Geostachys aristata

Clump-forming herb up to 2 m tall. Rhizome supported up to 40 cm above the ground by stilt roots, sheathed by dry brown scales, internally cream white. Leafy shoots with 7 – 12 leaves per pseudostem, bladeless at basal 1 / 3; bladeless sheaths 4 – 6, most basal (outermost) sheaths very short, dry and brown, inner sheaths distally gradually longer, green, abaxially pubescent, with a prominent hyaline margin (more prominent in dry material); leaf sheaths green, pubescent abaxially along the centre, glabrescent towards margin, margin hyaline (more prominent in dry material), basally glabrous or nearly so, distally pubescent; ligule 2 – 6 mm long, apex round (rarely obscurely bilobed), green, glabrous at base, pubescent at margin (glabrescent with age); petiole ca. 5 – 30 mm long, shallowly canaliculate, green, adaxially more or less glabrous, abaxially pubescent; leaf blade ovate to elliptic, 23 – 47 cm long, 8 – 9 cm wide, adaxially green, sparsely hirsute, abaxially paler green, more densely hirsute, base obtuse to round, apex prominently acuminate, midrib adaxially sunken, pale green to green, mostly glabrous, abaxially protruding, pale green, densely hirsute. Inflorescence radical, erect; peduncle ca. 15 cm long, covered by 8 – 13 sheathing bracts; sheathing bracts distichous, broadly to narrowly ovate, overlapping, basal ones shorter, tightly appressed to the peduncle, distal 5 – 6 significantly larger and puffed, basal ones soon becoming brown and papery, distal ones green, adaxially glabrous, abaxially shortly pubescent, glabrescent on sides, margin hyaline (more prominent in dry material); thyrse dense, many-flowered; rachis 7 – 10 cm long, bright green, glabrous to sparsely hirsute, shortly branched; bracts elliptic, slightly ovate or slightly obovate, 20 – 40 mm long (excluding the mucro), 8 – 18 mm wide, aristate to mucronate (mucro 3 – 7 mm long), semi-translucent pale green, glabrous, each subtending cincinnus of 2 – 3 flowers on 2 – 5 mm long branch; branches evenly distributed around rachis, of the same colour and indumentum as rachis; bracteoles elliptic, slightly ovate or slightly obovate, 10 – 20 mm long (excluding the mucro), 5 – 15 mm wide, aristate to mucronate (mucro 1 – 4 mm long), semi-translucent pale green, glabrous. Flower ca. 6 cm long, gullet-type; pedicel 1 – 2 mm long, green, glabrous; calyx tubular, ca. 22 mm long, with a dorsal unilateral incision ca. 10 – 11 mm from apex, apex 3 - lobed, lobes prominently mucronate (mucro 2 – 5 mm long), semi-translucent pale green (slightly darker at mucro), glabrous; floral tube ca. 23 mm long, externally white and glabrous, internally white at base, pale pink distally, with glandular hair; dorsal corolla lobe ovate with prominently sharply mucronate apex, ca. 32 mm long (including ca. 7 mm long mucro), ca. 19 mm wide, white, glabrous; lateral corolla lobes ovate with obtuse apex, ca. 23 mm long, ca. 19 mm wide, white, glabrous; labellum obovate, 35 – 40 mm long, 30 – 40 mm wide (50 – 60 mm if inclusive of staminodes), apex bilobed with incision 5 – 7 mm long, white with narrow white median, tinged pink at the sides of median fading white towards the margins, covered (except the median) with mixture of dark pink to red spots and larger blotches extending all the way towards the margins, adaxially with white glandular hair in the centre, abaxially glabrous; lateral staminodes irregularly obovate, ca. 25 mm long, ca. 20 mm wide, connate to labellum in basal 2 / 3, white with a mixture of dark pink to red small spots and larger blotches extending all the way towards the margins; stamen 20 – 22 mm long (including crest); filament 6 – 7 mm long, ca. 3 mm wide, dorso-ventrally compressed, tinged pink to red, with red spots distally, mostly glabrous with occasional short glandular hair; anther 13 – 15 mm long (including crest); connective pale yellow with red spots, mostly glabrous with occasional short glandular hair dorsally; crest 5 – 6 mm long, semi-circular, crenulate, white with deep pink to red spots, glabrous; anther thecae 7 mm long, dehiscing through the entire length; ovary trilocular with central placentation, ellipsoid, 5 – 5.5 mm long, 3 – 4 mm in diam., pale green, glabrous; epigynous glands two, ca. 2.5 mm long, 1 – 1.5 mm in diam., enveloping the base of style, ochraceous; style white, turning pink near stigma, glabrous; stigma capitulate, deep pink to red; ostiole transverse, forward-facing, ciliate. Fruit subglobose to oblate hesperidium with three shallow longitudinal grooves, 15 – 20 mm in diam., bright green, glabrous, with persistent calyx; seeds 3.5 – 5 mm long, 2.5 – 4 mm in diam. (measurements include aril), dark brown, each fully enclosed in semi-translucent white juicy aril.