Steudnera
(named after Dr. Steudner, of Gorlitz, a German botanist). ORD. Aroideae (Araceae). A small genus (three or four species) of stove, herbaceous perennials, natives of Burmah. Flowers all perfect, dense, the females much shorter than the males; spathe opening, very shortly convolute at base, ovate-lanceolate, at length reflexed above the middle, marcescent; spadix much shorter than the spathe, part of the back female flowers adnate; peduncle short. Leaves long-petiolate, peltate, ovate-oblong, emarginate at base. Caudex thick, elongated, ascending, membranous-sheathed. S. colocasiaefolia and its variety are the only members of this genus yet introduced. These thrive in a soil composed of rich, sandy loam, leaf mould, and bits of broken charcoal, well mixed and drained. A moist atmosphere is desirable, and a resting period necessary. Propagation may be effected by suckers, by cuttings, or by division of the rootstock.
S. colocasiaefolia (Colocasia-leaved). fl., spathe yellowish, more or less dark purple within, becoming recurved so as to expose the spadix, which is whitish, one-third as long as the spathe, and erect. l. of an obscure green above, paler beneath; petioles sometimes of a somewhat violet colour. Stems short, thick, fleshy. 1869. (I. H. n. s. 90; R. G. 633.) S. c. discolor (two-coloured). fl., spathe yellow on both surfaces, the base reddish-purple. l. marked between the primary veins above with a series of broad, brownish-purple blotches. h. 1ft. 1874. (B. M. 6076 and F. d. S. 2201, under name of S. colocasiaefolia.)