CATE Araceae, 17 Dec 2011. araceae.e-monocot.org
Hemiepiphyte; JUVENILE plants with the first leaves lanceolate, these are followed by bifolioliate or trifolioliate leaves, and with a subsequent increase of leaflets until the mature condition is reached. ADULT PLANTS appressed-climbing; stem 1-2 m long, green, mottled with small pale punctations in relief; internodes (2-)3-6 cm long, 2-2.5 cm diam.; cataphylls ca. 12 cm long, at first persisting pale brown with parallel fibers, soon as disorganized, fine, loose, pale fibers. LEAVES spreading; petioles 65-98 cm long, 6-14 mm diam. midway, terete, finely acute-ribbed throughout except adaxially, dark green, minutely short-pale-lineate, weakly glossy; sheath 16-23 cm long; geniculum ca. 1.5 cm long, forming a rounded nexus from which the leaflets radiate; LEAVES with petiolules pulvinulate at base, 2.5-9 cm long, 3 mm wide, narrowly U-shaped in cross-section and sulcate adaxially; blades palmately 11-13 parted, subcoriaceous, dark green above, slightly paler below, semiglossy; leaflets narrowly oblong to oblong, rarely elliptic, long-acuminate at apex (acumen 1.5-3 cm long), truncate to acute and asymmetrical at base, 20-50 x 5-13 cm; middle leaflet 33-50 x 8.5-13 cm; midrib narrowly raised and concalorous above, thicker than broad, narrowly raised and slightly paler below; primary lateral veins 10-20 pairs, departing midrib at 45° angle, narrowly sunken above, narrowly raised and concolorous below; tertiary veins in part raised below. INFLORESCENCE pendent-spreading; peduncle terete, 48-50 cm long, 6 mm diam., circumferentially ribbed, dark olive-green, sometimes tinged purplish violet; spathe directed at a 180° angle from peduncle and spreading, linear-Ianceolate and long-acuminate at apex, curled, 42-50 X 1.8-2.6 cm; coriaceous, dark olive green; spadix pendent, directed 90° angle from peduncle, 64-75 cm long, 0.8-1(-1.2) cm diam. at base, 4-5 mm at apex, grayish-green, matte; flowers 3 X 2.5 mm, 6-7 visible in the principal spiral. INFRUCTESCENCE with spadix twisted, 60-76 cm long, 9-15 mm diam.; berries promptly emergent, more or less globose, 3-5 mm diam., purplish violet to dark purple, glossy.
