Bucephalandra pygmaea (Becc.) P. C. Boyce & S. Y. Wong

Diminutive obligate rheophytic herb 1-3 cm tall, occurring as individual plants or forming patches up to 50 cm across. Stem creeping with the active portion suberect, branching repeatedly, branches 0.5-6 cm long × 2-4 mm diam. Leaves to c. 8 together; petiole 0.5-1 cm long × ca 2 mm diam., adaxially canaliculate, reddish, sheathing at the extreme base, the wings extended into a very narrowly triangular ligular portion to 1 cm long; blade obovate to elliptic, (0.7-)2.5 cm long × 1-1.5 cm wide, rather thickly coriaceous, semiglossy dark green adaxially, paler abaxially and usually tinged reddish, very finely punctate on both surfaces, base cuneate, apex rounded and apiculate for ca 1.5 mm, margin usually straight, midrib abaxially and adaxially prominent, reddish abaxially, with (1-)3-4 primary lateral veins on each side, diverging at 25-60° and running to a marginal vein; secondary venation adaxially more or less obscure, abaxially fi ne and not dense (c. 1-1.5 mm apart); tertiary venation adaxially obscure, abaxially forming a faint tessellate reticulum. Inflorescence solitary; peduncle exceeding the petioles, 1.5-2 cm long, conspicuously longitudinally sulcate and occasionally distally winged, reddish (in life this colour derived from copious, minute speckles). Spathe broadly ovate, not constricted, ca 1.5 cm long, the lower part funnel-shaped, green, persistent, limb gaping, then caducous, white, apiculate for ca 2 mm. Spadix 0.5-1.0 cm long; pistillate zone 2-2.5 mm long, ca 1.5 mm diam., with 2-5 whorls of pistils; pistils rhombic-globular in plan view, ca 0.5 mm diam., lime green; stigma sessile, umbonate, about half the diameter of the ovary, papillate at anthesis, later (post anthesis) sunken centrally; interpistillar staminodes 2-4 at the base of the pistillate zone, squat-fusiform with a terminal beak, in all ca 0.35 mm diam., about half as wide, white; interstice with c. 2 whorls of scale-like staminodes, these 1-2 mm long × 0.8-1.5 mm wide, the margin ventrally thickened into a conspicuous rim, at first erect then spreading, initially white, later (post anthesis) becoming green and persisting to cover the developing fruit; staminate zone 2-2.5 mm long, ca 1.5 mm diam., consisting of 2-5 irregular whorls of flowers; staminate flowers each consisting of a single stamen, stamens comparatively large, ca 1 mm across, fi lament strap-shaped; thecae inserted ventrally, ellipsoid, ca 1 mm long × ca 0.3 mm wide, smooth; thecae horns equalling the associate theca, setaceous, upward-pointing; appendix globular to bluntly cylindrical, 1-2 mm long × 1.5-2 mm diam., cream; staminodes of appendix obpyramidal, truncate, 0.5-1 mm diam., the upper surface smooth and somewhat glossy. Fruiting spathe funnel-shaped, ca 1 cm diam., with the shield-shaped staminodes persistent, turning green, spent distal part of the spadix falling; berry depressed-globular, 1-1.8 mm long, 1-1.5 mm diam., with numerous seeds, berries forming a hemispherical cluster protected by the persistent staminodes, later pushed off and falling to reveal the mature fruits; fruits decomposing at maturity, forming a pulp with the seeds held in the persistent lower spathe; seed narrowly ellipsoid, 1-2 mm long × 0.25-0.3 mm diam., light brown, very slightly longitudinally ribbed, with a curved micropylar appendage to 1 mm long.