Stems unarmed, ± 0.5 mm. in diameter, often plumose above because of the closely packed leaves.. Leaves (6.5-)11.8-32 mm. long, flat, acute, linear-lanceolate (0.26-)0.42-0.72(-1.1) mm. wide including teeth on both sides, (0.24-0.53(-0.87) mm. wide excluding teeth); margin on each side minutely serrulate with inconspicuous spiny teeth, mainly consisting of the brownish spine-cell or serrulate with 7-30 conspicuous spiny teeth on broad triangular excrescences; teeth (0.05-)0.09-0.14 mm. long, the ratio of teeth-length to leaf-width being 0.13-0.3(-0.5); midrib without spiny teeth; septa absent or clearly visible; fibres absent or present on margin and/or near midrib; sheath (1.3-)1.9-2.4(-2.9), (including auricle and spine-cells) × (1.37-)2.6(-3.22) mm. (ratio = 0.8-1.6), truncate to auriculate, the auricle 0.24-0.96 mm. long (including spine-cells) and 0.2-1 mm. wide (ratio = 0.75-1.74), serrulate or lacerate with 2-8 spine-cells on each side; apex of the auricle rather obtuse.. Male and ♀ flowers generally on different branches, solitary or several together, each at the very base of a (sometimes very short) axillary shoot.. Male flower (1.2-)1.9-2.5 (including spathe-neck) × 0.4-1 mm., the neck of the spathe ± 0.6 mm., tapering at the top, bearing brownish spine-cells on the apex; inner envelope protruding 0.16-0.32 mm. above the anther; anther 1-2.4 × 0.36-1 mm., tetrasporangiate.. Female flower enclosed in a spathe, (1.1-)1.5-3 (including spathe-neck) × 0.4-0.6 mm., the neck of the spathe about halfway along the style, bearing no brownish spine-cells on the apex; ovary 0.5-1(-1.77) × (0.3-)0.6 mm.; style and stigma 0.8-1.3 mm.; stigma 2-lobed.. Fruit with persistent membranous pericarp and remnants of style and spathe.. Seed elliptic-oblong to ovate, (1.85-)2-2.3(-2.6) × (0.4-)0.56-0.79 mm. (ratio = (2.3-)3.1-3.8); areoles 0.11-0.23 mm. long, irregularly arranged in longitudinal rows of 10-14(-23); cell-walls raised.
Home