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Araceae
Philodendron pogonocaule Madison
SUMMARY
Epiphytic, often appressed; internodes short on adults, 2-4.5 cm diam., (2-6 cm long on younger plants), dark green, semiglossy; eataphylls 12-37 cm long, medium to dark green to reddish (at least at base), and unribbed when young, sharply D-shaped to sharply 2-ribbed as an adult, soon dark red-brown, persisting semi-intact, fibrous at base, at first mushy, finally as pale fibers; petioles (10-) 28-80 cm long (averaging 54.5 cm), 4-7 mm diam., terete to obtusely flattened adaxially or obtusely 3-ribbed toward apex adaxially, dark to medium green, matte, closely pale-striate to conspicuously pale-streaked, conspicuous; blades ovate-cordate to narrowly ovate-cordate, acuminate at apex, subcordate to cordate at base, (20-) 29-65 cm long, 18-40 cm wide (averaging 51.5 x 30 cm), 1.4-1.9 times longer than broad, 0.7-1.3 times length of the petioles, broadest at or slightly above point of petiole attachment, slightly to moderately bicolorous, subcoriaceous; upper surface dark green and matte to velvety; lower surface yellow-green, slightly paler and weakly to moderately glossy; anterior lobe (17-)28-45 cm long; posterior lobes (5-)3-20 cm long, (9-) 14-20 cm wide, directed slightly inward; sinus parabolic to spathulate, (5-) 8-14 cm deep, 4-8 cm wide; midrib flat to broadly sulcate or broadly convex (Croat 73786) and scarcely to moderately paler above, bluntly acute, narrowly rounded, or convex and much darker below; basal veins 5-8 pair, weakly coalesced (primarily on older blades) for up to 7 cm; posterior rib naked for first 1-4 cm; primary lateral veins 7-9 per side, departing midrib at 55°-75° angles, ascending to margin, paler, obtusely to narrowly and conspicuously sunken above, convex to nearly round-raised, matte and much darker below; minor veins moderately obscure to moderately visible, fine, close. INFLORESCENCES erect to erect-spreading, 1-2 (-4) per axil; peduncle 9-12 (-20) cm long, 4-6 mm diam., pale green to whitish, coarsely striate; spathe erect, 8-12 cm long, narrowly acuminate at apex, white (pale green-streaked at base) greenish on back side, maroon on front side; spathe tube ovoid, 4-5 cm long, 2-2.5 cm diam. greenish white and glossy at anthesis inside, becoming maroonish post-anthesis (except whitish along margins), brownish maroon outside post-anthesis; spathe blade white suffused with maroon at base; spadix with pistillate portion pale green, 2.3-3.5 cm long, 1.1-1.3 cm diam.; staminate portion 5.2-5.7 cm long, 1.2-1.4 cm diam. at widest, 0.9-1.0 cm diam. at constriction; sterile staminate 1.2-1.6 cm long; sterile staminate flowers 1.8-3.2 mm long, irregular in shape; pistils (post-anthesis) 5 mm long, 2.3-3.5 mm diam.; locules 3.3 mm long, 5 per ovary; ovules 2.2 mm long, 7-12 per locule with axile placentation. INFRUCTESCENCES with spathe to 20 cm long, the tube to 4.5 cm diam.; berries greenish white; seeds 2 mm long, constricted near apex, tan, finely ridged longitudinally.