Gonatopus (Araceae)
HABIT : Seasonally dormant herbs, stem subterranean, a subglobose tuber or a cylindric, horizontal rhizome. LEAF : solitary, rarely pilose or scabrous, preceded by lanceolate cataphylls. PETIOLE : geniculate basally or centrally. BLADE : usually trisect, rarely not (G. petiolulatus), primary divisions trifid to trisect or pinnatifid, or pinnatisect to quadri-pinnatifid, pinnae geniculate at junction with rachis, ultimate lobes varying from linear to broad-elliptic, often decurrent; primary lateral veins of each lobe pinnate, forming arching submarginal collective vein, higher order venation reticulate. INFLORESCENCE : 1-4 in each floral sympodium, appearing before or with leaves, subtended by several cataphylls. PEDUNCLE : erect, very short to long. SPATHE : constricted between tube and blade, tube convolute, subglobose, cylindric or suburceolate, blade oblong to elliptic, reflexed at anthesis, marcescent. SPADIX : subequal to spathe, female zone subcylindric, separated from male zone by very short, constricted zone of sterile flowers, male zone longer than female, cylindric to clavate, fertile to apex. FLOWERS : unisexual, perigoniate; tepals 4(-6), in 2 decussate whorls, fleshy, truncate to ± cucullate. MALE FLOWER : stamens with connate filaments forming tube around central, cylindric to clavate pistillode, often exserted above tepals at anthesis, connective slender, thecae dehiscing by apical pore. POLLEN : extruded in strands, extended monosulcate or fully zonate, hamburger-shaped, large (mean 76 µm., range 73-79 µm.), exine thick, foveolate, the foveolae scattered or grouped in fossulae, apertural exine psilate to ± verrucate. FEMALE FLOWER : usually lacking staminodes, exceptionally 1 staminode present, ovary 2-locular, ovules 1 per locule, anatropous, placenta basal-axile, style thick, somewhat attenuate, stigma large, discoid-hemispheric. BERRY : ovoid-ellipsoid, 1-2-seeded, red or orange to yellow, or whitish. SEED : ovoid-ellipsoid, testa thin, smooth, embryo large, plumule lateral, superficial, endosperm absent.
Seasonally dormant geophytes; leaf solitary; petioles geniculate apically or centrally; leaf blade usually trisect with the three main divisions further subdivided; flowers unisexual, perigoniate; tepals usually 4, free, thick, truncate. Differs from Zamioculcas in having bipinnatifid to quadripinnatifid leaf blades (at least in lower pinnae), and connate stamen filaments.
E. Trop. Africa to S. Africa.
Tropical evergreen forest; geophytes, on forest floor, also in rocky crevices with humus deposits.