Aciphylla latipinna

Detailed description

Plant diameter c. 750–2000 mm, rosette diameter c. 750–1060 mm, number of rosettes per plant 1–8. Roots contractile, only the top of sheath visible at soil level. Leaf sheaths distally 33–60 mm wide, to at least 230mm long. Leaves coriaceous, obo-rhomboid, length (excluding sheath) 450–850 mm, width 100–250 mm, drying dark or medium green-brown but when fresh, usually medium or light green, rarely medium yellow- green, occasionally with yellowish fine horizontal lines of sclerenchyma, often glaucous, especially younger leaves, and then light (rarely medium) blue-green or light green-blue, sometimes mottled because of patchy glaucousness or darker flecks; margins yellow or yellow-orange, tuberculate; midveins and sclerenchyma yellowish but obscure; sap milky; 1-pinnate, leaflet pairs often 2, occasionally 3. Leaflets apex pungent; margin tuberculate; longest 290–520 mm long; maximum width of distal leaflets (14–)18–34 mm (dried); rachis-leaflet junction planar. Rachis total length 135–400 mm, proximal section length 75–240 mm, proximal section width (19–)25–56mm (dried). Sheath leaflets undivided, triangular to linear, length 2–100(–130) mm, width 2–8 mm. Inflorescence a conical spike. Male inflorescences per plant 1–2, length c. 1.2–1.6 m; peduncle width c. 50 mm, main axis light yellow through pink to brown-red. Proximal flowering bract length (including sheath) 200–340 mm, with no lateral segments additional to sheath segments; sheath segments 8–27(–40) mm long, spine-like, often narrower than central segment at their junction with sheath of bract. Panicle axes light yellow to brown-red; longest 85–220 mm long; number of distal umbels in longest panicle 40–95. Male flower receptacle diameter c. 1 mm; dark brown, dark purplered, or black. Fl. Nov–Feb. Petals white to light yellow. Female inflorescences per plant 1–4, c. 1–2.4 m tall; peduncle width 38–65mm, main axis light yellow or light orange to brown-red or dark purple-red. Proximal flowering bract length (including sheath) 112–280 mm, with no lateral segments additional to sheath segments; sheath segments 10–25mm long, spine-like, often narrower than central segment at their junction with sheath of bract. Panicle axes medium yellow or red-pink to brown-red or dark purple-red; longest (including axes and flowers/fruits) 80–175 mm long; number of distal umbels in longest panicle 8–30. Female flower length 1.5–3mm, receptacle diameter c. 1mm, ovary outer wall dark green-brown to dark purple-red. Petals fugacious, white to light yellow. Schizocarps 5–6mm long, 2–3mm wide, medium yellow-brown to brownred or dark purple-red. Flowering Nov–Feb. Fruiting Dec– Mar(–Apr).