Flora of North America species comparison

horizontal, brownish, thick, short, praemorse, not brittle.

horizontal, short, stout, ± praemorse.

1–2, green to maroon, round in cross section, 0.8–2.8 dm, papillose basally.

1–3, dark greenish maroon, round in cross section, 1.1–4 dm, glabrous.

often carried quite horizontally, well above ground, sessile;

blade light green or bronze-green, strongly mottled in dark green with central light green stripe, mottling becoming obscure with age but less so than in most species, elliptic-ovate, rarely ± orbicular, 6.7–12 × 3.8–6 cm, not glossy, base evenly tapered to broad attachment, apex obtuse-acute.

strongly petiolate;

blade dark green over maroon, main veins prominent, ovate to long-acuminate, 12–18 × 8–20 cm, ± glossy, base above petiole rounded, apex acuminate;

petiole 4–17 mm.

borne directly on bracts, odor of putrid meat, especially when in strong sunlight;

sepals displayed above bracts, carried almost horizontally, green or green streaked with dark maroon, lanceolate, 16–40 × 4–6 mm, thick-textured, margins entire, apex acute;

petals long-lasting, erect, very gradually incurved from base to apex, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary, pinkish purple, light to reddish purple, brownish purple, rarely yellow, fading to brownish tones with age, not spirally twisted, not inrolling with age, veins not engraved, narrowly elliptic to linear-lanceolate, 2–5 × 0.3–0.5 cm, thick-textured, not glossy, margins entire, flat, acute at apex;

stamens relatively prominent, erect, 9–25 mm;

filaments dark maroon, 3–6 mm, dilated basally;

anthers straight, dark maroon-black, 8–15 mm, dehiscence introrse;

connectives straight, extended 1–1.5 mm beyond anther sacs;

ovary red-purple, ovoid, hexagonal in cross section, 5–12 mm, broadly attached;

stigmas erect, divergent-recurved, distinct, dark purple, subulate, nearly as long as ovary, fleshy.

opening above bracts, erect, odor unknown;

sepals conspicuous, spreading, wine red to dull maroon green, rarely white-striated, lanceolate-acuminate, 13–37 × 4–10 mm, margins entire, apex acuminate;

petals spreading, white, with distinct, inverted, V-shaped, dark-red mark basally, the red radiating outward along major veins, or white and lacking red marks, veins not engraved, oblong-ovate, occasionally lanceolate, usually widest just above middle, 2–5 × 1–2 cm, base tapering very gradually to attachment, margins not undulate basally, undulate apically, apex somewhat rapidly acuminate;

stamens straight, 8–12 mm;

filaments pink or white, equaling or longer than anthers, slender;

anthers erect or slightly spreading, white or pink, 2–7 mm, thin, dehiscence extrorse;

connectives pink, equaling anther sac;

ovary fully exposed, white, pink tipped, obtusely 3-angled, becoming obscurely angled-rotund in cross section, 3–10 mm, broadly attached;

stigmas ascending, barely connate basally, then strongly recurved, white, ± linear, 3–10 mm, uniformly thin;

pedicel erect, 2–5 cm.

purplish brown, ovoid, 6-angled at least apically, fleshy.

quickly deciduous upon ripening, scarlet, obscurely 3-angled to cylindrical, 1–2 cm, fleshy, juicy.

= 10.