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Araceae
Schismatoglottis tseui S. Y. Wong & P. C. Boyce
Nomenclature
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Family: AraceaeGenus: Schismatoglottis
SUMMARY
Tufted rheophytic herb to ca. 15 cm tall but most a third of this tall. Stem erect, congested, internodes to 5 mm long, ca 3 mm in diam., rooting along its length in mud. Leaves several together; petiole approximately equalling to slightly shorter than blade, 6–8 cm long, sub-terete, dorsally very slightly flattened with angles very weakly alate, sheathing only at extreme base, wings extended into a triangular ligular persistent portion ca. 3 cm long; blade broadly elliptic to broadly lanceolate, 6–10 cm long × 3–5.75 cm wide, thinly coriaceous, adaxially semi-glossy medium green, abaxially paler matte olive-green, base broadly cuneate to rounded, apex bluntly acute and apiculate for ca. 2 mm; midrib adaxially more or less very slightly raised, abaxially slightly prominent; primary lateral veins ca. 6 on each side arising at 45–60°, conspicuously darker than surrounding tissue; interprimary veins much finer than primaries although still conspicuous, somewhat translucent; secondary venation adaxially more or less obscure, abaxially very fine and comprised of somewhat dense pellucid veins; tertiary venation abaxially forming an obscure sub-tessellate reticulum. Inflorescence ca. 3 in a simple synflorescence subtended by one or two lanceolate fleshy cataphylls resembling the ligules, with a weak esteric odour at pistillate anthesis; peduncle cylindric, ca. 3 cm long × 3 mm wide. Spathe erect at pistillate anthesis, ca 3 cm long, at anthesis lower spathe almost imperceptibly narrower than the spathe limb, without an obvious constriction at the junction of the spathe limb with the lower spathe; lower spathe narrowly funnel-form asymmetric, glossy white-yellowish green, dorsally ca. 1 cm long, persistent; spathe limb pale yellow-green with darker veining at pistillate anthesis, becoming glossy-white with faint darker longitudinal veins during staminate anthesis, broadly lanceolate, ca 2 cm long, rostrate for ca. 2 mm, inflating at pistillate anthesis and opening via a narrow slit, hardly opening more during staminate anthesis, then degrading and semi-deliquescent. Spadix ca 2.5 cm long, subcylindric; pistillate zone obliquely inserted on spathe, 7 mm (dorsal side) to 1.7 cm long (ventral side), cylindric, distally ca. 6 mm diam., very pale green; pistils comparatively large, rather lax, ca. 1.5 mm diam., stoutly flask-shaped with a slight constriction below the stigma, almost white; stigma sessile, discoid, wider than the top of the pistil, ca. 1.8 mm wide, papillose; interpistillar staminodes forming a sparse row at the junction with the peduncle, ca. 2 mm long, ascending-aristate, shorter than pistils, translucent very pale green; sterile interstice well-defined, with a single row of branched staminodes; interstice staminodes comprising a thick base each with 2–5 aristate-vermiform ‘arms’ ca. 2 mm long, semi-translucent glossy white; staminate zone cylindric, ca. 5 mm long × 4 mm wide, white; stamens crowded, individual flowers tiny and somewhat difficult to individuate, but seemingly consisting of two anthers each with two thecae, ca. 0.5 mm diam., thecae subglobose with a single comparatively large terminal pore; appendix weakly coniccylindric, blunt, proximally very slightly wider than the top of the staminate zone, ca 1.3 cm long, widest part ca. 5 mm diam., distally tapering and narrowly obtuse, creamy white; appendix staminodes subcolumnar- globose, much resembling stamens in shape but larger, ca 1 mm in diam. Fruiting spathe pendulous, narrowly cylindrical, green with a conspicuous scar at the orifice. Fruits & seeds not seen.