Rhizome cylindric, growing vertically, up to 1 long by 1.5 cm ø. Leaves 3-12, rosulate, variable, elliptic, ovate, oblong-(ob)ovate, or (ovate-)lanceolate, 17-55 by 4.4-22 cm, deep green, paler beneath, base cuneately attenuate but not decurrent, sometimes unequal, apex acuminate; nerves pinnate; petiole 11-43 cm by 2-5 mm, sheath 3-15 by 0.3-2 cm. Inflorescences 1-2, up to 25-flowered; scape 6-63 by 0.1-0.7 cm. Involucral bracts 4, (sub)decussate, variable, green to almost black; 2 outer bracts ovate or triangular to ovate-lanceolate, sessile, 2-9 by 0.8-4 cm, apex acute or acuminate, 2 inner bracts thinner, (broadly) ovate to oblong, sometimes unaequilateral, 2.5-10 by 1.5-9 cm, sessile or with attenuate base, apex acute or acuminate. Filiform bracts 6-26, up to 20 cm by 0.2-1 mm, pale green or violet green. Flowers 1-2.5 by 0.6-2 cm, buds green, flowers greenish white when young, when older red, violet, purple, or blackish; pedicel 1.2-4 cm by 0.5-2 mm ø; perianth tube 3-7 by 6-15 mm. Perianth lobes mostly reflexed during anthesis and persistent as a small remnant; 3 outer ones (oblong-)ovate or (narrowly) triangular, 5-12 by 3-8 mm, apex acute, acuminate, or mucronate; 3 inner ones (broadly) ovate, or triangular, 4-11 by 4-12 mm; apex acuminate or mucronate, veins prominent at inside. Stamens: adnate portion of the filaments 2-3 by 0.5-1 mm, free apical portion 3 by 1.5 mm; thecae up to 2 mm long, greenish yellow. Ovary 2-7 by 3-5 mm; disk absent; style 2-3 by 2-3 mm; stigmatic lobes 1 by 1.5 mm. Fruit triangular to round on cross-section, 2-4 by 1-2 cm, (lustrous) green, deep orange-red, or purple. Seeds reniform, 3-4 by 2-3 by 1-1.5 mm, glabrous, brown, 9-14-ribbed.
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Rhizomes subcylindric, thick. Petiole 10--30 cm; leaf blade oblong to oblong-elliptic, 20--50(--60) × 7--14(--25) cm, glabrous or abaxially pubescent, base rounded-cuneate to cuneate, apex shortly caudate. Scape long; involucral bracts 4, dark purple, outer 2 ovate-lanceolate, inner 2 broadly ovate; umbels 5--7(--18)-flowered. Perianth lobes purplish brown, lanceolate. Stigma 3-lobed. Berry purplish brown, ellipsoid, ca. 3 cm, fleshy, 6-ridged, with persistent perianth lobes. Seeds reniform. Fl. and fr. Apr--Nov.
A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 60 cm high. The rhizome or underground stem is cylinder shaped. It is 8-15 cm long. There are 4-14 leaves. The leaves are 10-35 cm long. The leaf blade is entire and oval. The flowering stalk is 45-80 cm long. There are 4 bracts in 2 pairs at right angles. The flowers are purple and 1-3 cm long. The fruit are shiny and purple-black. The seeds are kidney shaped. They have deep furrows.
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