Homalomena velutipedunculata Y.C. Hoe, S.Y.Wong & P.C.Boyce

Medium to moderate robust, evergreen, glabrous, strongly aromatic of lime herbs to ca. 1.50 m tall. Stem pleionanthic, erect to decumbent with the active tip ascending, 3.5-5 cm thick, green, pale red, dried parts brown, with conspicuous adventitious roots, laxly arrange and penetrating the petiole bases; internodes 1.5-2.5 cm long. Leaves up to ca. 14 together, modules starting with a conspicuous 2-keeled short-duration pale red prophyll; petiole 65-82 cm long x 8-13 mm wide, erect to spreading, pulvinate 1/4-1/3 way back from leaf blade insertion, adaxially slightly grooved, pale red, dark purplish red, rarely medium green with scattered dark red or green longitudinal ridges, bases clasping, red; petiolar sheath 15-23 cm long, ca. 1/4 of petiole length, wings up to 1 cm wide, open, rounded and weakly decurrent at apex, the margins slightly incurved, tapering to apex sheath initially persistent, soon marcescent along the margin, eventually whole sheath marcescent, pale red, dark purplish red, rarely medium green; blade broadly ovato-sagittate or ovato-cordate, 42-49 cm long 3 31-42 cm wide, thinly leathery, somewhat quilted, conspicuous areolate-punctate glands (? extrafloral nectaries) present on the leaf blade, green adaxially, paler abaxially and slightly glaucous when fresh, drying uniformly pale yellow, base cordate or sagittate, posterior lobes subtriangular, ca. 14 cm long, tip obtuseorsomeshort-cuspidateforca.2cm, ultimately apiculate mucronate for ca. 4 mm; midrib raised abaxially, ca. 7 mm wide at the base, 4 mm wide at the centre, adaxially flush with blade, ca. 5.5 mm at the base, ca. 2.5 mm at the centre; primary lateral veins ca. 13 on each side, diverging at 30°-90° from the midrib, adaxially impressed, abaxially raised, curved sharply towards the apex when near the margin; interprimary veins slightly impressed, alternating irregularly with primaries, posterior lobes each with 3-4 primary lateral veins; secondary venation rather obscure, raised on both surface; tertiary venation not visible, all veins running into a thickened intermarginal vein. Inflorescence usually up to 8 together, very rarely up to 20, erect, smelling intensely anethole at pistillate anthesis and again staminate anthesis, the smell much reduced during inter-anthesis and post-staminate anthesis, first inflorescence subtended by a foliage leaf, next by a 2-keeled pale red prophyll, ca. 7 cm long x 1.5 cm wide; peduncle 16-18 cm long x 5-7.5 mm wide, velvety, pale red, dark maroon, rarely medium green with obscure red longitudinal striae, terete, matte. Spathe ca. 15 cm long 3 ca. 3.7 cm wide, lower spathe inflating with partially margin loosening, spathe limb loosening, inflating and then opening across, white, middle portion yellowish; lower spathe ovoid-ellipsoid, ca. 5.5 cm long x ca. 2.7 cm wide at pistillate anthesis, spathe constriction coinciding with the staminate constriction; spathe limb longer than lower spathe, ca. 9.5 cm long x ca. 3.7 cm wide at pistillate anthesis, ovato-triangular, red mucro to ca. 4 mm, slightly furled at staminate anthesis. Spadix stipitate, 12-16 cm, ca. 1.4 cm exceeding spathe limb at pistillate anthesis, persistently enclosed by spathe after anthesis until the end of fruiting stages; stipe ca. 6.3 mm long x ca. 6.5 mm width, fusiform, inserted obliquely on peduncle, yellowish white, chocolate brown in alcohol, few staminodes present on its upper portion; pistillate zone ca. 3.5 cm long x 1.3 cm wide, ca. 1/4 length of spadix, slightly fusiform-cylindrical, yellowish; pistil 1.4-2.2 mm in diam., ca. 1.5 mm tall, globose-cylindrical, arrangement slightly lax when fresh, yellowish, turned brown and laxly arranged in alcohol, each pistil associated with three to four waxy white interpistillar staminodes, these stipitate, 0.8-1.0 mm in diam., yellowish white in alcohol; style barely differentiate; stigma globose-capitate, truncate and smaller than ovary, wet and white yellowish at pistillate anthesis; suprapistillar interstice zone absent; staminate zone 9-10.5 cm long x ca. 7.7 mm wide at staminate anthesis, ca. 5/8 length of spadix, weekly constricted ca. 1/6 way along from the base, coinciding with the spathe constriction; amber droplets of resin secreted on the staminate zone close to onset of staminate anthesis and few exudates among the staminate zone; staminate flower polygonal, 3.2-5 mm in diam., each comprising 3-8 truncate stamens which overtopped by a large and flat connective tissues, size dramatically differ ent (larger) after 1/2 of staminate zone along toward base, pale brown and slightly grey in alcohol; pollen string white, turned yellowish and somewhat paste form when mixed with resin. Infructescence 1-8 together, rarely up to 20, declinate to pendent; spathe entirely persistent, pale red, dark purplish red, rarely medium green; peduncle pale red, dark purplish red, rarely medium green with red longitudinal striate, matte; lower fruiting spathe ca. 10 cm long x 2.1 cm wide; fruiting spathe limb ca. 6.5 cm long x ca. 1.1 cm wide; fruits size ca. 3 times larger than ovaries, ripen red, slightly salty sour plum smell; stigma slightly impress with cross sign, 1.2-1.6 mm in diam., rounded, pale red and pale yellow; stipe white and pale green; staminate zone ripen banana smell when degraded; seeds 0.2 mm in diameter, slightly oval, pale green.