Asterogyne spicata Information
Identification:
Stem solitary, erect, 2-4(-8) m tall, 4-7 cm diam., brown, occasionally with basal vegetative branches; internodes 0.5 cm long; aerial roots forming a short basal cone; pneumatodes very short. Leaves 15-19(-25), sometimes reddish brown when young, green when mature, the older ones not persistent; sheath 10-15 x 9 cm, reddish brown tomentose, the margins slightly fibrous; petiole 35-40 x 0.7-1.5 cm, channelled adaxially, rounded to angled abaxially, brown tomentose, slightly fibrous at margins toward base; midvein 68-84 x 0.5-0.7 cm, green, with same indumentum as on petiole, ridged adaxially, flat abaxially; rachis with a filiform extension of 1.5-5 x 0.1 cm; blade 0.7-1 x 0.2-0.3 m, dull green adaxially, silver green abaxially, deeply bifid at apex for ca. 45 cm; primary veins 25-27 per side, emerging at 25-30? angle at midvein, prominent abaxially, yellowish, slightly brown tomentose. Inflorescence spicate; peduncle 40-50 cm long, 0.5-0.6 cm diam., dorsiventrally compressed; prophyll 14-15(-25) cm long, 1.5 cm diam., fibrous, inserted at base of peduncle; peduncular bract 1, chartaceous, brown tomentose, 22-40 x 1.3-2 cm, inserted 1.4 cm above base of peduncle; inflorescence rachis 23-40 cm long, 1-1.5 cm diam., terete, pale brown at anthesis, brown in fruit, with same indumentum as on peduncle, the sterile apex acute, ca. 0.6-3 cm long; flower pits spirally arranged, ca. 2-4 mm apart from each other, covered with an inflexed lower lip, 3 x 2-4 mm. Staminate flowers obovoid, 0.8-1.3 cm long, 0.4-0.5 cm diam., fragrant, the pedicel almost absent; sepals oblong-obovoid, 5-6 x 1.4-2 mm; petals obovoid, 7-8 x 2-3 mm; stamens 21-26, occasionally 1 or 2 partially or totally sterile; filaments united into a tube to 6-7 mm long, conspicuously yellow orange, not remarkably thinner at apex, the epidermis papillate, the free parts 3-4 mm long, 0.4 mm diam.; connective 1.2-1.5 mm long; thecae 0.5-1.2 mm long; pistillode 4-5 mm long. Pistillate flowers oblong in bud, 8 mm long, 4 mm diam., the pedicel to 1 mm long; sepals oblong, 5-7 x 2-3 mm; petals oblong, 7-8 mm x 2-3 mm; ovary 0.9 mm long, 1-1.2 mm diam.; style 2.5-3 mm long; stigmatic branches 1-1.5 mm long; staminodial tube 2 mm long, the lobes 15-21, 2-2.2 mm long. Fruit ellipsoid-ovoid, 1.5-1.8 cm long, 0.5-0.8 cm diam.; epicarp purplish red in young fruits, purplish black at maturity; seed ellipsoid, 0.8-1 cm long, 0.5 cm diam.
Work in progress
Species Information currently being revised!
Distribution:
Native to, Venezuela
Known only from the understory of the lowland and montane cloud forest in the northern Coastal Cordillera, state of Miranda, Venezuela; normally between 600-1000 m.
Location: Venezuela (10.500581°N, -66.507629°E)