You are here
Araceae
Philodendron straminicaule Croat
SUMMARY
Hemiepiphytic; stem appressed-climbing, leaf scars conspicuous, 1 - 1.6 cm long, 1.2 - 1.7 cm wide; internodes glossy to semiglossy, ± brittle, somewhat scurfy, 1-5(12) cm long, 2-3.5 mm diam., longer than broad, dark green, soon gray- green, finally light tan, drying straw-colored, sometimes with a narrow ring of yellow-brown periderm at the nodes; epidermis transversely fissured in part, sometimes deeply fissured and cracking free on drying; roots blunt, to 30 cm or longer, 4 mm diam., yellow-green, weakly glossy (fresh), drying reddish brown with minute scales in age; cataphylls somewhat spongy, to (17)20-35 cm long, variously ribbed, sometimes D-shaped or unribbed, more frequently bluntly to sharply 1- or 2-ribbed (sometimes unribbed in Coclé), emarginate at apex, pale green to pale yellowish to whitish, margins clear, sometimes closely dark green short-lineate, sometimes moderately red-purple-spotted (more so at base) throughout, ribs darker, drying greenish or brownish, deciduous, persisting intact. LEAVES: Petioles (27)32-59 cm long, 5-12(17) mm diam., subterete, ± spongy, medium green, obtusely flattened adaxially, rounded adaxially, surface semiglossy, faintly dark lineate; blades triangular-ovate-cordate, subcoriaceous, semiglossy, bicolorous, long acuminate at apex, cordate at base, (27)33 - 55 cm long, (11)19.7-31 cm wide (1.3-2.3 times longer than wide), (0.7 - 1.5 times longer than petiole), margins hyaline, lower surface drying green to yellow-green, densely glaucous with secretory ducts visible; anterior lobe (18.7)27-38.6(47) cm long, 17.6-27.6 cm wide (2.4-4.5 times longer than posterior lobes), margins straight to moderately concave; posterior lobes directed toward base, rarely reflexed-spreading, sometimes overlapping when posterior lobes are held somewhat upward al an angle to the midrib, (7)8.5 - 15.5 cm long, 7.5 - 13 cm wide, obtuse to rounded; sinus hippocrepiform, rarely closed, 2.6-14 cm deep; midrib flat to broadly rounded, paler than surface above, convex to narrowly rounded, paler than surface below; basal veins 4 - 6(7) per side, with 0 - 1 free to base, the remainder coalesced 1.2 - 5 cm, 2 coalesced 3.5 - 7 cm; posterior rib naked 0.5 - 1.5 cm; primary lateral veins 3-6 per side, departing midrib at a 45-65º angle, acutely ascending then weakly arcuate to straight to the margins, ± obscure, sunken and concolorous above, convex, darker than surface or paler than surface below; interprimary veins raised and darker than surface below; minor veins moderately distinct, fine, darker than surface, arising from both the midrib and primary lateral veins, drying minutely granular, prominulous and alternating with secretory ducts. INFLORESCENCES erect, usually 2 - 3 (sometimes to 5) per axil; peduncle (4.5)5.6 - 18 cm long, terete, pale to medium green, faintly short-lineate to densely speckled; spathe 7 - 18.5 cm long (0.9 - 1.8 times longer than peduncle), moderately constricted above the tube; spathe blade pale green to white on both surfaces, acuminate at apex; spathe tube dark green, finely pale lineate, glossy outside, 4 - 8.5 cm long, 1.5÷3 cm diam., reddish violet to maroon or magenta inside; spadix sessile; erect at anthesis, 7.6 - 13 cm long; pistillate portion 2.2-3.7(6.5) cm long, 1-1.4(2) cm diam. at middle, tapered slightly toward both ends; staminate portion clavate, 5.2 - 7.7 cm long; fertile staminate portion white, 8÷10 mm diam. at base, 1-1.5 cm diam. at middle, 4-8 mm diam. ca. 1 cm from apex, broadest at the middle, abruptly tapered toward apex, weakly constricted just above the sterile portion; sterile staminate portion usually broader than the pistillate portion at anthesis, 8-15 mm diam., the lowermost flowers sometimes drying whitened; pistils 1.1-1.7(3.4) mm long, 7-9(17) mm diam.; ovary 4-6(10)-locular, 0.5-0.7(2.2) mm long, 0.7-0.9(1.7) mm diam., with sub-basal placentation; locules 0.5 - 0.7(2.1) mm long, 0.2 - 0.3(0.6) mm diam.; ovule sac 0.5-0.7 mm long; ovules 1 per locule, contained within sticky, transparent, gelatinous ovule sac, 0.2 - 0.3 mm long, as long as funicle; funicle 0.2-0.3 mm long (can be pulled free to base), style 0.5-0.8(1) mm long, 0.6-0.7(1.7) mm diam., drying doughnut-shaped, similar to style type C; style funnel shallow with a small ring of stylar canals near the base; stigma subdiscoid, truncate, 0.4-0.5(0.8) mm diam., 0.1-0.3 mm high, covering almost entire style apex, with 1 - 5 depressions when dried, papillate, sessile, matte; the androecium truncate, prismatic, margins ± 4 - 5-sided, 0.6 - 1 mm long, 1.1 - 1.3 mm diam. al apex; thecae oblong, 0.4 - 0.5 mm wide, ± parallel to one another and nearly contiguous to contiguous; pollen ± spheroidal, <0.1 mm long, <0.1 mm diam., scarce; sterile staminate flowers irregularly 4 - 6-sided, blunt, prismatic, 1 - 1.3 mm long, 0.9 - 1.2 mm wide. INFRUCTESCENCE with berries pale green (immature), greenish white to lavender.