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Araceae
Philodendron spruceanum G.S.Bunting
SUMMARY
Large sub-scandent herb, leaves ca. 15 or many. Stem robust, 50 cm long or more, internodes abbreviated, with persistent cataphyll remains. LEAVES: Petiole hard and rigid, weak green, ca. 80 cm long (specimen lacking the basal part), 2.1 cm thick, semi-terete, ventrally moderately convex (especially towards the apex). Leaf blade reflexed, hard and thickly coriaceous but brittle, outline ovate, sagittate at the base, obtuse at the apex with a 1.5 cm long acumen, 78-90 cm long and 43-50 cm wide (at the point 8-12 cm above the base of the midrib), margin strongly undulate and rusty-red- and yellowish-margined (2 mm), posterior lobes nearly trapeziform with obtuse angles, 24-26 cm long and 19-22 cm wide, imbricate, sinus sub-rhombiform, 8 cm long and 4.5 cm wide. Adaxially glossy, dark green, venation bright ('laete') green, midrib concave, 1.5 cm wide; ca. 10 costal primary lateral veins on each side, 0.4-0.5 cm wide, spreading at an angle of 65º-80º, and ca. 4 primary lateral veins on each side spreading from the posterior rib to the base, naked for 3-4 cm in the sinus, minor veins all prominent, abaxially deep green, midrib and primary veins convex, posterior ribs strongly acute-angled, all green-ivory. INFLORESCENCE: Peduncle of the nearly mature infructescence whitish, reddish near the apex, 8 cm long, very thick upwards. Spathe pink-rusty-red externally throughout, internally cherry red, 19 cm long, tube ellipsoid-obovoid, 9.5 cm long and 5.8 cm in diameter, blade acute at apex. Spadix sub-equal to spathe, sub-sessile, 14.5 cm long; female zone 6.7 (3.7) cm long and 3.3 cm in diameter; sterile male zone 2 cm long, 2.2 cm in diameter below, 1.8 cm in diameter above constriction; fertile male zone ca. 5.6 cm long and 1.9 cm in diameter. Pistillate flowers sub-oblong when seen from the side, 4-5(-6) locular, ovules in each locule very numerous, small, superposed. INFRUCTESCENCE: Nearly mature berries pink, regularly 4-6-angled, 0.45 cm long and 0.25-0.35 cm wide, many seeded. Seeds broadly ellipsoid (occasionally strongly angled from the temporary increase in pressure), rusty red and yellow-punctate, 0.85-0.92 mm long and 0.6 mm in diameter.