Pseudodracontium N.E.Br.

HABIT : seasonally dormant herbs, tuber depressed-globose, napiform or irregularly elongate. LEAVES : often more than 1. PETIOLE : long, usually mottled or otherwise variegated, sheath very short and inconspicuous. BLADE : trisect with 3 ± equal primary divisions, anterior division sometimes smaller than posterior divisions, primary divisions mostly pinnatisect or partly bipinnatisect, ultimate lobes decurrent, sessile or shortly petiolulate, narrowly elliptic, acuminate; primary lateral veins of ultimate lobes pinnate, forming submarginal collective vein, 1 marginal vein also present, higher order venation reticulate. INFLORESCENCE : solitary, usually appearing with leaves. PEDUNCLE : long, longer, shorter or subequal to petiole, similar in appearance to petiole. SPATHE : erect, boat-shaped, convolute basally, slightly fornicate, not constricted, green. SPADIX : shorter to subequal to spathe, female zone shorter than male, densely flowered, male zone laxly flowered, contiguous with female zone, terminal appendix usually shorter than male zone, with naked basal stipe, ± conic, covered with sterile male flowers. FLOWERS : unisexual, perigone absent. MALE FLOWER : 3-6-androus, flowers distinct, ± distant, filaments relatively long, connate to ± free, thecae subglobose, dehiscing by short slit. POLLEN : inaperturate, ellipsoid to oblong, medium-sized (mean 48 µm.), exine narrowly striate. STERILE MALE FLOWERS : composed of clavate, irregularly, ± connate staminodes, not forming distinct floral groups. FEMALE FLOWER : ovary ovoid to subglobose, 1-locular, ovule 1, anatropous, funicle short, placenta basal, style shortly attenuate, stigma discoid-subcapitate. BERRY : ellipsoid, with stigma remnant persisting, 1-seeded. SEED : ellipsoid, testa smooth, brown, raphe conspicuous, embryo large, ellipsoid, somewhat truncate at each end, endosperm absent.