Philodendron ligulatum var. heraclioanum (Araceae)
Internodes short, to 1 cm long, 1.1--2.5 cm diam., usually longer than broad, medium green, semiglossy, drying pale yellow-brown, conspicuously and irregularly ridged and cracked; roots moderately few, to 30 cm long, 4 mm diam., reddish brown, weakly glossy, finely scaly; cataphylls 15--20 cm long, bluntly 1--2-ribbed, sharply 2-ribbed near apex. LEAVES: Petioles (8.5)20--28 cm long, sharply D-shaped, with adaxial margins winged (to 6 mm high); blades oblong-elliptic to narrowly oblanceolate-elliptic, obtuse to narrowly rounded at base, (29)46--61 cm long, (8.5)12--15 cm wide ((2.9)4.3--5.4 times longer than wide), (2--2.6(6.3) times longer than petiole), upper drying blackish, lower surface matte, heavily tinged or mottled violet-purple or maroon, drying dark brownish black; midrib narrowly rounded and paler than surface below with maroon spots on older veins; basal veins lacking; primary lateral veins 5--12 per side, departing midrib at a 40--50º angle, to the margins, green with maroon spots on older plants. INFLORESCENCES 1 per axil; peduncle (5)13--15 cm long, 1 cm diam.; spathe pale green, 10--12 cm long, to 6.5 cm wide when flattened, tinged violet-purple on outer margin and at base outside and at base inside; spathe blade greenish inside; spathe tube pale green, glossy inside; spadix 9.5--12 cm long; pistillate portion 4.3 cm long in front, 3.6 cm long in back; ovules 2 per locule, contained within transparent matrix, style similar to style type C; style funnel shallow to moderately deep. INFRUCTESCENCE with berries oblong-elliptic, 3 mm long; seeds oblong, light yellow-brown, 1.4 mm long, 0.4 mm diam., narrowly ribbed longitudinally. JUVENILE blades with lower surface heavily tinged maroon.
Endemic to Panama, known definitely only from the type locality at the base of Cerro Pirre in Darién Province.
Premontane wet forest life zone.