Flora of North America species comparison

short, thick.

horizontal, short, praemorse, fleshy.

1–2(–3), round in cross section, 1.5–4+ dm, slender, glabrous.

1–2, round in cross section, 0.4–1.5 dm, slender, glabrous.

often overlapping, sessile or with a barely noticeable, petiolelike base, umbrellalike;

blade bright green without red tones, broadly rhombic-ovate to suborbicular, 5–15 × 6–15+ cm, base attenuate, apex acuminate.

distinctly petiolate;

blade bluish green, occasionally with silvery green pattern along major veins, ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–8 × 0.8–6 cm, somewhat thick-textured, glossy, weakly to strongly cordate basally, apex long-acuminate;

petiole (0.5–)1–3(–6) cm.

usually hidden beneath bracts, nodding, odorless;

sepals spreading, green, lanceolate-ovate, 9–30 mm, slightly shorter than to equaling petals, margins slightly raised, apex acuminate;

petals usually strongly recurved from above base, extending behind plane of sepal bases for more than 1/2 their length, white or rarely pale pink, adaxial veins not conspicuous, oblong-lanceolate, 1.5–2.5 × 0.9–1.5 cm, thin-textured, margins entire, apex acuminate;

stamens ± straight, 6–15 mm, shorter than pistil, slender;

filaments white, ± equaling anthers, slender;

anthers straight, pale lavender-pink or -gray, 2–6.5 mm, dehiscence introrse to latrorse;

ovary prominent, white to pinkish, pyramidal, strongly 6-angled, 3–12 × 3–10 mm, widest above basal attachment;

stigmas erect, recurved, distinct, white, not lobed adaxially, 3–8 mm, widest at base, fleshy, basally thickened, gradually tapered;

pedicel strongly recurved or declined below or angled between bracts, 1.5–3 cm.

erect, rapidly recurving below bracts after pollination, ± odorless;

sepals conspicuous, spreading, green, weakly sulcate, oblong or tapered apically, usually shorter and narrower than petals, 10–23 × 4–8 mm, margins entire, apex rounded-apiculate;

petals erect-spreading, not recurved or only in distal 1/2, white (rarely pale pink), usually with dark madder-purple flecks, rarely almost entirely covered with madder-purple, color not changing with age, veins inconspicuous, not engraved, ovate-cordate to ± orbicular, tapered bluntly apically above middle, 1.3–2.8 × 1–2.4 cm, ± thin-textured, base rounded, cuneate, margins entire, mostly without undulations, apex ± apiculate-acuminate;

stamens erect, 5–12 mm;

filaments white, ± equaling anthers;

anthers straight, yellow, 3–6 mm, dehiscence ± extrorse;

connectives not extended beyond anther sacs;

ovary creamy white, ovoid, weakly 6-angled but angles in close pairs, giving superficial impression of 3-angled ovary, short, 3–9 × 4 mm, somewhat obscured by anthers broadly attached;

stigmas recurved and appearing ± lobed adaxially, at least in dried specimens, connate basally to distinct and closely grouped, white or cream, 2–4 mm, uniformly thick, fleshy;

pedicel strongly erect at anthesis, strongly recurving and elongating below bracts after pollination, 2.5–11 cm.

dark red, with fruity fragrance, ovoid, to 3 cm diam., fleshy, juicy.

greenish white, odorless, globose, 0.9–1.2 × 0.8–1 cm, pulpy, not juicy.

= 10.

= 10.