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Araceae
Homalomena josefii P.C.Boyce & S.Y.Wong
SUMMARY
Medium to robust herbs, strongly aromatic (ginger/resin), evergreen, glabrous, to ca 100 cm tall. Stem pleionanthic, erect to ascending, ca 5 cm thick, dark red to green, internodes to ca 1 cm long. Leaves up to ca 15 together, ca 5-7 per module; petiole terete, erect to decumbent, 50-70 cm long, petiole bases clasping, eventually falling to leave a conspicuous lunate scar, petioles dark reddish to green, dark reddish forms with longitudinal ridges, green forms always with pinkish red bases, matte, drying dark brown, petiolar sheath ca 16-21 cm long, ca 1/4 to 1/3 of petiole length, equal, sometimes unequal, broader side rounded at apex, narrower side, weakly decurrent at apex, margin always convolute when fresh, sometimes wide open with broader petiolar sheath, sheath initially long-persistentwith the marginal 1.5 mm, soon drying paler, eventually the whole sheath marcescent; lamina broadly ovato-sagittate, 25-45 cm long x 18-32 cm wide, thinly leathery, glossy dark to pale green adaxially (fresh), drying pale olive green, abaxially matte green (fresh), drying pale brown, base cordate,
posterior lobes spreading, subtriangular 7-9 cm long, lamina tip obtuse, short-acuminate for ca 1 cm, thence, stiffly apiculate for ca 2-7 mm; midrib
raised abaxially (fresh and dry), green when fresh, drying reddish brown, adaxially flush with lamina, ca 1.5 mm wide, with 6-9 primary lateral veins on each side, diverging at 50°-90° from the midrib, adaxially impressed (fresh), flush with lamina when dry, abaxially slightly raised (fresh and dry), curved sharply towards the apex when near the margin, interprimary veins ca ½ width of the primary lateral veins, alternating irregularly with primaries, posterior lobes each with 3-4 primary lateral veins; secondary venation rather obscure, striate; tertiary venation not visible, all veinsrunning into a thickened intermarginal vein, often red when fresh, this particularly conspicuous at the leaf tip and there drying paler than the lamina.
Inflorescences 1-7 together, erect at anthesis, later declinate, each subtended by prophyll, to ca 9 cm long, followed by cataphyll, ca 2-8 cm long, peduncle to ca 15 cm long x ca 5 mm diam, deep red, matte. Spathe 6.5- 15.3 cm long, tightly furled prior to anthesis, lower spathe inflating at female anthesis, spathe limb loosening at female anthesis, thence, inflating and then opening wide, lower spathe pale green, stained deep red at insertion of peduncle, flushed pink above, spathe limb white at anthesis, with apex and mucro shading to dark pink during anthesis; lower spathe ovoid-ellipsoid, 2.5-6.5 cm long, moderately constricted at the junction of the spathe limb, the constriction coinciding with the lower-most fertile male flowers, spathe limb narrowly to broadly elliptic, ca 3.3-8.5 cm long x 2.3 cm wide (at male anthesis), prominently keeled along the exterior midline, spathe limb margins with the middle ca 2/3 reflexing slightly at
male anthesis, apex mucronate to ca 3.5 mm long. Spadix equalling the spathe, ca 6-15.3 cm long, elongate cylindrical-fusiform, narrowing in the
lower male zone coinciding with the constriction of the spathe and there intergrading with staminodes, stipitate; stipe ca 3.5 mm long x 5 mm diam., short fusiform, few staminodes present at the insertion of peduncle, similar to interpistillar staminodes, female zone ca 2 cm long x ca 1 cm wide, ca 1/3 length of spadix, weakly fusiform, female flowers ca 1.3 mm x 0.75 mm, densely arranged, round, stigma as broad or slightly exceeding the ovary, raised and weakly trisulcate, staining pale brown in alcohol, xtending
beyond the ovary as the translucent collar, mostly associated with two or more interpistillar staminodes and seemingly sterile, staminodes truncate on a very slender stipe, ca 0.3 mm diameter, equalling or slightly overtopping
the associated female flower, few pistillodes at the base of interstice, similar size to female flowers, suprapistillar staminodes zone, to ca 1cm long x 5 mm wide, sometimes wider than female zone, staminodes each comprising
a single anther; male zone to ca 4 cm long, ca 1/2 length of spadix, separated from interstice by weakly constricted lower part of male zone, clothed with fertile male flowers intergrading into a single row of staminodes., distal and proximal-most flowers apparently sterile; male flowers, ca 3 mm x 2 mm, trapezoid, comprising 3-5 truncate stamens, each overtopped by a
large, flat connective, terminal-most flowers sterile and spadix often topped with a vestigial naked appendix. Infructescence declinate, spathe entirely persistent, pale green stained reddish pink, sometimes whole reddish pink, peduncle dark red, matte. Fruits and seeds not observed.