midway, straight to weakly concave or weakly convex toward the base; midrib and major venation deeply sunken on tbe upper surface, round-raised and sligbtly paler on the lower surface, drying weakly raised to weakly collapsed, weakly darker than the surface; basal veins 5 pairs coalesced into a prominent posterior rib; primary lateral veins deeply and narrowly sunken and concolorous above, prominently convex to round-raised below, 5 pairs, arising at 40-60°, most acutely toward the apex, weakly to moderately arcuate; tertiary veins in part sunken on the upper surface, raised on the lower surface, darker than the surface, drying weakly prominulous, weakly darker than the surface; reticulate veins visible, flat on the lower surface, darker than the surface, drying in part visible, distinct, concolorous; collective veins 3 pairs, the innermost arising from one of the lateral veins on the inner side of the posterior lobe, loop-connected with all preceding lateral veins, weakly irregular, usually moderately remote from the margin, 5-12 mm from the margin, minor veins conspicuous, weakly raised above, flat and darker than surface below. INFLORESCENCES erect, 1-2 per axil; peduncle held within the sheath, 27-49 cm long, 3-5 mm diam., medium green; spathe to 12 cm long, spathe tube tinged purple on outside of tube, dark violet or purple on inside, ca. 5.2 cm long, ca. 5 mm diam.; spathe blade medium green on back, paler green inside; lanceolate, 8-13 cm long, 2.5-3 cm wide on tube, 1.5-2 cm wide on blade; possibly dark purple; spadix erect, sessile, adnate to the spathe ca. 4 cm at the base, the entire length of the pistillate portion; to 12 cm long, 4--8 mm diam.; the pistillate portion ca. 4 cm long, ca. 5 mm diam., pale yellow-green, weakly ovate, broader than base of staminate portion, to 2 cm long, 5-10 mm diam. near base, tapered to 8 mm diam. at apex; fertile staminate portion creamy white, tapered, to 6 cm long, 6 mm diam. at base, tapered to 3 mm diam. at apex, broadest near base but narrowed at very base, drying dark reddish brown; sterile staminate portion mostly narrower than both the pistillate and the fertile staminate portions, to 4 cm long, (2.5-) 4-9 mm diam. at base, quickly tapering to 4 mm diam. for most of length, broadest near the apex, drying medium-dark to dark reddish brown; pistils weakly coherent, ca. 4 across the axis (viewed from above), ca. 2 mm long; ovaries subglobose, ca. 1 mm long, ca. 2-2.2 mm diam.; style mantle-like, ca. 0.8-1 mm long, 2 mm diam., comprising ca. 1/2 of the length of the pistil, thin, granular, narrowly attenuate medially, the margins free, broadly spreading, much broader than the ovary apex, coherent with margins of adjacent styles, drying dark reddish brown; stigma ca. 0.3-0.8 mm diam., prominent, elevated and broader than the narrowed portion of the style, drying dark reddish brown, occasionally paler; synandria cream-colored or white, 1-1.3 mm long, 1.5 mm diam., or 2 mm X 1 mm diam. and elongated in the direction of the axis, coherent, truncate, 3-4-lobed, 3-4-androus, drying dark reddish brown; synandrodia occasionally ca. 1 mm diam. (in basal whorl), otherwise 1.5-2 mm x 3 mm diam. and elongated in the direction of the axis, coherent, truncate, subprismatic, in 3-5 whorls. INFRUCTESCENCES not seen.