Rhaphidophora spuria (Schott) Nicolson

Allertonia 1: 348. 1978.  Note: The genus name is sometimes misspelled Raphidophora.

Synonyms: Cuscuaria spuria Schott, Bonplandia (Hannover) 9: 367. 1861; Rhaphidophora graeffei Engl.; Rhaphidophora reineckei Engl.

Indigenous to Samoa, ranging from New Guinea to Samoa.  It is common in Samoa in lowland to cloud forest on Savai‘i, ‘Upolu, and Tutuila, reported from near sea level to 1400 m elevation.  The species has long been considered to be endemic to Samoa (where it has gone by two names, Rhaphidophora graeffei and Rhaphidophora reineckei), but a recent study (Nicolson 1978) has shown that the populations from New Guinea to Samoa cannot be separated into individual species.  Samoan Name: fue laofao, tuafaga, pau tutuga.

Trunk climber with thick glabrous stems bearing adventitious roots at the nodes.  Leaves simple, alternate, often clustered. distichous; blade elliptic, 30–50 cm long, acute to subcordate at the base, acute at the tip; surfaces glabrous, darker above, finely parallel-veined from the midrib with the veins mostly equidistant from each other; margins entire with a narrow translucent border; petiole 19–36 cm long, concave and winged on the axial surface, bent at the distal end.  Inflorescence a pale green, narrowly cylindrical spadix 10–17 cm long, surrounded by a purple to yellowish, caducous spathe up to 19 or more cm long, on a peduncle up to 15 cm long.  Calyx absent.  Corolla absent.  Ovary inferior, flat-topped, 1-celled, and tightly packed on the spadix, with a short style and small stigma.  Stamens 4, free.  Fruit an obconical, angular-sided berry ca. 5–7 mm across, green at maturity.  Flowering and fruiting occur throughout the year.

Distinguishable by its trunk climber habit; often clustered, elliptic leaves up to 50 cm long; entire leaf margins; and a narrowly cylindrical spadix up to 17 cm long surrounded by a caducous yellowish to purple, slightly longer spathe.