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Araceae
Philodendron suberosum Croat & D.C.Bay
SUMMARY
Usually hemiepiphytic, sometimes epiphytic; stem appressed or climbing; sap brown with fruity odor; internodes 3–25 x 1–3 cm, longer than broad, medium brown to reddish brown; epidermis scurfy to deeply reticulate-fissured appearing corky, drying medium brown and deeply reticulate-fissured; roots few per node, drying red-brown with flaky epidermis; cataphylls to 20 cm, unribbed to sometimes 2-ribbed near apex, bluntly rounded at apex, medium green, tinged red or purple-spotted at base, drying reddish brown with paler margins, becoming soft with thin brown epidermis, then deciduous. LEAVES spreading; petioles 42(–58) cm x5–10 mm (dry), terete, medium green, firm, obtusely to broadly sulcate at base, weakly striate at apex, drying dull dark olivegreen with many longitudinal wrinkles; geniculum striate, to 5 cm, usually drying dark brown to black, often wider than petiole; blades ovate-elliptic to ovate, coriaceous, acuminate at apex, cordate at base, rounded along margins, 29–54 x 12–37 cm, 1.3– 1.8(–2.4) x longer than wide, 0.9–1.2(–2.1)xas long as petiole; adaxial surface moderately glossy, dark green, drying glossy pale gray-green; abaxial surface matte, paler than adaxially, drying dull and barely paler than adaxial surface; anterior lobe 39.5–46 x 37 cm, 4.2–6.6(–8.1) cm longer than posterior lobes; posterior lobes 5–10.5 x 7–11.5 cm; sinus arcuate to parabolic, 1.3–6 cm deep; midrib flat, medium green adaxially, convex and sometimes purple-spotted abaxially; primary lateral veins 14 to 20 per side, spreading from midrib at 60º–75º angles, downturned at midrib, 5 mm apart near base widening to 4 cm apart near apex; basal veins 6 to 8 per side, all free to base; minor veins distinct; all veins drying concolorous and sunken adaxially, darker than blade or sometimes paler than blade and raised abaxially. INFLORESCENCE erect to spreading, 3 to 6(to 10) per axil, often enclosed in a persistent pink prophyll that dries reddish brown; peduncle 3–10.5 cm, 3– 5 mm diam. (dry), much shorter than petiole, pale green, sometimes faintly striate, drying dark brown, moderately flattened; spathe 5.5–11 cm, rounded and slightly apiculate at apex, barely constricted above the tube, margins and apiculum white, drying dark to medium brown, sometimes reddish brown; spathe blade brick to cherry-red, sometimes with purple ringlike or pale spots, or green speckles outside, creamy white with orange resin canals in lower 2/3 inside; spathe tube pale green at base, upper part tinged red to cherry-red, sometimes pale spotted outside; spadix exserted from spathe at anthesis, clavate, 7.4–8.5 cm; pistillate portion yellow-green becoming pink, 1.5– 3 cm, 8–10 mm diam. at base (dry), 6–8 mm diam. at point where it meets the staminate portion (dry); staminate portion creamy white, 4–5.5 cm, somewhat constricted above the pistillate portion; fertile staminate portion clavate, 4.5–5 cm x 5–7 mm at base, 8–12 mm wide 1 cm from apex; sterile staminate portion not obvious; pistils ca. 1.5 x 1.6–2 mm; ovary 6- to 7-locular, ovules with subbasal placentation, 2 to 3 per locule; sterile staminate flowers ca. 4 x 9–10 mm. INFRUCTESCENCE unknown. JUVENILE PLANTS differ in having ecordate, broadly elliptic leaf blades.