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Araceae
Dracunculus canariensis Kunth
SUMMARY
Slender, clump-forming herb to 1.5 m. Tuber 4-6 x 2-3 cm, solitary while immature, later producing numerous slender, 4-12 cm x 5-10 mm, simple to few-branched stolons from the upper surface, these soon producing shoots and tubers. Pseudostem 20-130 x 1-6 cm, pale glaucous,green. LEAVES 8-20 x 6-30 cm, pale to mid-glaucous green. INFLORESCENCE 24-55 cm in total length, newly opened inflorescence smelling of semen; peduncle mostly enclosed by.the pseudostem, visible portion 4-12 x 1-1.5 cm, glaucous green; spathe tube 4-8 x 2-3.5 cm, oblong-cylindric, weakly convolute to gaping, exterior glaucous green, interior pale greenish white; spathe limb 20-47 x 6-14 cm, narrowly ovatelanceolate, acuminate, exterior pale glaucous green, interior pale greenish white; spadix 16-42 cm in total length; spadix appendix 12-37 cm x 7-20 mm, briefly stipitate, slender cylindric to slender fusiform, pale yellow. Flowers; pistillate flowers arranged in an oblong zone 10-20 x 5-12 mm, ovary oblong-fusiform, 2-3 x 1-1.5 mm, pale greenish cream, stylar region similarly coloured, stigma 0.5-0.75 x 0.3 mm, punctate-conic, papillate, pale cream; staminate flowers arranged in an oblong zone 10-20 x 5-10 mm, anthers 1-2 x 0.75-1.5 mm, mid-yellow. INFRUCTESCENCE 2-5 x 2-3 cm, comprised of c. 50 berries, often partially to completely encased in the dry spathe tube remnants; berries obovoid, 4-6 x 3-5 mm, orange when ripe. Seed compressed globose, 2-3 mm diam., pale brown. Chromosome count 2n = 28