Philodendron verapazense Croat

Hemiepiphytic; stem appressed-climbing or sometimes scandent; preadult internodes to 20 cm long, 1.5--3 cm long; adult internodes green becoming tinged purple, finally tan, conspicuously many-sulcate except above each petiole, longer than broad; roots few per node, 10--30 cm long, drying dark brown, weakly glossy, 2.3 mm diam.; cataphylls 14--17 cm long, sharply 2-ribbed, green tinged red, deciduous. LEAVES: petioles 29--44 cm long, drying 2--5 mm diam., sharply D-shaped, flattened adaxially, with adaxial margins sharp; blades narrowly ovate-triangular-cordate, subcoriaceous, long-acuminate at apex (the acumen sometimes apiculate), long-cordate to sagittate at base, 26--34 cm long, 11.5--14 cm wide (2--3 times longer than wide), (0.7--1.1 times longer than petiole); anterior lobe (13)21--26 cm long, (5.4)13--14 cm wide (2.9--4.3 times longer than posterior lobes); posterior lobes 6--7.5 cm long, (2.3)6--7.1 cm wide; sinus hippocrepiform, sometimes spathulate, 7--7.5 cm deep; midrib broadly convex and paler above, convex and darker below, drying somewhat acute; basal veins 3(4) per side, with 0(1) free to base, the remainder coalesced 2--2.5 cm; posterior rib naked for most or all of its length; primary lateral veins 3--4 per side, departing midrib at a 55--65E angle, more or less straight to weakly arcuate to the margins; minor veins arising from the midrib only. INFLORESCENCES 1 per axil; peduncle 3--14 cm long, 4--5 mm diam., green or tinged with reddish violet; spathe 10--18 cm long, ((0.7)2--3.7 times longer than peduncle), reddish violet outside; spathe blade acuminate; spathe tube cylindrical, 8--9 cm long, 1--1.5 cm diam., crimson-red inside; spadix stipitate to 3.5 cm long; acute at apex, 15--16.5 cm long, constricted ca. 4 cm above base of sterile staminate portion; pistillate portion cream, 3.2 cm long in front, 1.7 cm long in back, 1.5--2.6 cm wide at base; staminate portion 8.3--9 cm long; fertile staminate portion cream, tapered to apex, 7--10 mm diam. at base and midway, 3--4 mm diam. ca. 1 cm from apex; sterile staminate portion 1.8--2.2 mm diam.; pistils 1.9--2.3 mm long; ovary 4--6-locular, 1 mm diam., with sub-basal placentation; locules 0.9 mm long, ca. 0.3 mm diam.; ovule sac 0.4--1 mm long; ovules 2 per locule, contained within transparent, gelatinous ovule sac, longer than funicle; funicle 0.2--0.3 mm long, (can be pulled free to base), style 0.8 mm diam., similar to style type D; style apex somewhat rounded to flat, depressions surrounding stylar canal exits, style boss broad, very shallow; the androecium truncate, prismatic, more or less oblong, margins irregularly 5--6-sided, 0.8--1.1 mm long; thecae oblong, 0.4--0.5 mm wide, more or less parallel to one another, very nearly contiguous; sterile staminate flowers prismatic to weakly clavate, irregularly 4--6-sided, mostly 5-sided, 1.3--1.9 mm long.