Thonningia

Dioecious, fleshy, crimson to pink, later brownish root parasite arising from an underground tuber; tuber rhizome-like, cylindric, branched, swollen at point of contact with host root. Stem densely covered with many spirally arranged, triangular-lanceolate scale leaves; flowering stems breaking through buds on tuber leaving a short-lobed volva at base. Inflorescence unbranched, spadix-like with obconic terminally obtuse axis bearing many flowers at apex. Male flowers pedicellate; perianth segments 2-6, spirally arranged, linear; anthers 3-6, linear-elongate, united but apices free, 2-thecous, dehiscing extrorsely. Female flowers densely crowded, linear-prismatic; perianth tubular, obscurely 2- or 3-lobed; style 1, exserted. Infructescence a swollen hemisphere, bearing minute, 1-seeded achenes.