Flora of North America species comparison

horizontal–slightly erect, thick, praemorse.

horizontal, brownish, thick, praemorse, not brittle.

1–4+, round in cross section, 3–7 dm, 2–2.5 times as long as bract, stout, glabrous.

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

subsessile;

blade obovate to broadly elliptic, 13–20 × 8–22 cm, not glossy, base attenuate, apex acuminate.

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.

facing outward at right angle to pedicel, above bracts, odor faintly musty, like fresh fungus;

perianth gaping, strongly 3-dimensional;

sepals spreading, usually streaked or entirely purplish maroon, occasionally entirely green except on margins, elliptic, 15–38 × 9–15 mm, margins entire, apex strongly sulcate-acuminate;

petals carried somewhat forward to recurved-spreading in distal 1/2, usually dark reddish maroon to purplish, rarely cream to soft yellow, pink, white, or 2-colored, heavy-veined, ovate to broadly ovate-overlapping, 1.8–5 × 1–3 cm, heavy-textured, apex acuminate, rarely somewhat sulcate;

stamens erect, ± equaling or slightly longer than ovary, 15–18 mm;

filaments purple to white, 3–5 mm, slender;

anthers straight, purplish to yellow, 5–12 mm, thick, dehiscence introrse;

connectives equaling or ± shorter than anther sacs;

ovary usually dark purple, globose to flask-shaped, 6-angled, 14–18 mm, broadly attached basally;

stigmas prominent, recurved, distinct, purple, not lobed adaxially, basally thickened, gradually tapered, 2–5 mm, fleshy;

pedicel usually stiffly erect (rarely almost horizontal above bracts), straight, reflexed ± 90° at tip, 6–11 cm.

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.

red, fragrance of fresh mushrooms, ± globose to pyramidal, 1.5–3 × 1.2–2.8 cm, juicy to pulpy.

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

= 10.