Philodendron platypetiolatum Madison

Hemiepiphytic; stem more or less scandent, loosely appressed-climbing, to 3 m long, semiglossy, sap clear, watery, sticky, leaf scars to 2 cm wide; internodes slender, 14--20 cm long, 1--2 cm diam., longer than broad, sometimes somewhat flattened on side above, semiglossy, green to grayish green, epidermis drying tannish brown, cracking, loosening and flaking; roots pale to brownish, less than 20 cm long, thin, 2 mm diam., smooth; cataphylls (6)10--17 cm long, sharply 2-ribbed, sharply and deeply sulcate with margins flared, pale to medium green, drying yellowish to olive-green, deciduous. LEAVES: petioles 15.5--56 cm long, 3--9(12) mm diam., broadly flattened to markedly flattened and turned slightly upward adaxially, broadly convex abaxially, firm, medium to dark green, surface more or less unmarked; blades ovate-triangular to broadly ovate, subcoriaceous, semiglossy to glossy, weakly to moderately bicolorous, acuminate, sometimes long, narrowly acuminate at apex (the acumen tightly inrolled, 2--3 mm long), weakly cordate at base, 17--39 cm long, 12.7--29 cm wide (1--1.5 times longer than wide), (0.6--1.4 times longer than petiole), usually about equal in length to petiole; anterior lobe 15--34 cm long, 13--29 cm wide (2.4--4.5(5.2--5.4) times longer than posterior lobes); posterior lobes 4--10 cm long, 5--12 cm wide, broadly rounded to obtuse; sinus hippocrepiform, rarely arcuate with blade decurrent on petiole; midrib sunken or flat to broadly convex above, slightly paler than surface to concolorous above, bluntly low-triangular to convex below, paler than surface below; basal veins (2)3--4(5) per side, with 0--1 free to base, second and third coalesced 1--2 cm; posterior rib naked for 0--1 cm; primary lateral veins 3--5 per side, departing midrib at a 50--60º angle, straight to the margins, sunken to weakly sunken above, convex below; minor veins moderately indistinct, arising from both the midrib and primary lateral veins. INFLORESCENCES 1(2) per axil; peduncle 5--20 cm long, 2--11 mm diam., subterete or bluntly 1--2-angled, pale green, semiglossy, unmarked; spathe semiglossy, (8)11--18 cm long (0.7--2(2.8) times longer than peduncle); spathe blade green or red outside, pale yellow-green (dark red in So. America), inside; spathe tube green to olive-green, usually tinged red or maroon outside, 4.5--7.5 cm long, tinged red or maroon inside; spadix sessile; weakly tapered, more or less acute at apex, 8--9.8 cm long, broadest at the base or more or less uniform throughout, constricted weakly between sterile and fertile staminate portions; pistillate portion pale greenish, cylindrical or weakly tapered toward the apex, 2.5(3.5) cm long, 9--11 mm diam. at apex, 10--13 mm diam. at middle, 10--13 mm wide at base; staminate portion 5.7--7.3 cm long; fertile staminate portion white, weakly tapered or cylindrical, 5--7 mm diam. at base, 4--5 mm diam. ca. 1 cm from apex, broadest at the base or more or less uniform, narrower than the pistillate portion, broader than or as broad as the sterile portion; sterile staminate portion as broad as or slightly narrower than the pistillate portion, 5--10 mm diam.; pistils (0.8)1.7--2.5 mm long, (0.6)0.9--1.4 mm diam., white; ovary (6)7--8-locular, (0.7)1.1--1.8 mm long, 0.8--1.2 mm diam., with sub-basal placentation; locules 0.7--1.5 mm long, 0.3 mm diam., ovule sac 0.8 mm long; ovules 3 per locule, 1-seriate, contained within translucent to transparent, gelatinous envelope, (0.2--0.3)0.4--0.5 mm long, longer than funicle; funicle 0.2--0.3 mm long, (can be pulled free to base), style (0.1)0.4--0.7 mm long, 0.6--0.8 mm diam., similar to style type B; style apex steeply sloping, sometimes with small medial depression; stigma subdiscoid to hemispheroid, somewhat cupullate, 0.7--0.9(1.3) mm diam., 0.2--0.3 mm high, covering entire style apex; the androecium prismatic, truncate, oblong, margins irregularly 4--6-sided, sometimes weakly scalloped; thecae cylindrical to oblong, 0.3--0.4 mm wide, more or less parallel to one another, sometimes more or less contiguous; sterile staminate flowers irregularly 4--6-sided or rounded, 0.9--1.5 mm long, 0.7--1.2 mm wide. INFRUCTESCENCE turning red outside; berries green (immature).