Flora of North America species comparison

horizontal, brownish, thick, praemorse, not brittle.

horizontal, short, stout, ± praemorse.

often 2 from single terminal bud, round in cross section, 2.5–5.5 dm, stout, glabrous.

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

held well above ground, sessile;

blade bright green (in early anthesis rather succulent in appearance), usually well-marked with lighter and darker green spots, occasionally obscurely or scarcely mottled, mottling becoming obscure with age, ovate to broadly ovate, 11–18 × 12–17 cm, somewhat glossy, apex acuminate.

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.

odor spicy in fresh flowers, becoming fetid in older flowers;

sepals displayed above bracts, spreading, divergent, green, purple-streaked, lanceolate, 40–75 × 10–14 mm, margins entire, apex acute to round-acute;

petals long-lasting, conspicuous, spreading-erect to erect, tips incurving slightly, ± connivent, partially to completely concealing stamens and ovary, glossy dark maroon-red or purple, not spirally twisted, flat, oblanceolate, 5.5–11 × 2–3.5 cm, widest at or below middle, glossy, thick-textured, cuneate basally, margins ± flat, entire, apex round-acute;

stamens erect, straight, 15–26 mm, slightly concealing ovary;

filaments dark purple, 2–4 mm;

anthers dark maroon, 13–24 mm, dehiscence introrse;

connectives straight, barely extended beyond anther sacs;

ovary inconspicuous, purple, ovoid, round to 6-angled, 8–15 mm;

stigmas erect, distinct, subulate, 6–8 mm, fleshy, thickened basally.

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.

dark reddish purple, ovoid to ellipsoid or weakly angled, 20–50 mm, fleshy.

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

= 10.