Dracunculus Mill.

HABIT : large seasonally dormant herbs, tuber subglobose, stoloniferous as well in D. canariensis. LEAVES : few. PETIOLE : sheath very long, spotted or not, tightly convolute around peduncle forming substantial erect pseudostem. BLADE : deeply pedatifid; primary lateral veins of each lobe pinnate, forming submarginal collective vein, higher order venation reticulate. INFLORESCENCE : solitary, appearing with leaves. PEDUNCLE : shorter than petiole. SPATHE : marcescent, constricted, tube with convolute margins, erect, thick-walled, oblong-ellipsoid, shorter than blade, blade ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, expanded, deep purple or white, eventually bent backwards. SPADIX : subequal to spathe, female zone ± sessile, cylindric to conic, contiguous with male zone, male zone ellipsoid-cylindric, separated from appendix by a short zone of subulate staminodes, appendix long, long-stipitate, then elongate-conoid. FLOWERS : unisexual, perigone absent. MALE FLOWER : 3-4-androus, stamens quadrate, filaments distinct, connate at base, connective slender and prominulent, thecae shortly ellipsoid, dehiscing by apical pore. POLLEN : extruded in strands, inaperturate, ellipsoid to spheroidal, medium-sized (mean 45 µm.), exine verrucate. FEMALE FLOWER : ovary ellipsoid, 1-locular, ovules few, orthotropous, placentae apical and basal, style shortly conic, stigma hemispheric. BERRY : obovoid, few-seeded, red-orange. SEED : globose-ovoid, testa rugose, embryo axile, short, endosperm copious.