You are here
Araceae
Philodendron venosum (Willd. ex Schult. & Schult.f.) Croat
SUMMARY
Appressed-climbing epiphyte on tree trunks or buttress roots to at least 5 m above ground, sometimes sprawling over rocks, shrubs, or soil, the flowering shoots pendent and upturned. Internodes (2.1-) 2.3-12.1 cm long, 0.4-0.9 (-1.1+) cm wide, green to gray-green, gray or tan-gray, semiglossy to glossy, sometimes transversely fissured, narrowly flattened to flat-grooved on one side, drying yellowish tan to yellowish brown or brown, coarsely sulcate; roots few to (usually) abundant at distal nodes, to ca. 1.5 (-2.0) mm in diameter. LEAVES: Petiole (10.6-) 14.0-29.4 (-34.0) cm long, P/L=(0.48-) 0.53-0.87 (-1.06), glossy to very glossy adaxially, sheathed (81-) 87-98 (-99)%, the sheath thin and broadly spreading (at least in distal half ), to ca. 2.1 cm across, scarious-margined and ± strongly resolute (at least on one side), the free portion prolonged (sometimes ± asymmetrically) by ca. 0.5-4.0 mm; unsheathed portion of petiole (0.2-) 0.3-2.6 (-3.0) cm long, slightly concave to canaliculate above, rounded abaxially, mostly unhinged to strongly adulate marginally. Lamina 19.3-44.9 cm long, 6.5-17.7 (-19.7) cm wide, L/W=(1.63-) 1.96-3.48 (-3.79+), IQI= (0-) 1-6, firmly membranaceous or thinly coriaceous to sub- coriaceous, generally somewhat papyraceous or pergamentaceous, matte, silky- matte, velvety, satiny, "shimmering'' or (less frequently) semiglossy to glossy above, matte to (less frequently) semiglossy or glossy below, weakly bicolored, lanceolate or oblanceolate to narrowly ovate or narrowly to broadly elliptical or (rarely) ± oblong (generally widest near to below the middle), abruptly to gradually short- to long- acuminate apically (the acumen 0.6-2.6 cm long and sometimes aristate by 2-3 mm), cuneate to rounded or truncate (rarely shallowly subcordate, sometimes inequilaterally so) basally, plane to weakly undulate marginally; midrib narrowly sulcate and sometimes glossy (in contrast to lamina) above, convex and often paler below; primary lateral veins (6-) 7-12 per side, 0.2-5.2 cm apart, sunken above, convex below, often with distinct interprimaries; minor veins obscurely to distinctly visible below; abaxial laminar surface drying virtually smooth to (usually) uniformly and weakly to densely granular or low-granular (with the granules sometimes concentrated along the veins), rarely subalveolate, with reticulate veins evident to conspicuous, especially peripherally; white stitching absent or scattered to abundant along the resin canals; resin canals obscure to evident or conspicuous between the lateral veins; adaxial surface uniformly and moderately to densely granular or low-granular (or the granules sometimes concentrated along the veins), often subalveolate as well, with reticulate veins obscure to evident peripherally; white stitching absent to rare, or (occasionally) abundant throughout; resin canals not or obscurely evident. INFLORESCENCES solitary or paired; cataphylls often present, (2.9-) 5.6-13.7 cm long, 0.3-0.9cm wide, narrowly lanceolate to lance-oblong, 2-keeled; peduncle (1.65-) 1.95-6.25 cm long (to 7.4+ cm post-anthesis), P/S=(0.24-) 0.43-0.73, somewhat triangular in section, pale-green-streaked or with elevated striate lines; spathe at anthesis (6.8-) 7.5-12.1 (-14.5) cm long, (1.2-) 1.6-3.6 (-4.0) cm wide, coriaceous, externally glossy, green or bright green below, paler green to whitish distally, internally pale green, inflated-ellipsoidal at anthesis with the tube scarcely demarcated; spathe drying uniformly and moderately to densely granular externally, with rare to scattered short-white stitching (sometimes dense at margins) and sometimes conspicuous (at least proximally) resin canals, internally virtually smooth to (usually) uniformly and moderately to densely granular or low-granular, occasionally with scattered short-white stitching, with longitudinal secretory striations in basal 1/2-7/10 (-5/6); acumen of spathe 0.5-1.9 cm long. Stipe of spadix (0.15-) 0.20-0.90 (-1.20) cm long; spadix (4.7-) 5.6-9.4 (-10.5) cm long, the fertile male portion (0.6-) 0.8-1.1 (-1.3) cm wide, white, apparently persistent to fruit; sterile male zone ca. 0.2-0.6 cm long; fertile female portion of spadix (1.5-) 1.8-2.8 (-3.1) cm long (to 4.6+ cm in fruit), F/5=0.26-0.37 (-0.41), (0.6-) 0.7-1.2 (-1.3) cm wide (to 2,0+ cm in fruit), light green; fertile male flowers (0.8-) 1.0-1.5 mm long, 0.6-1.5 (-1.8) mm wide, irregularly polygonal, columnar; sterile male flowers (1.0-) 1.5-1.8 (-2.0) mm long, 0.7-1.6 (-3.0) mm wide, broadly obconic to anvil-shaped, drying dark-colored distally; female flowers 1.4-2.0 (-2.3) mm long, (0.6-) 0.7-1.3 (-1.7) mm wide, the stylar canals 3-4. INFRUCTESCENCE: Ripe fruits "golden-yellow, 3-4 mm tall, regularly angular, apices very obtuse'' (Bunting 3219). Seeds 0.7-0.9 mm long, 0.30-0.35 mm wide, "buff'' (Bunting 3219), straight or slightly curved (Steyernark & Rabe 96073) , finely striate with the striae minutely cancellate, drying tannish brown and weakly glossy (perhaps slightly immature) .