Philodendron pulchrum (Araceae)
Epiphyte or hemiepiphytic climber, sometimes terrestrial, occurring at 0.05–29 m high; sap copious, clear with turpentoid scent; roots sparse, reddish brown; stems to more than 1 m long; internodes short 1cm long, 2–6 cm diam.; cataphylls thick, bluntly 1or 2-ribbed, medium green, matte, persisting intact at upper nodes, turning brown, marcescent. LEAVES semi-erect; petioles 23–40 cm long, 8–12 mm diam., usually longer than the petioles, averaging 1.33 times longer, medium green with faint darker lines, terete to sharply C-shaped with adaxial groove, broadly and sharply sulcate near base, more bluntly so near apex, slightly thicker than broad, medium green, matte, densely short-dark-lineate, with fine veins; blade oblong-ovate, 45–60 cm long and 23–30 cm wide, 2–3 times longer than wide, moderately coriaceous, dark green and semiglossy above, somewhat paler and matte below; midrib flat and slightly paler above, narrowly rounded and moderately paler, yellow-green below; primary lateral veins weakly sunken and concolorous above, convex and slightly paler below, especially in lower 1/2 near midrib; minor veins moderately obscure, etched above, distinct and flat below; lower surface appearing purplish; INFLORESCENCE 1 per axil, erect, green; peduncle 10–26 cm long, green finely striate; spathe green to pale green with whitish margins and red-purple dots on the back, rarely white outside, greenish white inside in the upper part fading to purple-red in tube inside; spadix 11–17.5 cm long; staminate portion 8– 4.5 cm long; pistillate portion 3.5–8 cm long, the sterile protion averaging 2 cm long; pistils pale green to white with stigma red, stamens yellow. INFRUCTESCENCE white at maturity; berries white to orange in fruit, sometimes bright yellow-green to green with small brown spots.
Ranges from Venezuela (Amazonas) to Colombia (Amazonas, Caqueta, Meta, Putumayo, Vaupes, Guania), Brazil (Amazonas), Ecuador (Napo, Pastaza, Morona-Santiago, Zamora-Chinchipe) and Peru (Loreto, Pasco, San Martín).
Tropical moist forest, Premontane moist forest, Tropical wet forest and Premontane rain forest. In Ecuador, it is found in Premontane moist forest, Tropical moist, Premontane wet forest, Lower montane wet forest, Tropical wet forest.