Flora of North America species comparison

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

short, stout, praemorse.

1–2, round in cross section, 0.8-2 dm, slender to stout, glabrous.

1–2, semidecumbent, decumbent, or weakly erect (especially in cultivation), S-shaped, round in cross section, 0.6–1.8 dm, glabrous.

usually drooping, often touching ground in early anthesis, sessile;

blade pale silvery green, strongly mottled in 3 or more shades of dark green and bronze, sometimes maroon, mottling becoming obscure with age, ovate-lanceolate to obovate, 6.5–12 × 5–7.8 cm, margins of distal 1/3 straight from rounded base to apex, apex acuminate.

resting on or near ground surface, horizontally spreading, sessile;

blade strongly mottled on each side of central light green stripe in shades of light green, dark green, bronze green, and dark purple, mottling becoming obscure with age, ovate to elliptic, rounded-tapered ± equally from base to tip from widest point, 5–12 × 6–10 cm, apex rounded or weakly acute.

erect, odor fetid, especially when first open;

sepals displayed above bracts, spreading, green or purple on adaxial surface, lanceolate, 4.5–5 × 8–12 mm, margins entire, flat, apex rounded-acute;

petals long-lasting, erect-spreading, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary or at least partially obscuring stamens, tips ± incurved, dark maroon-red, or purplish red, brownish maroon, or yellowish green, not spirally twisted, oblanceolate to elliptic, 3–5.5+ × 1–1.5 cm, usually 3–4 times longer than wide, thick-textured, margins entire, apex acute;

stamens ± erect to weakly incurved, 14–17 mm;

filaments purple, 1–2 mm;

anthers 8–15 mm, thick, dehiscence latrorse;

connectives brown-purple, straight, extended 1–2 mm beyond anther sacs, apex somewhat acute;

ovary purple, ellipsoid, 6-angled, 6.3–11 mm;

stigmas erect, abruptly recurved upon ovary, distinct, purplish, linear, 1.5–5 mm, slightly thickened basally, fleshy.

borne directly on bracts, odor of putrid meat;

sepals divergent, somewhat recurved, green, maroon streaked, lanceolate, 17–42 × 5–9.5 mm, margins entire, flat, apex rounded-acute;

petals long-lasting, erect, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary, dark brownish maroon, greenish purple, or streaked with yellow, usually not spirally twisted, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 2.5–5.5 × 0.6–1 cm, thick-textured, margins entire, ± flat, apex acute;

stamens erect, incurved, 12–20 mm;

filaments ± straight, reddish brown, 1–2 mm, slender;

anthers ± straight, dark purple, 4–20 mm, ± thick, dehiscence introrse;

connectives brown-purple, extending 1–2.5 mm beyond anther sacs, apex acute;

ovary green-purple, ovoid, 6-angled, 5–10 mm;

stigmas erect, divergent-recurved, distinct, linear, 2–4 mm, uniformly thin.

baccate, purple-black to dull greenish maroon, odorless, ovoid to obovoid, 6-angled (-ridged), 0.7–1 cm diam., pulpy, not juicy.

baccate, dark maroon-purple, fragrance unreported, ovoid, 6-winged or -angled apically, 0.7–1 cm, pulpy, moist.