Large, acaulescent herb, 2-3 m tall. Petioles to 2.5 m long, terete, vaginate only near base; blades to 1.8 m wide, palmately and unequally 4-lobed, the lobes to 75 cm long, 35-60 cm wide at apex, with 9-16 teeth per lobe, the teeth 5-13 cm long, glabrous and shiny above, dull below; juvenile leaves entire, the apex V-shaped, becoming 4-lobed, the lateral lobes more deeply divided. Peduncles 40-50 cm long; spathes 4, congested immedi- ately below spadix; spadix narrowly cylindrical, 11-12 cm long, 1.5 cm thick in flower, to 22 cm long and 4.5 cm thick in fruit; staminate and pistillate flowers alternating spirally on spadix; staminate flowers in clusters of 4, lacking perianth, the stamens numerous, closely congested, obscuring all of pistillate flower but the staminodium, falling within a few days after anthesis; pistillate flowers sunken into fleshy axis of spadix; tepals 4, 5-6 mm long in flower, distinctly surpassing length of stigmas (to 8 mm long in fruit); staminodium slender, flattened, very long and showy, white, falling soon after anthesis; stigmas 4, laterally compressed; fruiting spadices rupturing at maturity, beginning at apex, to expose bright orange matrix with embedded fruits. Fruits oblong to rounded, ca 10 mm long, 6-8 mm broad; seeds numerous, +/- ovoid, ca 2 mm long, flattened. Croat 10838, 12305. Occasional, in the forest, usually along streams, possibly preferring steep banks. Flowers in June. The fruits mature from July to October.

Bocas Species Database

Distribution: Isla Colón   Characteristics: Shrub