Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Herbs.

Stems: Stems subterranean, short, stout, usually erect.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades lanceolate, sagittate, cordate, or hastate, occurring with the flowers. Margins entire. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in solitary, axillary inflorescences as long as or longer than leaves; spathe funnelform, convolute at base, but not markedly constricted toward base, opening before anthesis and not reclosing tightly; spadix much shorter than spathe, distinct, sessile or stipitate, staminate and pistillate portions contiguous, pistillate portion somewhat to much shorter than staminate portion, without a sterile appendage. Flowers unisexual, naked. Calyx (sepals) absent. Corolla (petals) absent. Staminate flowers crowded on spadix, Stamens 2–3, distinct; anthers sessile, 2-celled, oblong, compressed, apex truncate, opening by terminal pores. Ovary superior (pistillate flowers), 1–6-celled, sometimes interspersed with sterile staminodia; ovules 2–4 per cell; stigma discoid.

Fruit: Berries 1–seeded to several–seeded. Seeds light brown.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

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