You are here
Araceae
Philodendron ampullaceum G.S.Bunting
SUMMARY
Scandent herb up to 3 m long or more. Stem pale brown, 3.5-5 cm thick, internodes 2-8 cm long. Cataphylls soon caducous. Petioles subterete near apex, ventrally flattened or convex, 66-77 cm long and 1.7 cm thick, pale green, sheathed in the lower part for 6-8 cm, wing spreading to 1.4 cm wide. LEAF blade reflexed, subcoriaceous but brittle, outline ovate to basally cordate-sagittate, towards the apex acuminate and recurved, 47-63 cm long and 30-38 cm wide, margin undulate; posterior lobes triangular-oblong rounded towards the apex or broadly obtuse 10-17 cm long, separated by a narrowly suboblong or linear sinus, primary lateral veins ca. 3 on both sides, joined below into a posterior rib; ca. 6 (-7) primary lateral veins on each side of the midrib spreading at an angle of 55-75º, arcuate towards the margin, with one secondary vein between each pair; Blade adaxially deep glossy green, midrib pale green flat or somewhat convex, 1.2 cm wide, primary and secondary veins ?sunken [inscultis should this be insculptis?], concave towards the base, never naked, ribs pale green abaxially angular-convex, primary and secondary veins strong. INFLORESCENCES in 4s to 6s. Peduncle 7-8 cm long and ca. 1 cm thick, pale green. Spathe fusiform (without division between tube and blade) mucronate at apex, up to 7 cm long and 2.1 cm diam., green inside and out. Spadix 1.5 cm shorter than the spathe, 3.7 cm long, shortly stipitate 0.2 cm long at the back, 0.7-0.8 cm at the front and 0.8-0.8 cm thick, female zone more or less cylindric 2.2 cm long and 1.2 cm in diam., male zone ovoid obtuse at apex 1.5 cm long and 1-2.5 cm diam., the final[?] zone 5-6 times[?] longer than[?] the female zone 4-4.6 cm long and 2.25 cm diam., Male zone persistent. Pistillate flowers flask-like, ca. 0.3 cm long and 0.18-0.2 cm diam., ovaries ca. 0.15 cm long and 9-11 locular, 2 (-1) ovules in each locule nearly basally affixed. INFRUCTESCENCE: Berries more or less globular-obovate, style contracted, pale green and dirty, glossy, subtranslucent, 0.35 cm long and 0.32 cm diam., ca. 10 seeded. Seeds ovoid, yellow and pale punctate, ca. 0.17 cm long.