Flora of Papua New Guinea 
Lae National Herbarium 
1 0055 Araceae 
Cyrtosperma cuspidispathum Alderw. 
East Sepik Province, near Langu village, through the adjacent 
swampland and ascending the buttress ridge to the mountain above 
near 4° 11’ S, 142° 44’ E. 
robust herb in Metroxylon swamp, 40 m elev., common, tallest (to 4 
m height) under closed canopy, becoming noticeably dwarfed in 
opened areas, petioles spongy-textured (?aerenchymatous), green or 
green-brown mottled, length to 3.5 m, geniculate, spinose. the 
armature antrorse; leaves megaphyllous, sagittate, average 130 cm x 
50 cm, glabrous, inermous, papyraceous, dull green, anterior lobe 
much shorter than posterior ones; venation anastomose throughout; 
peduncles c. 2.4 m height, ascending, resembling the petiole; 
spathe very large, typically 1.25 m+, incrassate, fleshy, brownish- 
purple, convolute at the base, the apex extended into a numerously 
twisted and pendulous cauda; spadix cylindric, 25 cm long, sessile, 
flowers bisexuai throughout, hexamerous, lobate, stamens apparently 
not exserted, stigma elevate, punctate; infructescence accrescent, 
reflexed at the top, fruits red. 
Waskuk name not recorded. 
coll: W. Takeuchi 10055 
date: August 16, 1994 
det. WT 
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