Cyrtosperma johnstonii

Reported to originate in the Solomon Islands, it is a large perennial herb widely grown in cultivation. It spreads by suckers, eventually forming a clump of leafy crowns. The arrow-shaped leaves have long rear lobes, and young leaves have pink main veins. Their undersides develop reddish-brown blotches as they mature. Long leaf stalks are mottled with white, green, brown and pink and bear sharp spines arranged in slanting rows. The flower cluster consists of a cylindrical spadix within a narrow, boat-shaped spathe, dark purple outside and pale yellow-green inside. It grows in shallow, still water and is cultivated as an ornamental foliage plant. Photographed in Florida.