Scindapsus Schott

More or less robust to enormous root-climbers or hemi-epiphytes with entire shoot system clinging or with a monopodial clinging leader bearing free lateral flowering shoots; copious trichosclereids in most tissues; adult shoots sometimes becoming ‘foraging’ (small blades, long internodes) if detached from substrate. Leaves: petiole geniculate at apex; sheath mostly degrading to fibres, or persistent, sometimes broadly winged; blade entire, striate-veined. Inflorescences terminal on clinging shoot or on free laterals, solitary; spathe unconstricted, canoe-shaped, mostly thickly coriaceous, usually caducous, mostly yellowish then blackening; spadix sessile to stipitate. Flowers bisexual throughout spadix, atepalate, tetramerous. Stamens free; filaments ribbon-like. Ovary rhomboid from above, with punctate to slit-like stigmas, unilocular and uniovulate with basal placentation. Ripe infructescence exposing seeds by transverse dehiscence of individual fruits, the tops detaching together in ±coherent plates. Seeds rounded-reniform with large embryo and little endosperm.