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Araceae
Homalomena agens Kurniawan & P.C.Boyce
SUMMARY
Small evergreen mesophytic herbs to ca. 20 cm tall with aromatic (terpenoids) vegetative tissues. Stem pleionanthic, subterranean, erect ca. 20 mm thick, deep red, internodes to ca. 2 mm long. Leaves few together, stiffly erect; petiole mainly terete, distal-most portion shallowly, rounded abaxially, ca. 10 cm long, semi-glossy, adaxially deep reddish brown, abaxially reddish; petiolar sheath 4-5 cm long, almost 1/2 length of petiole, sheath margins in-rolled and closed, persistent, margins red, terminal part tapering; lamina elliptic, 14-19 cm long x 4.5-6.5 cm wide, sub-succulent to coriaceous, glossy medium to dark green adaxially, abaxially reddish-purple to reddish-brown, margins smooth, adaxially minutely stained red, especially towards the tip, base ovate, weakly oblique, tip acute, apiculate for ca. 1 mm; midrib somewhat rounded-raised abaxially, adaxially somewhat impressed, ca. 2.5 mm wide, with ca. 7 primary lateral veins on each side, these diverging at 30° from the midrib, abaxially almost flush, and notably darker than the blade, adaxially almost flush or very slightly impressed; interprimary veins ca. 1/2 width of the primary lateral veins, regularly interspersed; secondary venation very inconspicuous; tertiary venation invisible, all veins running into a weakly defined thickened intermarginal vein. Inflorescences up to 3 together, erect at anthesis, later declinate; peduncle to ca. 3 cm long x ca. 1.5 mm diam., medium green, somewhat brownish stained. Spathe 1.8-2.8 cm long, ca. 4 mm wide, not constricted, semi-glossy reddish green externally, somewhat shiny pale green internally, with a terminal short mucro to 2-3 mm long, spathe opening at anthesis by inflation and thence by a broad slit, later closing by which time spadix has extended to project beyond the tip of the closed spathe. Spadix 1.4-2.2 cm long x 3 mm diam., sterile at the tip by the non-development of the staminate flowers, stipitate, stipe ca. 1 mm, green; pistillate flower zone 3-4 mm long; pistils few, scattered, usually only 2-3 spirals, obliquely globose, ca. 1 mm tall x .8-.9 mm diam. greenish white, stigma sessile, somewhat punctate, .2-.3 mm diam.; most pistils with a single staminode situated on ventral side of the flower relative to the base of the spadix, occasionally (basal-most flowers) with 2-3 staminodes; interpistillar staminodes globose, almost sessile, ca .. 2 mm long, white; suprapistillar interstice absent; staminate flower zone 1-1.6 cm long, apex acute; staminate flowers somewhat laxly arranged, especially towards the lower part of the spadix, broadly dumbbell shaped, consisting of two stamens, stamens rounded, ca . .5 mm tall, .5 mm long x ca. 1 mm wide, white to very pale green, anther thecae opening by a broad terminal slit. Infructescence declinate by flexing of the basal portion of the peduncle, red. Fruits and seeds not observed.