Homalomena cowleyae P.C. Boyce & S.Y. Wong

Medium, evergreen, glabrous, strongly aromatic mesophytic herbs to c.60 cm tall. Stem pleionanthic, congested, erect, ca 2.5 cm thick, green, internodes to ca 1.5 cm long, green, later becoming pale brown, adventitious roots few, penetrating the leaf bases. Leaves c.10 together; petiole 30–40 cm long × 9–12 mm wide, adaxially very shallow wide-grooved, weakly D-shaped in cross-section, sub-erect to spreading, medium glossy green, the lowermost part sometimes suffused reddish; a weak pulvinus always present, about one-fifth of the petiole length from blade base; petiole bases clasping; petiolar sheath to c.10 cm long, one-quarter to one-fifth of petiole length, width between both margins c.1 cm at the base, narrowing towards the apex, sheath margins 0.5–1 cm, equal, involute, clasping, weakly truncate, green, persistent; blade broadly oblong-ovate, 20–35 cm long × 12–18 cm wide, somewhat stiffly coriaceous, semi-glossy medium green adaxially (fresh), drying pale brown, abaxially sub-glaucous green (fresh), drying pale brown, base shallowly cordate, posterior lobes straight, rounded, c.2 long, blade tip acute, short-acuminate for c.2.5 cm, apiculate for c.3 mm; midrib raised abaxially (fresh and dry), c.6 mm wide at the base and 4 mm wide at the centre, adaxially impressed (fresh and dry), c.8 mm at the base and 3 mm at the centre; 10–13 primary lateral veins on each side, diverging at 60°–80° from the midrib, adaxially impressed (fresh and dry), abaxially raised (fresh and dry), curved towards the apex when near the margin; interprimary veins impressed, alternating irregularly with primaries, posterior lobes each with one or two primary lateral veins; secondary venation visible abaxially as conspicuous pellucid-striate vein-like glands running parallel to the primary lateral veins; tertiary venation not visible, all veins running into a slightly thickened intramarginal vein. Inflorescences up to five together in a simple sympodium, erect at anthesis, when strongly fragrant of coconut, each subtended by a prophyll, 3–5 cm long; peduncle 11–15 cm long × c.4 mm wide, semi-glossy medium green. Spathe c.7 cm long, lowermost part of lower spathe pale green, the remainder externally rich pink, internally somewhat paler, lower part of spathe limb suffused pale pink, the remainder white except for the bright green terminal rostrum; lower spathe ovoid-ellipsoid, 4–4.5 cm long × 2 cm wide at staminate anthesis, constricted at the junction of the spathe limb, the constriction coinciding with the lower-part of the staminate flower zone, spathe limb about half the length of the lower spathe, c.2.3 cm long × 2 cm wide at pistillate anthesis, mucro c.5 mm long. Spadix almost equal to spathe at pistillate anthesis, c.6.6 cm long, elongate-cylindrical, narrowing in the lower part of staminate zone coinciding with the constriction of the spathe; stipe c.3 mm long × 3 mm wide, oblique-cylindrical, lime green; pistillate zone c.1.6 cm long × 5 mm wide, about one-third length of spadix, weakly fusiform; ovary c.1.1 mm tall, shortly cylindrical, pale creamy white; stigma c.1.5 mm in diameter, rounded, overtopping ovary, densely arranged, wet and glossy-grey when fresh; style barely differentiated; interstice c.6 mm long × 7 mm wide, densely clothed with irregularly polygonal-globose staminodes, these c.2 mm long, waxy white; staminate zone tapering-cylindrical, c.4 cm long × 4 mm wide (widest part), about one-half length of spadix; staminate flowers, dirty-white to slightly pinkish, c.3.5 mm diameter, regularly polygonal, comprising four or five truncate stamens, each overtopped by large and flat connective tissues, turning pale brown in alcohol. Infructescences not seen.