Gorgonidium beckianum Bogner

Tuber unknown (not present). Petiole 7.5-10 cm long (incomplete) and 0.5-0.8 cm in diam., green. Leaf blade bipinnatifid, 21-26 cm long and 17-24 cm wide, green; rachis below 0.4-0.5 cm in diam. and 12-16 cm long, on each side with five lobed leaflets, the lower pair with a petiolule 1-1.5 cm long and 0.3-0.4 cm in diam., the following ones ± sessile on the rachis, the uppermost ones decurrent on the rachis; leaflets (6-)7-14 cm long with two to four lateral subtriangular lobes on each side and incisions down to 0.3-0.5 cm (c. 0.1 cm in uppermost ones) from the rachis, sinus roundish to oblong; leaflets becoming smaller towards distal part of the blade, lower pair of leaflets 12-14 cm long, second and third pair of leaflets 11-14 cm long and also with usually two lobes on each side, lobes 2.5-4.5 cm wide; uppermost pair of leaflets 7-12 cm long and usually with only one lobe on each side, terminal leaflet 7-12 cm long and 3-4 cm wide with acute apex; from the second pair onwards rhachis with triangular, 0.8-1.8 cm long lobes; venation reticulate, each lobe of the leaflets with one primary lateral vein and thinner second and third order veins, forming one or two collective veins in a distance of (0.4-)0.5-1.5(-2) mm along the margin; inner collective veins stronger than the outer ones, usually ending in the margin after running a certain distance along it. Peduncle 13-18 cm long and 0.5-0.8 cm in diam., green. Spathe boat-shaped, 12-15 cm long and 5-7 cm wide in the lower half, inside the lower two thirds purple and upper third with light (probably yellow) coloured irregular stripes and becoming nearly light coloured in the apical part (yellowish green, becoming purple below according to the collector’s note), apex acute to slightly cuspidate. Spadix shorter than spathe, 8-9.5 cm long and 1.3-1.5 cm in diam., fertile to the blunt apex; female zone 1.8-2 cm long and c. 1.3 cm in diam.; male zone 6.5-7.5 cm long and 1.3-1.5 cm in diam. Flowers unisexual, naked. Female flowers surrounded by usually four slender, slightly clavate staminodes always shorter than the ovary, c. 1.5 mm long and c. 0.4 mm in diam., with rounded apex; ovary ± globular (to broadly ovoid), (1.8-)2-2.5 mm in diam., upper part probably purplish, with 4-6 locules and with one orthotropous ovule in each locule, placentation axile; style very short to nearly absent, light coloured; stigma ± discoid, 0.8-0.9 mm in diam., dark coloured (probably purplish). Male flowers with its stamens completely connate into a long-stipitate, 3-4 mm long, conical synandrium, stipe 0.6-0.8(-1) mm in diam., thecae in subapical position, apex of synandrium with roundish protuberances (outgrowths) or sometimes these inconspicuous; thecae globular, c. 0.4 mm in diam., dehiscing by an apical pore; pollen grains inaperturate, ellipsoid, 27-28 × 12-13 μm, exine reticulate to foveolate (Fig. 3B). Infructescence with persistent, c. 10.5 cm long spathe, purple inside. Berries large, deep red (purple), with sessile stigma remnant, ± globular (to somewhat broadly ovoid), c. 2 cm long and 1-2 cm in diam. (depending on the number of seeds), each locule with one large seed attached to the lower part of the axile placenta, funicle curved and 2-2.5 mm in diam. (Fig. 3A). Seed ovoid, 1-1.1 cm long and 0.6-0.7 cm in diam.; testa rough, ± rugulose-warty.