Herbs, rhizomatous. Rhizomes 20-60 cm, slender, 2.5-6 mm in diam.; internodes 1.5-3.5 cm. Leaves basal; stipules triangular to ovate-triangular, 4-9 × 4-6 mm, apex acute or obtuse; petiole 5-12 cm, 1.5-3 mm in diam., villous; blade adaxially green or dark green on veins, otherwise whitish or pale green, broadly ovate or suborbicular, 5-9.5 × 3.6-6.8 cm, basally 5-or 6-veined, tertiary veins percurrent and loosely reticulate. Inflorescences axillary, flowers 4-7 in a dichasial cyme; peduncle 6-15 cm, glabrous; bracts ovate to orbicular, 3-5 × 3-4 mm, margin ciliate. Staminate flowers: pedicel 9-17 mm; tepals 4, outer 2 pink toward margin, whitish in middle, suborbicular, 6-11 × 7-12 mm, inner 2 oblong or narrowly obovate, 8-10 × 3-4 mm; stamens abnormal, base with exposed ovulelike structures, apex forming a stigmalike structure, without anthers. Pistillate flowers: pedicel 7-11 mm, sometimes with a bracteole; tepals 3, caducous or nearly so, outer 2 tepals bicolored as staminate flowers, suborbicular, 5-11 × 5-11 mm, inner 2 tepals oblong or narrowly obovate, 4-7 × 2.5-3.5 mm, apex obtuse; ovary ellipsoid, 5-8 × 3.7-4.1 mm, unequally or subequally 3-winged, 1-loculed with parietal placentation; abaxial wing lunate, 3-5 × 5-7 mm; styles 3, fused in proximal 1/4. Capsule not developed. Fl. Aug-Jan. 2n = 30*.
Home