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Araceae
Bucephalandra pubes S. Y. Wong & P. C. Boyce
Nomenclature
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Family: AraceaeGenus: Bucephalandra
SUMMARY
Small obligate rheophytic herbs to 12 cm tall. Stem erect, in older plants creeping and rooting with active portion sub-erect. Leaves many together, erect; petiole 4 - 5 cm long × c. 2 mm in diam., adaxially canaliculate, scabrid, reddish, sheathing at extreme base, wings extended into a very narrowly triangular ligular portion to 2 cm long; blade narrowly elliptic, 11 - 12 cm long × c. 1.5 cm wide, thinly coriaceous, semi-glossy bright green adaxially, paler yellowish whitish green abaxially, base cuneate, apex rounded and apiculate for c. 3 mm, margin somewhat undulate; midrib abaxially and adaxially prominent, strongly reddish abaxially; primary lateral and interprimary veins indistinct; secondary venation adaxially ± obscure, abaxially conspicuously reticulate; tertiary venation obscure. Inflorescence several together alternating with foliage leaves; peduncle equalling petioles, 4 - 5 cm long, weakly longitudinally sulcate and medium green with copious reddish minute speckles. Spathe broadly ovate, 3.5 - 4 cm long, fusiform in bud with widest part coinciding with spadix appendix, spathe not constricted but with a weak expansion c. ½ way up lower spathe and another weaker at limb junction with lower spathe; lower spathe funnelform, glossy greenish yellow, persistent; limb gaping to form a wide distal slit at pistillate anthesis, then at staminate anthesis reflexing with tip and margins recurving, then caducous, white, apiculate for c. 2 mm, apiculum green. Spadix 2 - 3.5 cm long; pistillate zone 5 - 6 mm long × c. 1.5 mm in diam., with 3 or 4 spirals of pistils; pistils rhombic-globose, c. 0.5 mm in diam., pale cream prior to anthesis, edges of ovary turning pink at pistillate anthesis; stigma sessile, capitate, c. ½ diameter of ovary, producing a large stigmatic droplet at pistil-late anthesis; pistillodes 2 or 3 at base of pistillate zone, tongue-shaped, c. 0.3 mm long, glossy white; interstice with 2 rows of scale-like staminodes, these c. 1.5 mm long × c. 1 mm wide, wedge-shaped, initially erect, then spreading, initially white, later (post-anthesis) becoming green and persisting to cover developing fruits; staminate zone slender cylindrical, 7 - 11 mm long × c. 3 mm in diam., consisting of 6 - 9 rows of flowers; staminate flowers pubescent, cream; stamen comparatively large, c. 1 mm across; filament short, stout; connective very slender strap-shaped, pubescent; thecae inserted ventrally at tip (appearing to hang from filament), cylindrical, c. 1 mm long × c. 0.5 mm wide, pubescent; thecae horns very short, c. 0.25 mm long, upward-turned; appendix ellipsoid, 1 - 1.5 cm long × 5 - 7 mm in diam., cream; appendix staminodes fused and individually indistinguishable except for lowermost few, these irregularly polygonal, c. 1 mm in diam., surface of appendix smooth and somewhat glossy. Fruiting spathe funnel-form, c. 1 cm in diam., pale green, with shield-shaped staminodes persistent, turning green, spent distal part of spadix falling; berry depressed globose, 1 - 1.8 mm long × 1 - 1.5 mm in diam.