| Original Botanical Description or Link to | Herb monoecious rhizomatous. Rhizome 2–8 cm long, 0.5−1.2 cm thick, internodes congested, glabrous. Stipule
pale yellowish-green to reddish-green, triangular, 5–10 mm long, 5–8 mm wide, herbaceous, keeled, glabrous, margin
entire, apex apiculate. Leaves alternate, held horizontally; petiole terete, slightly grooved above, reddish-green, 5−10 cm long, 2.5−4 mm across, glabrous or sparsely white velutinous; lamina ovate to oval-lanceolate, basifixed, symmetric
or subsymmetric (usually subsymmetric in juvenile plant, becoming symmetric in mature plant), oblique, 4−8 cm
long, 2–4 cm wide, broad side 1.0–2.0 cm wide, basal lobes cordate, equal or subequal, 1.0–1.5 cm long, margin
slightly undulate and denticulate, ciliate, apex attenuate; leaf thickly chartaceous, adaxially dark green to maroon,
embellished with a wide silvery band (sometimes with irregular patchs/spots of variable sizes between veins) running
parallel to the margin, with a narrowly silvery rim at margin, veins reddish towards base, adaxially subglabrous or
very sparsely puberulous between veins; abaxially reddish-green to magenta, with pale green band and narrow rim at
margin corresponding to the pattern on adaxial surface; sparsely velutinous on veins; venation palmate-pinnate, midrib
distinct, ca. 2 secondary veins on each side, tertiary veins lateral through connection between with other basal veins,
minor veins reticulate. Inflorescence axillary, cymose, reddish-green, glabrous, peduncle 4–6 cm long, branched 2
or 3 times, erect, sparsely minutely glands; protandrous. Bract pale green, hyaline, persistent, basal pair ovate to
oval-lanceolate, 3–5 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, apex acute, glabrous, margin sparsely denticulate, becoming lanceolate,
smaller, entire towards the inflorescence apex. Staminate flower: pedicel 1–1.5 cm long, glabrous or sparsely minutely
glands, tepals 4, white to pinkish-white, outer 2 widely ovate to obovate, 9–13 mm long, 7–11 mm wide, glabrous; inner
2 lanceolate to narrowly obovate, 9–12 mm long, 3–5 mm wide, apex acute or rounded; androecium zygomorphic, ca.
3 mm across; stamens yellow, 18–25; filaments shortly fused at base; anthers obovate, ca. 1.2 mm long, 2-locular, apex
incised, longer than filaments. Pistillate flower: pedicel ca. 5 mm long, glabrous; tepals 4, white to pinkish-white,
glabrous, outer 2 widely ovate to obovate, 6–8 mm long, 4–7 mm wide; inner 2 tepals obovate to narrowly obovate,
7–12 mm long, 2–4 mm wide; styles 3, short fused at base, yellow, ca. 2.5 mm long, stigma spirally twisted; ovary pale
green, body very narrowly trigonous-ellipsoid, ca. 7 mm long, 4 mm thick (wings excluded), glabrous; ovary 3-locular,
placenta undivided. Capsule stalked, pendulous ca. 13 mm long, 10 mm thick (wings included), glabrous, wings 3,
subequal, wing narrowly crescent-shaped, obtuse distally, cuneate proximally |
