| Field notes | Stem 30-140 cm long, procumbent the final 30 cm ascending, 1-2 cm diam., red brown and ringed, the procumbent section rooting at the nodes, internodes 1-2 cm long, upper 10-20 cm covered with persistent dead leaf-sheaths. Leaves 5-6, spreading; sheaths 16 cm long, closed for 2-12 cm, reddish purple; petiole 14-38 cm long (youngest one shortest, oldest one largest); rachis 28-34 cm, with brown scales all over, except for a lighter yellow strip beneath (scales the same on petiole); blade 37 x 53-64 cm, with 3-4 segments per side, segments slightly falcate with 1-5 prominent veins each. Inflorescence buds erect in axils of lowermost green leaves, up to 67 cm long; prophyll inserted 5.5 cm from base, 21 cm long, 1 cm wide; peduncle reddish; prophyll splitting abaxially at apex; peduncular bract inserted 15 cm from base, 52 cm long, flattened. Inflorescence protandrous, peduncular bract brown and staying erect during staminate and pistillate anthesis; inflorescence peduncle 37 cm long, first 5 cm 1 cm wide, narrowing abruptly at insertion of prophyll to 5 mm wide, basal part flat with sharp margins, with 5 minute bracts above the main peduncular bract; exposed section of peduncle and all rachis reddish; rachis 26 cm long with 23 rachillae arranged all around, 1-2.5 cm apart; rachillae 8-16 cm long, reddish, with 65-80 flowers each, lowermost in triads, uppermost solitary or staminate; staminate flowers pedicellate, pedicels 2 mm, sepals rudimentary alternate with petals; petals 3, imbricate, red, reflexed at anthesis, stamens 6, inserted on an elongate androphor, 3 at the base and 3 at the apex, androphor and stamens yellow; pistillate flowers pedicel 1 mm, sepals connate at base, petals 3, stigmas 3 spreading, stigmas terminal in young flowers, becoming lateral in immature fruits, basal in mature fruits. Fruits black, exocarp thin, mesocarp fleshy and purplish, endocarp hard and bony, fruits c. 1 cm long x 8 mm wide. |
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