| Bracts (leaf whorl)
Blade (leaf) |
Bracts held well above ground, sessile; blade weakly mottled with scattered, darker green spots, mottling often fading later in season, broadly ovate, 10–20 × 12–15 cm, not glossy, base rounded, apex obtuse | Bracts held well above ground, spreading horizontally, subsessile; blade very sparsely mottled with dark greenish brown or rarely all green, mottling becoming obscure with age, broadly ovate, 10–22 × 8.7–15 cm, not glossy, often narrowed to falsely petiolate, very short, and narrowly cuneate base 10–20 mm, apex obtuse | Bracts held well above ground, sessile (narrowing of bract blade may give bract subsessile appearance); blade densely to weakly mottled in dark brownish green, mottling becoming more obscure to absent as bract matures, broadly ovate, 7–17.6 × 7.4–17.7 cm, not glossy, apex obtuse-rounded. | Bracts show a slightly metallic luster at flowering time | Bracts held well above ground, sessile; blade bright green (in early anthesis rather succulent in appearance), usually well-marked with lighter and darker green spots, occasionally obscurely or scarcely mottled, mottling becoming obscure with age, ovate to broadly ovate, 11–18 × 12–17 cm, somewhat glossy, apex acuminate. | Bracts held well above ground, sub-sessile; blade green with widely scattered mottling, mottling becoming obscure with age, ovate to broadly ovate, 6.5–16 × 5–8 cm, not glossy, apex obtuse. | Bracts just at or slightly above soil, long-petiolate; blade medium green, not mottled, ovate to elliptic, 7–14 × 5.5–10.2 cm, not glossy, apex obtuse or rounded; petiole arising from scape apex at or near ground surface, 5–12 cm; bract and petiole strongly resembling leaves of Plantago. | |
| Flower | Flower borne directly upon bracts, erect, fragrance rose like | Flower erect, odor spicy-musty, musty, or fetid; sepals conspicuous, spreading, often resting on bracts, maroon to green, linear to oblong-lanceolate, 35–47 × 8–10 mm, margins flat, entire, apex acute | Flower erect, odor rose like, spicy; sepals spreading-ascending above bracts, green, lanceolate, 35–65 × 7–12 mm, margins entire, flat, apex obtusely rounded | Flower odor spicy in fresh flowers, becoming fetid in older flowers; sepals displayed above bracts, spreading, divergent, green, purple-streaked, lanceolate, 40–75 × 10–14 mm, margins entire, apex acute to round-acute | Flower erect, odor spicy, of cloves | Flower in axil of bracts at or near ground level, ± erect, odor unknown; sepals erect to widely spreading, often weakly recurved near middle, green, oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, 22–47 × 7–10 mm, margins entire, apex acute | ||
| Sepals | conspicuous, spreading, displayed above bracts, pale green, lanceolate, 30–65 × 12–15 mm, margins entire, apex acute; | conspicuous, spreading, often resting on bracts, maroon to green, linear to oblong-lanceolate, 35–47 × 8–10 mm, margins flat, entire, apex acute; | spreading-ascending above bracts, green, lanceolate, 35–65 × 7–12 mm, margins entire, flat, apex obtusely rounded | displayed above bracts, spreading, divergent, green, purple-streaked, lanceolate, 40–75 × 10–14 mm, margins entire, apex acute to round-acute; | displayed above bracts, spreading, divergent, green, lanceolate, 16–25 × 4–8 mm, margins entire, flat, apex variously obtuse to rounded; | erect to widely spreading, often weakly recurved near middle, green, oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, 22–47 × 7–10 mm, margins entire, apex acute; | ||
| Petals | long-lasting, usually erect or slightly spreading, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary basally, white to creamy white, rarely soft pinkish rose near base, veins prominent but not engraved, not spirally twisted, obovate, more lanceolate in young plants, 4.8–8 × 2.2–3 cm, widest at or just above middle, ± thick-textured, base cuneate, margins entire, ± flat, apex rounded to acute; | long-lasting, erect, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary and partially obscuring stamens, dark purple to red-purple, not spirally twisted, veins obscure, linear, 5–10 × 0.7–1.4 cm, 8–10 times longer than wide, glossy, thick-textured, base linear, margins entire, at first flat but inrolling with age, apex variously acute-obtuse; | long-lasting, erect, connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary, yellow, bronze, maroon, brown, deep purple, reddish brown, pink, dark purplish red, purplish bronze, rarely greenish white, not spirally