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(Last Modified On 10/25/2012)
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(Last Modified On 10/25/2012)
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Genus
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SPATHIPHYLLUM Schott
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PlaceOfPublication
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Melet. 1:22. 1832.
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Description
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Terrestrial, acaulescent herbs, rarely with a short caudex; petioles equitant, usually long and slender, mostly geniculate near the apex and terete above the node, commonly vaginate to or above the middle; blades mostly oblong to ovate or lanceolate and cuspidate-acuminate, drying rather thin, the costa stout, the primary and secondary lateral nerves subparallel, approximate, ascending chiefly at a narrow angle, not united into a collective nerve; peduncles equaling or longer than the leaves, the spathe cuspidate, decurrent upon the peduncle, membranaceous, convolute in bud, explanate in anthesis, white or whitish; spadix sessile or stipitate, cylindric, erect, shorter than the spathe, densely many-flowered, flowering from the base upward; flowers perfect, perigoniate, typically 3-parted, sometimes 2- to 4-parted; sepals fornicate at the apex and subtruncate, coherent or united to form a truncate cup; stamens as many as the sepals and opposite them, the short fila- ments dilated and thickened at the apex, gibbous posteriorly, abruptly narrowed at the apex into the connective; anthers ovoid, the cells oblong, exceeding the connective, the cells subopposite, dehiscent by a longitudinal slit that scarcely extends to the base; ovary oblong, commonly 3-celled, the cells 2- to 8-ovulate, the ovules anatropous, attached by short funicles; style continuous with the ovary, conically elongate, and projecting beyond the perianth, or almost none; stigma 3- or 4-lobate, sessile; fruit baccate, rounded or conic at the apex, 3-celled, the cells 1- to 8-seeded; seeds oblong, slightly curved, somewhat reniform, pale yellowish, the testa sparsely striate-verrucose; endosperm abundant.
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Distribution
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Engler and Krause recognize 27 species, widely distributed in tropical America, with one species in the Philippines and the central Malayan region. Seven species are known from Central America.
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Key
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a. Style very short, not or scarcely exceeding the perianth, the fruiting spadices almost smooth, not tuberculate. b. Leaves mostly 3-7 cm. wide, the blades acute at the base; spadix 2-6 cm. long -1 . S. FLORIBUNDUM bb. Leaves mostly 13-20 cm. wide, the blades obtuse or rounded at the base; spadix 9-12 cm. long --- 5. S. FULVOVIRENS aa. Style elongate, conspicuously exceeding the perianth, the fruiting spadices thus strongly tuberculate. b. Spadix only 1.5 cm. long, few-flowered; leaf blades less than 6 cm. wide - - 2. S. ZETEKIANUM bb. Spadix usually 5-10 cm. long, with very numerous flowers; leaf blades mostly more than 10 cm. wide. c. Leaf blades acute at the base; cells of the ovary 6- to 8-ovulate- 3. S. FRIEDRICHSTHALII cc. Leaf blades rounded at the base; cells of the ovary 2-ovulate - 4. S. PHRYNIIFOLIUM
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