igantic subacaulescent terrestrial herbs, the stem very succulent and up to about 3 dm. long and 1 dm. in diameter. Leaves very large, the elongate petioles subtended by numerous bright red, deeply laciniate, obovate-cuneate stipules up to 12 cm. long and 5 cm. broad; blade broadly subreniform-ovate to suborbicular, deeply cordate, with 7-9 very broad obscurely dichotomous, crenulate-serrate lobes, the veins ending in conspicuous marginal hydathodes, up to about 2 m. long and broad, minutely scabrous and somewhat bullate above, densely and minutely ferruginous-puberulent particularly on the venation beneath; petiole very stout, 1.5-2.0 m. long, up to 8 cm. broad at the base, minutely ferruginous-puberulent and more or less conspicuously muricate. Inflorescence spicate-paniculate, once-compound, the rachis axillary, up to about 1 m. long, minutely ferruginous-puberulent; flowering branches 1-3 dm. long, bearing very numerous small sessile ebracteolate flowers. Flowers apparently all hermaphrodite, apetalous, proter-androus; ovary broadly ellipsoid, about 1 mm. long, glabrous, the 2 broadly triangular calyx-lobes about one-quarter as long; anthers broadly oval, somewhat more than 1 mm. long, much longer than the filament; stigma lobes about as long as the ovary. Drupes broadly ovoid, about 1.5 mm. long, white.
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