Typhonium Schott

Minute to moderately robust, deciduous (occasionally facultatively evergreen), geophytic, rhizomatous or cormous, sometimes proliferating herbs. Leaves (1–) 2–several together; petiole sheathing at least below ground; blade pedatifid to hastate to entire, with reticulate venation. Inflorescence mostly solitary, (occasionally a few in series generally interspersed with foliage leaves), produced before, beside or among the same season’s foliage leaves, generally foul-smelling; spathe constricted, with lower part convolute, or tubular and then subterranean and internally septate at or below constriction; spathe limb generally broad and flag-like, sometimes sublinear, usually blackish purple; spadix shorter than, equalling or somewhat exceeding spathe; female zone of naked acroscopic to plagioscopic pistils rarely interspersed with filiform neuter organs; ovary unilocular with a single basal ovule; immediately above female zone a zone of truncate, spathulate to filiform neuter organs extending to male zone or separated from it by a naked zone; male zone situated mostly just above level of spathe constriction and/or immediately above spathe septum when present, a compact zone of sessile anthers usually with connective somewhat extended between thecae; appendix conspicuous, sessile to stipitate, conic to filiform, smooth to rugose to deeply channelled. Infructescence a cluster of single-seeded berries, protected by persistent spathe base or this deciduous and fruits exposed during development