Gymnostachys (Araceae)
HABIT : acaulescent herbs, stem a short, thick subterranean rhizome. LEAVES : distichous, bifacial (dorsiventrally flattened), somewhat plicate, linear, not differentiated into blade and petiole, margins erose-serrate; midrib not differentiated, primary lateral veins parallel, somewhat prominent, higher order venation parallel. INFLORESCENCE : borne on a long scape, terminating in 3-6 (-7), short, perennating floral sympodia separated from each other by a distinct peduncular axis, each sympodium composed of several spadices and borne axillary to a leaf-like bract. SCAPE : subequal to leaves, alate on each side, margins erose-serrate. SPATHE : a simple, short, keeled, inconspicuous bract, ± alternating with the short, linear-lanceolate, 2-keeled prophylls of each article of the floral sympodium. SPADIX : short- to long-stipitate, cylindric, many-flowered, erect in flower, pendent in fruit. FLOWERS : bisexual, perigoniate, often somewhat distant; tepals 4, ± as long as wide, fornicate, imbricate. STAMENS : 4, filaments somewhat flattened, anthers short, connective slender, thecae ellipsoid, dehiscing by a longitudinal slit, connective inconspicuous. POLLEN : monosulcate, ellipsoid, medium-sized (mean 31 µm., range 30-33 µm.), exine foveolate to slightly fossulate, apertural exine fossulate-verrucate. GYNOECIUM : ovary oblong, 1-locular, ovule 1, orthotropous, funicle very short, placenta apical, style shortly attenuate, stigma small, subhemispheric. BERRY : ellipsoid, deep blue, apiculate, 1-seeded, strongly projecting beyond tepals. SEED : ellipsoid to obovoid, testa absent at maturity, embryo axile, ± elongate, endosperm copious.
Acaulescent herb with rhizomatous stem; leaf linear, bifacial, not differentiated into petiole and blade, midrib lacking, primary venation strictly parallel; inflorescence borne on a long scape, bearing numerous spadices distally, spathe inconspicuous; flowers bisexual, perigoniate, with 4 tepals.
E. Australia.
Southern temperate to subtropical or rarely tropical rainforest; understorey plant in moist hardwood forests, most common on cool southerly slopes and in cool moist gullies.