大半夏 da ban xia

Tuber depressed globose, irregularly depressed, to 6 cm in diam., with 1-4 stolons 4-7 cm; stolons often bearing globose tubercles 5-10 mm in diam. at end. Leaves 1-4; petiole greenish or flesh-red, 10-60(-70) cm; leaf blade deltoid-ovate to broadly ovate, 6-33 × 4-22 cm, papery, base deeply cordate, apex acuminate; primary lateral veins 5-15 per side. Inflorescence with peduncle shorter than petioles. Spathe erect, greenish or yellowish green, constricted, 5-8 cm; tube funnelform, 1-2.5 × ca. 0.5 cm; limb broadly lanceolate, 3.5-5 × 0.8-1.2 cm. Spadix longer than spathe; female zone 1.5-2 cm, adnate to spathe; female flowers densely arranged; pistil ca. 2.4 mm; ovary ovoid, ca. 2 × 1.3 mm; style very short; stigma subsessile, small, ca. 0.4 mm in diam.; sterile zone between female and male flowers 1-1.5 cm; male zone 1-1.5 cm; thecae ellipsoid, opening by a slit; appendix greenish to yellowish, tortuous, 6-11.5 cm. Berries green to whitish, ovoid. Seed 1, globose, ca. 1.5 mm in diam. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jul-Sep.

● Secondary forests, rock slopes, fields; below 800 m. Sichuan.

Pinellia polyphylla differs from P. cordata in having a larger tuber to 6 cm in diam., with 1-4 stolons, and petioles without bulbils.