Roots green, photosynthetic; haptera (fleshy disclike or fingerlike outgrowths) arising along flanks of roots serving as anchorage. Leaves with 1–2 basal sheaths; stipules extensions of boat-shaped leaf base; petiole round to elliptic; blade symmetric, ultimate divisions linear, awl-shaped, or spatulate, apex rounded, blunt, acute, or apiculate. Inflorescences apical or lateral, 1–12-flowered, pedicellate; spathella clavate, smooth or papillate, apex rounded or with nipple, rupturing apically into 1–6 irregular segments. Pedicels expanded at apex, elongating during anthesis. Flowers zygomorphic; tepals scalelike, 2 at base of ovary on either side of andropodium (lateral tepals), shorter than ovary, 1 (andropodial tepal) arising at top of andropodium from fork between 2 stamen filaments; anthers basifixed, quadrangular; thecae equal or inner longer than outer, apices rounded, distinct, dehiscence introrse; ovary oriented obliquely on pedicel, 2-locular, ellipsoidal; ovules 25–200; placentation axile; stigmas distinct, simple, bent toward anthers prior to spathella rupture, divergent and elongating during anthesis. Capsules 2-locular, persistent valve oriented obliquely on pedicel, each valve 3-ribbed, suture margins thickened, riblike. Seeds 0–42[–203].
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Fls naked, borne singly in sessile, axillary, tubular spathes; stamens 2(–7), on one side of the ovary, their filaments united more than half length; staminodes 2, short, linear; ovary short-stipitate, the stipe elongating and elevating the 10-ribbed capsule on an evident pedicel; valves of the fr 2, one persistent, the other deciduous. 17, mainly tropical New World.
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