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Araceae
Schismatoglottis longifolia Ridl.
SUMMARY
Clump-forming herb to 50 cm tall. Stem hypogeal, hapaxanthic, to c. 2 cm diam. Leaves c. 5 together; petiole c. 25-40 cm long, smooth, somewhat flattened adaxially, with the angles rounded to acute, sheathing in the lower c. ½; wings of sheath tapering, fully attached except for c. 1-2 mm distal ligular portion; blades dull to slightly glossy rich mid-green, not variegated, c. (17-)21-40 cm long, (3-)5-8 cm wide at widest point, oblanceolate, the base attenuate to narrowly rounded, the apex shortly acuminate and mucronate for c. 1.5-2 cm, the mucro solid; primary venation c. 6-8 per side, diverging at an angle of c. 35-45°, flush adaxially, barely prominent abaxially, interprimary veins irregularly present, secondary and tertiary venation inconspicuous and flush with the lamina. Inflorescences several to c. 12 together, on very slender, wiry, suberect peduncles c. 12-25 cm long (elongating in fruit), nodding from the apex of the peduncle. Spathe to (3-)5-6 cm long incl. the c. 1 cm long mucro; lower spathe 1.5-2 cm long, narrowly ovoid, c. 0.8 cm diam. at anthesis, mid-green, differentiated from spathe limb by a rather weak constriction; limb narrowly lanceolate, clasping and slightly gaping at anthesis, then deliquescent-deciduous, pale yellowish green. Spadix equalling laminar portion of spathe in length; female zone ?-1/2 the length of the spadix, adnate for c. ? its length to the spathe, c. 5 mm thick; interpistillar staminodes few amongst the ovaries, mainly concentrated into a somewhat interrupted single row along the spathe/spadix adnation and at the apex of the female zone forming a c. 2 mm long sterile interstice, slender-stalked, apically narrowly clavate, a little higher than the pistils; pistils globose, rather distant, c. 1 mm diam.; stigma button-like, sessile, c. 0.3 mm diam.; male zone cylindric, c. 1 cm long, 5 mm thick; stamens close-packed, some with filaments partially united forming dimerous to trimerous male ‘flowers’, others solitary; anthers more or less dumbbell-shaped from above with the connective forming a slight dome between the thecae; thecae opening through large apical slit-like pores (becoming gaping at dehiscence); pollen dusty; appendix c. 1.5 cm long tapering-cylindric to very narrowly ovoid, c. 5 mm thick at base, composed of very close-packed columnar flat-topped staminodes c. 0.7 mm diam. Fruiting spathe narrowly campanulate, nodding; fruit green.