Philodendron pedatum (Araceae)
Hemiephiphytic appressed climber; internodes 1.6–15 cm long, 0.6–3 cm dia., flattened on one side, dark green to light brown or gray, matte to semiglossy, smooth or sometimes asperous, may be weakly transverse fissured. LEAVES: juvenile blades often with 2-3 less defined segments, rounded at base, caudate at apex; Adult blades with petioles 17-69 cm long, averaging 43 cm, terete or subterete, obtusely 1-ribbed or flattened at apex, linear-striate, roughened, medium to dark green, tinged reddish, weakly glossy; cataphylls 17–33 cm long, medium green to dark green, tinged reddish to violet-purple, unribbed or sometimes 2-ribbed from middle to apex), lanceolate, densely pale-speckled, sharply D-shaped erect margin, deciduous; blades pedatisect, 0.5—1.3 times longer than broad, deeply or shallowly lobed, subcoriaceous, semiglossy, moderately bicolorous, medium to dark green above, highly variable in size, 16–70 cm long, 14–50 cm wide; anterior lobe with 1—5 pairs of lobes, often offset, arising at 40–55° from midrib, 8—18 cm long, 1—10 cm wide, the lobes often further lobed, these to18 cm long, 1–10 cm wide, margin of sinuses extending to within 0.3–3 cm of midrib; posterior (or lateral) lobes with usually up to 5 lobes, 8–22 cm long, 3–15 cm wide, arising at about rising at about 10–20° from midrib, occasionally up to 40°, on rare occasions pointed downward, 0.8–1.7 longer than wide; midrib narrowly and obtusely sunken and slightly paler above, narrowly round-raised, concolorous and darker below; primary lateral veins 9–17 in anterior lobe, 3–5 in posterior or lateral lobes, weakly quilted, narrowly sunken and concolorous above, narrowly raised concolorous, darker below,; minor veins fine, close, moderately obscure; INFLORESCENCES 4–5 per axil.; peduncle 4–17 cm long; spathe reddish to medium-green, pale purple speckled-lineate outside, white or dark maroon within; blade up to 7 cm long; pistillate portion to 3.5 cm, 8–20 cm long, 1–4 cm diam.; prophylls pink; spadix 8–13 cm long; pistillate portion creamy white.
Philodendron pedatum is wide ranging from southern Colombia, western Eucador, northern Bolivia, far western to eastern Brazil, Surinam, French Guiana, Guyana and southern Venezuela. There is a possibility that the species also occurs in Central America based on a single report by plant collector John Hall who claims to have collected this species near Rincón on the Osa Peninsula.
It is found in Ecuador in Premontane wet fores life zone. In other countries it is found in Tropical moist forest, Tropical wet forest, Premontane wet forest, and Premontane moist forest life zones.