Eminium jaegeri Bogner & P.C.Boyce

Herb with dormant stage during the dry season, flowering from late September (in cultivation) or October (in nature) to November before the leaves appear; leaves lasting until April. Tuber (Fig. 1A) depressed-globose, 3-4 cm in diam. and 2-2.5 cm thick, light brown outside. Leaves (Fig. 2C) usually 3, up to 15 cm long; petiole 4-6(-7) cm long and 2-3 mm in diam., terete, somewhat flattened on the upper side of the distal part, mid green to dark green and somewhat reddish basally and whitish in the part below the soil surface, sheath short, 0.5-1.5 cm long; leaf blade entire, ovate, 4-7(-8) cm long and 1.5-3(-4) cm wide (the first leaf being the narrowest, 5-6 cm long and 1.5 cm wide), upper side of blade mid green to dark green or sometimes somewhat glaucous and glossy, base cordate to subauriculate or subsagittate, apex acute; venation reticulate, 4-5(-6) primary lateral veins on each side of the strong middle vein, forming a collective vein along the margin in a distance of (0.8-)1-1.5 mm, higher order veins thinner and between the primary ones. Inflorescence (Fig. 1C, 2A) solitary, subtended by 4 cataphylls, 1-5 cm long, the first being the shortest and the last one the longest, membranaceous, whitish to purple-red tinged (above the soil), apex acute. Peduncle short, c. 2 cm long, enclosed by the cataphylls, somewhat thickened below the inflorescence. Spathe (Fig. 1B-C, 2A-B) 11-13 cm long, lower part long-ovoid to subcylindric and margins completely connate into a tube, 5-6 cm long, below 1.5-1.7 cm in diam. and above c. 1-1.3 cm in diam., outside whitish (below soil) to purple-red and inside whitish in the upper third and purple in the lower two thirds; limb of spathe (5-)6-7 cm long and 3-4.5 cm wide, inside and outside deep purple, ± smooth (to ? rough), first completely erect and later apex recurved; throat c. 1.3 cm wide, whitish, the transition between the purple limb and the whitish tube with some irregular purple spots. Spadix (Fig. 2B) 6.5-7.5 cm long, much shorter than spathe; female zone 1.2-1.4 cm long and 0.4-0.5 cm in diam.; sterile zone between female and male zone 3.5-4(-5) cm long and 1.5-2.5 mm thick, whitish, with very loosely spaced, sterile whitish flowers, these thread-like to slightly subulate and 2-5 mm long; male zone 0.8-1 cm long and 0.3-0.4 cm in diam., ± purple-red; appendix shortly stipitate, short and thick, subcylindric, 1.4-1.8 cm long and (0.3-)0.4-0.5 cm in diam., deep purple, smooth, apex blunt, stipe short, c. 2 mm long. Flowers unisexual, naked; male flowers densely arranged, thecae ± round (in view from above), 0.4-0.5 mm in diam., purple-red, dehiscing by an apical slit, pollen yellow; female flowers densely arranged, ovary ± roundish, c. 1.5 mm in diam., outside purplish and finely lighter punctate, unilocular, with 2 orthotropous ovules, stigma sessile, discoid to subhemispheric, 0.4-0.5 mm in diam., purple (dark coloured). Berry one-seeded (always?). Seed ovoid, 6 mm long and 4-5 mm in diam. at the broadest side, with strophiole, apex acute; testa rugose, dark brown; embryo elongate, straight, c. 3 mm long, undifferentiated; endosperm copious, pure white.