Schismatoglottis persistens S. Y. Wong & P. C. Boyce

Herbs rheophytic, perennial, creeping, to c. 40 cm tall. Stem fleshy, somewhat elongate, rooting along its length in mud; internodes to 3 cm long × 1 - 2 cm in diam. Leaves several together in a cluster at each active tip, with clusters also arising adventitiously along length of stem; petiole shorter than blade, 8 - 12 cm long, sub-terete, dorsally very slightly flattened and weakly crisped alate, sheathing only at extreme base, wings extended into a narrowly triangular ligular persistent portion c. 5 cm long; leaf blade broadly oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 12 - 23 cm long × 3 - 7 cm wide, distinctly coriaceous, adaxially semi-glossy medium green, very slightly paler and matte abaxially, base cuneate to narrowly rounded, apex acuminate and apiculate for c. 1 cm; midrib adaxially ± flush with blade, abaxially prominent; primary lateral veins c.  15 on each side, regularly alternating with somewhat lesser interprimaries, diverging at 45° - 60°; secondary venation adaxially ± obscure, abaxially very fine and comprised of somewhat dense pellucid vein-like glands; tertiary venation invisible. Inflorescences c. 5 in a simple synflorescence subtended by lanceolate fleshy cataphylls resembling ligules, with a strong esteric odour at pistillate anthesis; peduncle compressed cylindric, completely concealed by cataphylls at anthesis, c. 3 cm long × 5 mm wide × 3 mm thick. Spathe ± erect at pistillate anthesis, becoming fornicate at staminate anthesis, 8 - 9 cm long, at anthesis lower spathe narrower than spathe limb but without an obvious constriction at junction of spathe limb with lower spathe; lower spathe narrowly ovoid and asymmetric, pale green with very fine darker longitudinal veins, dorsally c. 1 cm long, ventrally c. 2 cm long and somewhat gibbous, persistent; spathe limb cream at pistillate anthesis, darkening to pale ochre during staminate anthesis, opening broadly lanceolate, 5.5 - 7.5 cm long, rostrate for c. 2 cm, inflating at pistillate anthesis and opening via a narrow terminal slit, then widely gaping (c. 2.5 cm wide) and fornicate with limb margins reflexing during staminate anthesis, then degrading into a slimy adherent layer. Spadix 5 - 6 cm long, subcylindric (slightly attenuate at top of pistillate zone); pistillate zone 7 mm (dorsal side) to 15 mm long (ventral side), narrowly conic, obliquely inserted, distally c. 6 mm in diam., very pale green; pistils small, crowded, c. 0.8 mm in diam., ellipsoid-bottle-shaped; stigma sessile, discoid, wider than top of pistil, c. 1 mm wide, papillose; interpistillar staminodes sparse, irregularly scattered among pistils, occasionally forming an incomplete row at junction with peduncle, c. 2 mm long, much exceeding pistils, slender vermiform-claviform with cap only slightly wider than stalk, waxy white; sterile interstice ill-defined, usually with a single row of partially formed polygonal staminodes; interstice staminodes c. 1 mm across, glossy white, apex truncate, irregularly orbicular-polygonal; staminate zone cylindric, c. 1.5 cm long × 0.4 - 0.5 cm in diam., white; stamens irregularly crowded, individual flowers very hard to distinguish, rectangular-dumbbell-shaped from above, truncate with thick connective slightly elevated above thecae; thecae opening by a single pore; appendix narrowly conic, pointed, proximally slightly wider than top of staminate zone, 2.5 - 3 cm long, widest part c. 5 mm in diam., distally tapering and narrowly obtuse, white; appendix staminodes rectangular-dumbbell-shaped from above, much resembling stamens in shape and size but more regularly arranged. Fruiting spadix not seen.