(L.) Schott, Arac. Betreff. 1:4. 1854
Aquatic; caudex 1-3 m high, to 4.5 cm thick nearbase, mostly 1.5-2 cm thick above, all but occasionally upperinternodes armed with short prickles. Petioles 20-45 cm long;sheaths extending to ca middle or beyond, the remainder ofthe petiole convex below, triangulate above; blades very deeplysagittate, 15-40 cm long or more,often cuspidate at apex, the basal lobes usually acuminate,spreading, often as long as or longer than upper lobe; primarylateral veins in 3 or 4 pairs above sinus, a single basal veindirected into each basal lobe and submarginal at apex of narrowsinus. Peduncles ca one-third as long as spathe or less; spathe± oblong, 10-18 cm long, convolute basally even atanthesis, opening in upper half with a distinct constriction abovespadix, the apex cuspidate (often twisted forward beforeanthesis), the tube green at base, the blade white (at leastwithin) at anthesis, the entire spathe ultimately deciduous; spadixmostly 2-4 cm shorter than spathe; staminate part more than 1.5 cmwide, deciduous with spathe, the flowers with 3-6 stamens; lowerpistillate part slender, to 4 cm long, usually ca 1 cm wideor less; pistils 1-celled; ovules 1 or 2; stigma sessile,orbicular. Fruit clusters usually broadly oblong, to 11 cm long and8 cm wide; berries green except for roughened stigmatic area,irregularly developed (some aborted), subglobose and 2.5-3 cm widewhen mature, irregularly dehiscent; seeds broad at apex, narrowedbelow, to 2.5 cm long. Croat 4961.
Restricted on BCI to shallow water at the edge ofthe lake, commonly in somewhat protected areas. Flowers and fruitsthroughout most of the year.
Distinguished by its aquatic habitat, armed caudices, and largefruits. Seeds float to shore and germinate. Guatemala and Belize tothe Guianas; the Antilles. In Panama, known chiefly from freshwaterswamps and river banks all along the Atlantic coast and inDarién. SeeFig. 103.
