Alepidea jenkinsii R.Pott

Acaulescent, evergreen geophytes; aromatic and resinous throughout; solitary or gregarious, forming small groups. Rhizomes small, 3-6 mm in diameter. Roots thin, 1-2 mm in diameter, fibrous, without conspicuously swollen bases. Leaves simple, 3 to 8, loosely arranged in basal rosette, spreading to erect, 10-60 mm x 15-25 mm, lanceolate, oblanceolate, oblong or oval, glabrous; veins not prominently depressed, apices rounded or acute; veins flush on the adaxial surface. Leaf margins irregularly or regularly denticulate, dentate or serrate; marginal hairs ciliate, 1-5 mm long, terminating teeth, spreading at an angle approximately parallel to lamina, seldom between teeth and if so not setaceous or strongly inflexed, not arising from swollen base on lamina. Lamina bases usually cordate or rounded, occasionally cuneate or oblique. Petioles 10-100 mm long, dorsoventrally flattened, ribbed, glabrous. Synflorescence monopodial, consisting of a single primary axis, occasionally two, 70-620 mm in height, 1-3 mm wide at base, hollow, ribbed, glabrous throughout; 0 to 7 lateral axes, radially alternate on primary axis at nodes; primary axis terminating in a determinate, primary umbel from the apical node; secondary axes, 0 to 4, whorled at apical node around determinate umbel, each terminating in a secondary umbel; tertiary axes, 0 to 2, opposite at nodes on secondary axes, each terminating in a tertiary umbel; this entire structure of the primary axis with its lateral axes and continuous dichasial pattern is replicated on lateral axes. Peduncular bracts leaf-like, radially alternate, imbricate or sparse, adpressed to erect, 1-45 mm x 0.5-10 mm, decreasing in size only slightly and gradually along synflorescence (smallest bract usually not less than one third of largest bract); lanceolate, oblong or linear, amplexicaul, auriculate, glabrous; margins serrate, marginal hairs short, ciliate, 1-3 mm long, terminating teeth, spreading; peduncular bracts reduced at nodes, 1 to 3, opposite or whorled, often fused together at base. Umbels simple, 5 to 30, primary determinate umbel 12-18 mm in diameter, 10 to 14-flowered; ratio of perfect to functionally male flowers variable, frequency of the latter increasing from primary to tertiary umbels on both primary and lateral axes, umbels often entirely functionally male on tertiary umbels; colours of floral and immature fruit features pertaining to umbels, white or cream, can be flushed with pink or purple following pollination. Involucral bracts 10 (rarely 12), 4-7 mm x 1.5-4 mm, fused together to form a receptacle, sub-equal, 5 slightly larger alternating with 5 slightly smaller, lanceolate to deltoid, cream or white above, sometimes flushed with pink, green below: apices acuminate or acute, setae 0.5-2 mm long at apices, occasionally 1 or 2 protruding laterally from margins. Flowers small sessile, pentamerous; sepals persistent, 5, 0.3-0.5 mm x 0.3-0.5 mm, deltoid, oblong or lanceolate, apices acute, acuminate, oblique or apiculate, abaxially rugulose; petals 5, 1-1.25 mm x 0.5 mm, oblanceolate to obovate, apices tapering, inflexed, a prominent keel on inner surface, slightly raised mid-vein and 2 lateral veins present on adaxial surface; anthers 5, filaments double the length of petals; styles 2, 0.5-0.8 mm, cream or white becoming pink following pollination, persistent on fruit; stylopodia cushion-like, margins lobed, cream or white. Fruit homomorphic, 1-1.5 mm x 1.5-2.25 mm, spheroidal, ovoid or obovoid, ± isodiametric, light brown, densely papillate or muricate, occasionally glabrous along ribs; ribs obtuse, inconspicuous due to fruit vestiture; carpophores remaining attached to one of the separated mericarps at maturity. Flowering is in early summer (November and December), fruit ripens in January and February.