Flora of North America species comparison

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

short, stout, praemorse.

1–3, round in cross section, 2–5 dm, ± stout, glabrous to scabrous.

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

touching ground in early anthesis or not at all, sessile;

blade dark green, obscurely marked with few–many darker blotches (very rarely unmottled), mottling becoming obscure with age, few or no stomates adaxially, ovate-elliptic to broadly so, 8.5–14 × 6.8–9 cm, 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, if present, spicy or musty;

sepals displayed above bracts, widely spreading, green or variously purple marked, lanceolate, 38–60 × 5–12 mm, margins entire, apex acute;

petals long-lasting, erect, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary, purplish black on claw, greenish to yellow-green distally, sometimes all dark purple, occasionally slightly twisted, linear to narrowly spatulate, 4–8 × 0.8–1.2 cm, thick-textured, base slightly thickened and clawed, margins entire, apex rounded, lacking nipple;

stamens erect, connivent (clustered together, leaning upon each other), 16–25 mm;

filaments olive or purplish brown, 2.5–5 mm, very slender, widened basally;

anthers erect, straight or slightly incurved, olive-brown, 13–20 mm, ± slender, dehiscence latrorse;

connectives brownish, barely extending beyond anther sacs;

ovary pale greenish white basally, purplish distally, ovoid, 6-angled, 5.5–10 mm;

stigmas erect, divergent-recurved, distinct, purplish abaxially, sessile, almost linear, 6–10 mm, ± equaling ovary, ± not fleshy, very slightly widened basally.

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.

dark purplish green or green, odor unreported, ovoid, obscurely angled, with remains of persistent stigma, 0.7–1.5 cm, pulpy, not juicy at time of separation from receptacle.

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