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Araceae
Philodendron davidsonii Croat
SUMMARY
Epiphytic climber, often occurring high in canopy; sap clear; stem appressed-climbing, thick, creeping, leaf scars conspicuous, 1.5--2 cm long, 1--3 cm wide; internodes short, thick, broader than long, 1.5--5 cm long, 3--9 cm diam., olive-green to gray-green, becoming tannish white to brownish, scurfy; epidermis peeling and cracking with age; roots few per node, to 7 mm diam., light reddish brown, drying dark reddish brown, smooth, epidermis peeling; cataphylls soft, 28--54 cm long, unribbed to bluntly ribbed to sharply 2-ribbed near apex, green to reddish, sometimes dark green-striate, promptly deciduous; LEAVES: petioles 50--85 cm long, 1--2 cm diam., thicker than broad, obtusely V-shaped, broadly sulcate adaxially, rounded abaxially, with adaxial margins sharp, surface medium to dark green-striate with a weak maroon to dark green ring around apex; blades ovate-oblong, coriaceous, acute to more or less acuminate at apex (the acumen inrolled), subcordate to cordate at base, 50--76 cm long, 21--43 cm wide (1.7--2.6 times longer than wide), upper surface dark green, semiglossy to glossy, lower surface matte, much paler (often tinged purplish violet when young); margins hyaline to yellowish green, sometimes revolute; anterior lobe 48--77.5 cm long, 20--50 cm wide (3.4--6.3 times longer than posterior lobes); posterior lobes 9--19 cm long, 9.6--17.8(24) cm wide, rounded; midrib flat to weakly raised, yellowish green to cream, paler than surface above, convex, weakly striate, paler than surface below; basal veins (1)3--6, mostly 4 per side, with 1--2 (or sometimes all) free to base, 4th to 6th veins coalesced 3--4 cm; posterior rib 0.8--4 cm long, not at all naked or naked to 4 cm; primary lateral veins (10)18--21 per side, departing midrib at a 50--75º angle, straight or weakly arcuate to the margins, sunken to weakly quilted and paler than surface above, convex to raised and paler than surface below; interprimary veins weakly sunken and paler than surface above, weakly raised and darker than surface below; minor veins darker than surface below, arising from both the midrib and primary lateral veins. INFLORESCENCES more or less erect, 1--3 per axil; peduncle (3.5)5--9 cm long, 7--27 mm diam., flattened adaxially, pale green to reddish green, or white, often dark green-striate; spathe coriaceous, 15--27 cm long, [(2.1)2.9--4.6 times longer than peduncle)], weakly constricted near the middle (opening 16.5 cm long); spathe blade at anthesis pale green, pale speckled, with margins reddish pink outside, 10--19 cm long, 2--6 cm diam. (the opening to 9 cm long), tinged reddish to maroon (B & K red-purple 2/7) inside; spathe tube pale green, minutely white-short-lineate outside, 5.9--14 cm long, 3--5.5 cm diam., reddish to maroon (B & K red-purple 10/3 to 2/10) inside; spadix sessile or weakly stipitate; tapered, 14.5--25 cm long, tapered, broadest near the base; pistillate portion green to yellow-green, slightly tapered toward the apex to cylindrical, 3.3--10 cm long, 1.1--2.5 cm diam. at apex, 1.4--1.7 cm diam. at middle, 1.5--3 cm wide at base, with 19-25 flowers per spiral; staminate portion 9.2--20 cm long; fertile staminate portion creamy white, becoming orange-red (post-anthesis), tapered, 1.6--2.8 cm diam. at base, 1.5--2 cm diam. at middle, 7--12 mm diam. ca. 1 cm from apex, broadest at the base, narrower than the pistillate or sterile portions; sterile staminate portion narrower than the pistillate portion, white, 17--28 mm diam.; pistils 3.3--4.7 mm long, 1.6--2.5 mm diam.; ovary 8--14-locular, 3.7--4mm long, 2--2.6 mm diam., with sub-basal placentation; ovules 4--8(12) per locule, striate, 2-seriate, usually contained within translucent ovule sac, 0.2--0.6 mm long, about equal in length to or shorter than funicle; funicle 0.2 mm long, style 1.2--2.3 mm long, 1.6--2.1 mm diam., similar to style type B or D; style apex usually flat; style apex flat or with a borad boss, pronounced (with divit in center); stigma subdiscoid to globular, unlobed to weakly lobed, 1.8--1.9 mm diam., 0.3--0.7 mm high, covering entire style apex, depressed medially; the androecium truncate, margins 4--6-sided; thecae elliptical to oblong-obovate, 0.1 mm wide; sterile staminate flowers blunt, 4--5-sided, 3.5--4.5 mm long, 1.5 mm wide. INFRUCTESCENCE: Berries greenish (nearly ripe).