Schismatoglottis persistens
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.
Schismatoglottis persistens is unique in the genus by the combination of the stout, elongated, creeping and rhizome-like stem with leaves arising in clusters along its length, and by the persistent ligules at the distal end of the petiolar sheath. Schismatoglottis persistens differs from S. erecta M. Hotta, the only other species with elongated stems (but in that species erect) and persistent, free ligules, by the much more robust (1 - 2 cm in diam. vs c. 3 mm in diam.), creeping (not erect) stems, and by the larger (8 - 9 cm long vs c. 3 cm long), erect (not nodding) inflorescences. Schismatoglottis persistens shares persistent ligules with S. monoplacenta M. Hotta, but otherwise is very different by the creeping (not erect) stem, the leaf blades erect from the tip of the petiole (vs leaf blades pendulous from the tip of the petiole), and by its ecology as a rheophyte on clay-loam river banks (vs obligation to vertical karst limestone cliffs).
Known only from the type locality in SW Sarawak.
Schismatoglottis persistens occurs as a rheophyte on shaded vertical consolidated clay-loam river banks under lowland humid forest at c. 80 m above sea level.