twisted, veins not engraved, oblanceolate to obovate, 6.5–10 × 1.5–2.5 cm, thick-textured, base cuneate, margins entire, at first flat but inrolling with age, apex variably acute to almost truncate, erose | Petal tissue always with yellow pigments, often present with other pigments; petals yellow, greenish yellow, greenish purple, or bronze-green or brown | Petal tissue lacking yellow pigments; petals purple, reddish purple, garnet red, pink, or greenish white. | long-lasting, conspicuous, spreading-erect to erect, tips incurving slightly, ± connivent, partially to completely concealing stamens and ovary, glossy dark maroon-red or purple, not spirally twisted, flat, oblanceolate, 5.5–11 × 2–3.5 cm, widest at or below middle, glossy, thick-textured, cuneate basally, margins ± flat, entire, ± at first flat but twisting/quilling with age, apex round-acute; | long-lasting, erect to erect-spreading, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary, white, occasionally purple stained basally, sometimes weakly spirally twisted, linear to linear-lanceolate, 2.2–4.5 × 0.4–1 cm, thin-textured, base occasionally cuneate, margins entire, apex obtuse; | long-lasting, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary, or erect-spreading early then ± connivent, erect to incurved, light maroon-red, purple, or greenish to yellowish, not spirally twisted, flat, linear-lanceolate, 3–5.5 × 0.4–1 cm, thick-textured, margins entire, apex acute; |
| Stamens | erect, greenish white, 15–25 mm; | stamens erect, 12–22 mm; | stamens erect, purplish, 17–26 mm, 2 times as long as pistil | stamens erect, straight, 15–26 mm, slightly concealing ovary; about the same height as the pistil | stamens erect, 10–15.5 mm; | stamens erect, (15–) 22–30 mm; | ||
| Filament | whitish green, 3–4 mm, slender; | filaments dark maroon, 2–4 mm, slender, widest at base; | filaments purple, ca. 4 mm, widest at base, much shorter than anther sacs | filaments dark purple, 2–4 mm; | filaments white, greenish white, or purple stained, 1–3 mm, much shorter than anthers, slender; | filaments olive, (3–)5–7 mm, slender; | ||
| Anthers | erect, straight, yellow, 11–20 mm, dehiscence latrorse; | anthers erect, straight, purple, 12–18 mm, dehiscence introrse; | anthers erect, straight, ± purple-brown, 13–22 mm, dehiscence introrse; | anthers dark maroon, 13–24 mm, dehiscence introrse; | anthers erect, straight, greenish white, 9–11+ mm, ± slender, dehiscence latrorse; | anthers straight, brown or olive, 16–20 mm, slender, dehiscence latrose; | ||
| Connective | straight, extended ca. 1 mm beyond anther sacs, rounded; | connectives purple, slightly extended 1–1.5 mm beyond anther sacs | connectives purple, straight, extended ca. 1–1.5 mm beyond anther sacs | connectives straight, barely extended beyond anther sacs; | connective greenish, straight, barely extended (to 0.4 mm) beyond anther sacs; | connectives yellow or orange, ± not extending beyond anther sacs; | ||
| Ovary | ovary green or occasionally purple, ovoid, rounded 6-gonal, 6–11 mm; | ovary dark, ovoid-ellipsoid, 6-angled toward apex, 7.5–12 mm; | ovary purple, ovoid, 6-angled, 6–12 mm; | ovary inconspicuous, purple, ovoid, round to 6-angled, 8–15 mm; . | ovary green or green and purple basally, ovoid, obscurely 6-gonal, 4–8 mm; | ovary white, greenish, purplish distally, ovoid, sharply angled, 4–9 mm; | ||
| Stigma | erect to spreading, distinct, sessile, subulate, 4–7 mm, thin distally | stigmas erect, divergent-recurved, distinct, purple, sessile, awl-shaped, thickly subulate, 5 mm, thick, fleshy | stigmas small, divergent or erect, distinct, purple, subulate, 4–8 mm, not fleshy | stigmas erect, distinct, subulate, 6–8 mm, fleshy, thickened basally | stigmas erect, ± divergent, distinct, green, outer surface purple, subulate, 3–4.5 mm, ± fleshy, thickened | stigmas erect, divergent, distinct, purple or olive, linear-subulate, 7–20 mm, apex somewhat recurved. | ||
| Fruit | green or purplish green, fragrance unknown, ovoid to globose, pulpy, juicy. | Fruits dark purple, fragrance unknown, subglobose, 6-angled, almost winged, fleshy. 2n = 10. | Fruits red-purple, fragrance not reported, ovoid, obscurely 6-angled, 2.5–3 cm, pulpy, juicy. 2n = 10. | Fruits dark reddish purple, ovoid to ellipsoid or weakly angled, 20–50 mm, fleshy. | Fruits dark reddish purple or maroon, fragrance not reported, subglobose, ± 1 cm, ± juicy. 2n = 10. | Fruits fragrance not reported, ovoid, strongly angled/winged, ca. 1 cm, pulpy, moist. 2n = 10 |