ARACEAE  

Acaulescent herbs with rhizomatous or discoid tubers. Leaves simple, several per shoot, glabrous, rosulate, deciduous or evergreen; with 2 or 3 subulate cataphylls; petiole long, lacking apical pulvinus, base sometimes mottled or striped with white or purple, sometimes with trichomes; lamina variable, lanceolate, ovate or orbicular, with or without white pellucid spots. Inflorescence contemporary with leaves; peduncle usually as long as, or longer than leaves. Spathe cylindrical or funnel-shaped, convolute at base, with or without a purple-coloured blotch at base within, persistent, limb spreading, truncate to acute, white, cream, yellow, pink or red. Spadix shorter than spathe, sessile or sometimes +/- stipitate; basal portion pistillate, apical portion staminate. Flowers without perianth segments. Maleflowers with stamens free; anthers sessile, oblong, truncate at apex, dehiscing by apical pores; pollen white, emitted in fine long threads. Female flowers with or without staminodes; ovary 3-locular; ovules 1-8 per locule, with axile or subapical placentation; style short, terete; stigma capitate. Fruit a berry; few- to many-seeded, green or orange when ripe. Seeds subglobose or ovoid, mucilaginous, verrucose; with abundant endosperm. x= 8.

Acaulescent, tufted herbs, with branched nodose rhizomes bearing many long swollen roots. Leaves 1-4 per shoot, deciduous; petiole sheathing at base, often mottled with purple; lamina simple, sagittate, hastate or cordate at base. Inflorescence appearing before or contemporary with leaves, borne on short peduncles at ground level. Spathe tubular with margins connate towards base, limb slightly expanded, deciduous. Spadix shorter than spathe; female flowers below, male flowers above, separated by an interstice bearing sterile flowers. Flowers with perianth segments fused, boat-shaped or cupular, truncate and swollen above. Male flowers many; stamens 2-7, exserted on long free filaments; anthers opening by lateral slits; ovary rudimentary. Female flowers either few, arranged in a basal circle or many, forming spirals; staminodes lacking; ovary 1- or 2-locular; ovules 1-several per locule on axial placentas; style long; stigma capitate to broadly discoid. Fruit a berry, 1-few-seeded. Seeds ovoid, tessellate; with copious endosperm. x= 14.

Herbs with aerial parts deciduous. Stem a rhizome or subglobose tuber. Leaf solitary, erect, with several membranous cataphylls at base; petiole with or without an annular swelling in upper half; lamina decompound, pinnately to quadripinnately lobed; pinnae petiolulate or decurrent, alternate or subopposite. Inflorescence 1-several, appearing before leaf but often present during its early development. Spathe borne on erect, short to long, terete peduncles, convolute towards base forming a tube, limb expanded, reflexed at maturity, disintegrates with fruit development. Spadix subequal to spathe; female flowers at base, male flowers above, separated by a constricted zone bearing sterile flowers. Flowers with 4(6) decussate perianth segments. Male flowers many; filaments connate into a tube surrounding a central, cylindric to clavate pistillode; anthers dehiscing by apical pores; pollen globose. Female flowers lacking staminodes; pistil +/- laterally compressed; ovary 2-locular; locules uniovulate; style short, thick; stigma discoid-capitate. Fruit a berry, ovoid-ellipsoid, 1- or 2-seeded. Seeds with smooth testa; endosperm 0. x= 17.