| Original Botanical Description or Link to | Herb monoecious rhizomatous. Rhizome 6−10 cm, occasionally to 15 cm long, ca. 2 cm thick, internodes congested,
glabrous. Stipule reddish-green, triangular, to 3.5 cm long, 1.5 cm wide, herbaceous, keeled, glabrous, margin entire,
apex apiculate, apiculus ca. 1 mm long. Leaves alternate, slightly pointing upward; petiole terete, dusky green to
brownish-red, 24−36 cm long, 4−10 mm across, glabrous; lamina lanceolate to oblong lanceolate, basifixed, asymmetric
with a well-developed basal lobe on one side giving a cordate appearance on broad side, margin subentire to sparsely
denticulate, slightly prominent at the vein endings, apex attenuate or caudate, 17−30 cm long (basal lobes included),
5.5–10.5 cm wide, broad side 3.2–6.5 cm wide, base unequal, basal lobes cordate, 1.5–5.5 cm long, succulent,
adaxially emerald green to greyish-green, abaxially magenta to pale green, glabrous; venation palmate-pinnate,
midrib distinguishable, 15–25 cm long, with ca. 4 major lateral veins on each side, other primary veins branching
dichotomously. Inflorescence terminal or axillary on a short aerial stem up to 5 internodes at summit of rhizome, each
node by a leaf (similar to basal leaf but smaller towards the branches apex); aerial stem 35–50 cm long, dusky green
to crimson, glabrous; cymes dichasial, peduncle 3–15 cm long, with up to 6 orders of branching, exceeding leaves.
Bract reddish-green, hyaline, deciduous, basal pair narrowly oval-triangular, ca. 2 × 0.8 cm, glabrous, margin entire,
becoming ovate, smaller towards the inflorescence apex. Staminate flower: pedicel 0.7–1.2 cm long, glabrous, tepals
4, pale green, sometimes with a pinkish tinge on abaxial surface, outer 2 widely ovate, boat-shaped, 6–8 mm long, ca.
7 mm wide, glabrous; inner 2 obovate, ca. 8 × 5 mm, apex rounded; androecium actinomorphic, ca. 4.5 mm across;
stamens yellow, 60–110; filaments slightly fused at base; anthers narrowly obovate, ca. 1.5 mm long, 2-locular, apex obtuse, longer than filaments. Pistillate flower: pedicel 1.5–2 cm long, tepals 5, pale green, sometimes with a pinkish
tinge on abaxial surface, obovate to elliptic or oblong, 6–9 mm long, 3.5–5 mm wide, apex rounded; styles 2, fused at
base, yellow, ca. 4.5 mm long, stigma strongly undulate and spirally twisted; ovary green, trigonous-ellipsoid, ca. 8
mm long, 3.5 mm thick (wings excluded), 3-winged, wings unequal, red, ca. 1 cm long, the 2 lateral wings 5–8 mm
wide, shallowly triangular, verrucose to echinate, abaxial wing triangular, 8–11 mm wide; ovary 2-locular, placenta
bilamellate. Capsule pendent on a stalk ca. 2 cm long, capsule body trigonous-ellipsoid, ca. 15 mm long, 5 mm thick
(wings excluded), pale green or reddish-green when fresh; wings unequal, lateral wings 7–10 mm wide, abaxial wing
triangular to crescent-shaped, 14–17 mm wide. |
