Family: Araceae
Plant: A tufted herb up to 2m tall with creeping rhizome.
Flowers: Small, green, stalkless and 4-lobed, arranged in slender spike 15cm long. The spikes are grouped in clusters at the tips of erect flattened stems 1-2m high. The stamens have bright yellow anthers.
Flowering: Mainly October-December.
Fruit: Blue-black, shiny, ovoid berry, 1-1.5cm long.
Leaves: Basal, tough, linear, strap-like 1-2m long and 25mm wide. The leaves are strongly veined and channelled.
Habitat: Rainforest.
Features: Strongly veined and channelled leaves. Slender spikes of flowers at end of stems. The flowering stems are longer than the leaves.
Name:
Gymnostachys
From Greek gymno = naked and stachys = a spike of grain (referring to the appearance of its flowers)
anceps From Latin = compresses (referring to its flattened flowering stem)
|
Type |
Herb |
|
|
Flowers |
Form |
Irregular, Cluster |
|
|
Colour(s) |
Green, Yellow |
|
|
Petal/Sepal No. |
4 |
|
|
Flowering Month |
10, 11, 12 |
|
Fruit |
Type |
Berry |
|
|
Colour |
Blue, Black |
|
|
Other Features |
Fleshy |
|
Leaves |
Arrangement |
Basal, Tufted |
|
|
Type |
Simple |
|
|
Shape |
Linear, Strap-like |
|
|
Length |
Very Long |
|
|
Margins |
Entire |
|
|
Attachment |
Unstalked |
|
|
Other Features |
- |
|
Bark |
- |
|
|
Habitat |
Rainforest |
|