Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Giant herbs 1–6 m tall.

Stems: Stems decumbent, 2–6 m long, ca. 12–15 cm in diameter.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades cordate–reniform, ca. 4–10 dm long, ca. 2–9 dm wide. Base not peltate, basal sinus v–shaped to u–shaped. Upper surfaces glabrous to very sparsely hirsute; lower surfaces brownish tomentose when young, sparsely to densely hirsute on the raised reticulate veins; dark green on upper surface; lower surfaces pale green. Margins 7–11-lobed and margins usually crenate–dentate, sometimes crenate or denticulate. Palmately veined. Petioles 2–10 dm long, pustulate and usually densely hirsute at base, more sparsely hirsute toward blade. Stipules absent but with large axillary scales often called stipules, elliptic to lanceolate or oblanceolate, 1.5–10 cm long, scurfy hirsute, becoming glabrate.

Flowers: Flowers in numerous spikes arranged along an elongated central axis 2–10.5 dm long, each spike subtended by an oblong, oblong–spatulate to rarely narrowly lanceolate bract 8–35 mm long, margins lacerate and usually ciliate. Flowers bisexual (perfect) or unisexual, both staminate and pistillate flowers intermingled with bisexual (perfect) ones and scattered throughout the inflorescence. Calyx 2(3), very small, sometimes only rudimentary, equal or unequal, valvate, often cuspidate, ± caducous, deltate to ovate or ovate–elliptic, sometimes broadly lanceolate, 0.4–1.3(–2) mm long, margins lacerate and sometimes ciliate; apex lacerate. Corolla of (0)2, greenish to occasionally rose magenta, obovate, strongly concave, 0.8–2.2 mm long, glabrous to pilose, margins ciliate to lacerate, usually caducous; always absent in pistillate flowers. Stamens 1–2; filaments very short; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary inferior, urceolate to depressed–ovoid, 2-carpellate, 1-celled; ovule 1, pendulous from ovary apex, anatropous; styles 2, terminal, subulate to filiform; stigmas papillate.

Fruit: Fruit drupaceous or nut-like; yellow to orange; subglobose; 3–angled; 2.5–4 mm in diameter. Seeds 1.5–1.9 mm long; somewhat compressed; 4–angled; 1 of the angles obscure; 1 inconspicuous; the other 2 prominent; embryo embedded in copious oily endosperm.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Occurring on wet; steep slopes primarily in cloud swept wet forest.

Elevation Range: (700–)920–1,300(–1,830) m.