Chlorospatha mirabilis

Terrestrial herb, to 1.5 m tall; stem erect, in part subterranean, elongate; sap milky; internodes short, 5-12 mm, 1-3 cm diam., scurfy brown, drying ca. 2 cm diam.; cataphylls ultimately deciduous, 17-25 cm long, obtuse with acumen at apex, purplish, obtusely 1-ribbed abaxially in apical 1/2, drying weakly glossy to semi-glossy, medium-dark to dark reddish brown. LEAVES 1-3, erect-spreading; petioles (23)33-96(125) cm long, moderately spongy, glabrous, matte to weakly glossy, entirely dark purple or purple-tinged, or in part medium to dark olive-green in apical 1/3-2/3, occasionally with a glaucous bloom toward base, drying weakly glossy to semi-glossy, dark brown to occasionally blackish brown, sheathed 30-69 cm, (1/3)1/2-2/3 of total length; sheath decurrent at apex; free portion 6-12 mm diam. midway, subterete, obtusely or sharply flattened adaxially, with margins acute to acutely ribbed or obtuse throughout and acute toward apex, frequently 1-ribbed medially, rarely obtusely and shallowly sulcate in apical 1/3; blades deeply 3-lobed, rarely trisect, 30-54 cm long, 30-75 cm wide, 1-1.4 times wider than long, thinly coriaceous to subcoriaceous, moderately bicolorous; upper surface semi-glossy to glossy, dark green, with or without irregular white, cream, yellowish or pale green maculations, drying weakly glossy to semi-glossy, dark green or olive-green to brownish green or weakly reddish brown, the maculations weakly to moderately paler than surface; lower surface weakly glossy to semi-glossy, entirely purple to purple-violet or green to yellow-green and entirely irregularly or moderately to heavily purple-tinged medially, drying semi-glossy to glossy, weakly to moderately paler; medial lobe ovate to elliptic, (20)27-44.5 cm long, 11-24 cm wide, 1.9-2.9 times longer than wide, (1)1.2-1.5 times longer than lateral lobes, acute to weakly acuminate at apex, broadest at or below middle, cuneate (rarely weakly attenuate) and narrowly attached at base, 1.2-4.5 cm wide at point of attachment, ± symmetrical, the margins rarely weakly sinuate; laterallobes oblique or directed toward the apex, (15.5)22-42 cm long, (3.5)6.5-20 cm wide, 1.7-3.6(4.3) times longer than wide, acute to weakly acuminate at apex, rarely bluntly acute, broadest at or below middle, usually markedly inequilateral, the inner side always narrower, long-attenuate (rarely straight) toward base, moderately to markedly narrowly confluent with medial lobe (confluent portion (0)2-5(10) mm wide), rarely free to the base and not at all confluent; outer side 3-9 times wider than inner side midway, broadly rounded at base, occasionally weakly rounded, obliquely attached or abruptly attenuate onto posterior rib, rarely with a weakly developed auricle 7 cm long, 7 cm wide and narrowly rounded at apex; midrib and major veins usually purple on lower surface, drying ± flattened; midrib obtusely to deeply sunken on upper surface, concolorous to weakly paler than surface, round-raised to narrowly rounded on lower surface, occasionally acutely angular on lateral lobes, drying moderately to prominently darker than surface; posterior rib naked 0.5-1.5(2) cm per side; primary lateral veins (of all lobes) 3-6(7) pairs, arising at 30-45°, weakly to moderately arcuate, occasionally straight, weakly to deeply sunken on upper surface, convex to round-raised on lower surface, occasionally purple-striped, drying weakly to prominently darker than surface; secondary veins obtusely sunken on upper surface, raised on lower surface, purple or green, drying ± flattened, concolorous to weakly darker than surface or entirely green and paler than surface; tertiary veins entirely prominulous or in part moderately or weakly raised and otherwise prominulous on lower surface, purple or green, drying in part weakly prominulous, otherwise flat, brownish and weakly darker than surface or green and weakly paler than surface; reticulate veins obscure; collective veins 3, the innermost arising from one of the lowermost lateral veins at base, loop-connected with all preceding lateral veins, markedly scalloped (in mature specimens), 3-25 mm from margin. INFLORESCENCES erect, 3 per axil; peduncle held within the sheath, 30-59 cm long, 1-3 mm diam., trigonous, drying matte to weakly glossy, dark brown to blackish brown; spathe erect, curved forward, (7)8-15.5 cm long, acuminate at apex, weakly or not at all constricted between tube and blade; spathe tube weakly glossy to glossy, green to yellow-green on outer surface, semi-glossy, moderately to prominently paler on inner surface, rarely dark purple, (3.5-4)4.5-7.5 cm long, 6-10 mm diam., drying weakly glossy, medium green or dark brown to reddish brown on outer surface, usually weakly paler on inner surface, rarely dark purplish; spathe blade weakly glossy to glossy, yellow, yellow-green or whitish green, (3)4-7 cm long, 6-7 mm diam. (dry), drying matte to weakly glossy, tan to dark brown, marcescent, erect after anthesis; spadix erect, curved forward with the spathe, (5.5)6.5-10.1 cm long, sessile, adnate to spathe (1.2)2-3.7 cm at base, ca. 1/2-3/4 of the length of pistillate portion; pistillate portion ± ellipsoid, pink, pale yellow or pale orange, (2)3-5 cm long, 3-6 mm diam. (dry), broadest at or just above middle, drying pink to orangish tan; fertile staminate portion white, greenish white, cream or creamy tan, (1.8)2.6-3.6 cm long, 4-5 mm diam. (dry), ± cylindrical, narrowly rounded at apex, weakly narrowed at base, drying pale yellow-tan to medium-dark or dark brown; sterile staminate portion greenish, (1.5)1.7-2.4 cm long, 2-4 mm diam. (dry), ± cylindrical or weakly broadest at base, drying creamy tan, rarely dark tan; pistils weakly coherent to ± laxly arranged, 4-6 across the axis (viewed from above), ca. 2-2.3 mm long; ovaries irregularly sub-cuboidal or cylindrical, (1)1.5-2 mm diam., weakly narrower and truncate at apex, drying ± white, dark purple at apex and irregularly purple down the sides or frequently entirely creamy white to creamy tan, with or without darker reddish veins, 3-4(6)-locular, with axile placentation; ovules numerous, biseriate, hemianatropous, micropyle superior; funicles longer than ovules; style disc-like, (1)1.5-2 mm diam., weakly broader than ovary apex, the margins irregularly weakly sinuate and weakly or not at all coherent with those of adjacent styles; stigma 0.5-1 mm diam., ca. 1/2 as wide as style, prominent, sessile, obtusely truncate, drying orangish tan; synandria, ca. 1 mm long, 1-1.5 mm diam., frequently ± elongated in direction of axis in basal 2-4 whorls, coherent, truncate, deeply (2)3-4-10bed, 3-4-androus (mostly 3 or mostly 4 on different plants); sterile flowers 0.2-0.5 mm long, (1)2-3 mm X 1 mm diam., ± elongated in direction of axis, laxly arranged (rarely weakly coherent), truncate, subprismatic, in 7-9(11) whorls, frequently drying with weakly darker brownish speckles. INFRUCTESCENCE dark green on outer surface, pale green on inner surface. BERRIES pale green. JUVENILE plants with leaf blades entire, elliptic or frequently with small lobes at the base of medial lobe or with well developed lateral lobes weakly confluent with medial lobe.