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Araceae
Piptospatha teijsmannii P.C. Boyce & S.Y. Wong
Nomenclature
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Family: AraceaeGenus: Piptospatha
SUMMARY
Rheophytic herb 15–35 cm tall. Roots strong, extensive, 1–2 mm diameter. Stem condensed, 1–5 cm long, 5–12 mm diameter. Leaves several together; petiole (3–)5–15(–20) cm long, 0.9–2.5 mm diameter, reddish, adaxially canaliculate, sheathing only at the extreme base, the wings extended into a narrow ligular portion 2–7 cm long at first reddish then drying brown; blade narrowly elliptic (4–)6–18(–25) cm long by (1–)2.5–6 cm wide, thinly coriaceous, base cuneate, apex acute and apiculate for 1–3 mm, adaxially dark green, abaxially paler with all primary and interprimary veins distinctly reddish; midrib abaxially prominent, adaxially slightly impressed, with 5–7(–12) primary lateral veins on each side, these diverging at c.30–60°, running to a distinct submarginal vein; interprimary lateral veins less prominent than the primaries. Inflorescence several produced sequentially, each separated by a conspicuous prophyll or somewhat reduced foliage leaf, powerfully fruity fragrant at anthesis; peduncle exceeding the petioles at anthesis, terete, 10–25 cm long, reddish brown. Spathe initially narrowly ovoid, expanding during anthesis to broadly ovoid, c.3.5–4.7 cm long, exterior pale green with weak pinkish suffusion, veining, and speckling in the caducous upper part, interior deep pinkish red with several deeper pink ridges running from the mid-point to the terminal opening, spathe apically abruptly beaked for c.9 mm, at anthesis spathe limb inflating and gaping ventrally. Spadix sessile or very briefly stipitate, 2.3–2.6 cm long, subcylindric-clavate, about two-thirds the length of the spathe; pistillate flower zone c.4.5 mm long × 7 mm diameter; pistils more or less ovoid, c.0.5 mm diameter; stigma very slightly raised on an indistinct style, discoid to weakly isodiametric, wider than the ovary, at anthesis densely papillose with a deep central pit, pale orange; staminodes restricted to an irregular whorl at the base of the pistillate zone, and white, elongate-fusiform, roughly equalling the pistils; sterile interstice absent; staminate flower zone clavate-ellipsoid, somewhat broader than the pistillate zone, especially about mid-way, c.17 mm long × 10 mm diameter, fertile to apex; stamens finely and densely pubescent, more or less rectangular, mostly aligned in pairs, congested, very pale orange, pores terminal separated by the truncate connective; pollen released in dense strings. Fruiting spathe initially with the spathe limb marcescent, but this soon falling, lower persistent part of spathe broadly obconic, c.1.5 cm diameter, pale green. Fruit and seed not observed.