Anisotome acutifolia

Detailed description

Stout, perennial, shortly creeping, stoloniferous herb reaching up to 2 m tall when flowering. Stolons up to 0.3 m long, stout, fleshy, when bruised leaking clear fluid. Basal leaves numerous, coriaceous, 0.50–0.70 m × 0.15–0.20 m, dark green, 2–3-pinnate; primary leaflets in 5–7 pairs, ovate, shortly petiolulate, subcoriaceous., prominently veined; secondary leaflets ovate to lanceolate; pinnately or pinnatifidly divided into deeply toothed and incised segments; teeth acute, not piliferous; petioles 0.2–0.35 m × 4–10 mm, cylindrical; sheaths 40–80 × 25–40 mm, prolonged at apex into an undivided membranous ligule 40–80 mm long; sheaths of cauline leaves inflated; peduncles 90–150 mm long. Inflorescence axis up to 2 m tall and 13 mm diameter at first node. Flowers dirty white to pale pinkish with a slight foetid odour. Staminate plants not described. Pistllate plants bearing an involucre of few linear bracts 6–8 × 1–1.5 mm or not; involucel of several linear bracteoles 7.0–10.0 mm × 0.5–1.0 mm; rays 20–30, 10–25 mm long; pedicels 20–50, 3–5 mm long; styles robust, 0.5–1.0 mm long, divergent. Mericarp 4.0–5.0 × 2.5–3.0 mm long, narrowly elliptic to elliptic, rarely ovate-elliptic, 4.0–4.8(–5.3) mm long; apex and base usually obtuse, sometimes narrow to apex; 5-ribbed, ribs even, equal, thin, narrowly winged with a fine hyaline margin. Surface dull, ribs pale to light orange-yellow, yellow or orange; vittae obscured on dorsal surface, rarely visible, and if so grey brown.