Aquatic herb; rhizomes blackish brown, ovoid to spherical, sometimes irregular, 5–12 cm. long, 3–4 cm. thick, erect with projecting leaf-scars, densely covered with grey mucilaginous hairs; roots long, white, spongy.. Leaves bright green or bronze-flushed, sometimes with small purple spots on the underside, elliptic to rounded-ovate, 17–35 cm. long, 12–26 cm. wide, with a deep open sinus but not peltate, the lower lobes acute, entire to shortly distantly undulate-toothed at the margin, glabrous; venation prominent beneath, petiole up to 50 cm. long.. Flowers 10–18 cm. wide on slender peduncles 5–6 mm. wide, held 10–15 cm. above the water, scented (aromatically fide Stuhlmann).. Sepals 4(–5), greenish yellow, obovate to oblong-lanceolate, (5–)7–8.5 cm. long, 2(–3) cm. wide, obtuse to broadly rounded at apex, with numerous longitudinal veins.. Petals 13–30, bright lemon-yellow or sulphur-yellow, linear-oblong to lanceolate or sometimes almost obovate and narrowed to the base, (4.5–)5–6.5(–8) cm. long, 1–1.5(–2.5) cm. wide, acute, acuminate or sometimes rounded at the apex, with several longitudinal veins.. Stamens 60–200, golden yellow or orange-yellow, the outer 3/5 the length of the petals, up to ± 5 cm. long, with connective-appendages 1–10 mm. long.. Ovary orange, hemispherical, ± 3.5 cm. diameter, 16–30-locular; stylar disc 1.5–2.5 cm. wide; stylar processes 3–4 mm. long.. Fruit 3–4.5 cm. long, 4–6 cm. wide.. Seeds very numerous, grey-brown or straw-coloured, ± ovoid, 0.7–1 mm. long, 0.5–0.75 mm. wide, ± acute at both ends.. Calyx-tube subcampanulate, 4 mm. long, 4 mm. wide, densely tomentose; lobes erect, narrowly lanceolate to triangular or oblong-lanceolate, 1.5–5.5 mm. long, densely tomentose.. Corolla whitish or yellow-green; tube cylindric, 5 mm. long, with a ring of deflexed hairs inside; lobes reflexed, linear-lanceolate, 2–2.5 cm. long, glabrous inside, tomentose outside, apiculate at the apex.
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