Philodendron polliciforme Croat & D.C.Bay

Hemiepiphytic, rarely terrestrial; stem appressed-climbing or scandent; internodes short, semiglossy, usually obscured by cataphyll bases, 1–6 cm x 8– 45 mm, longer than broad, medium brown, drying medium brown to tan, with transversely fissured flaking epidermis; cataphylls 4–12(–17) cm, unribbed, rounded at apex, red to red-violet, especially dark red at base becoming lighter and green at apex, persisting at base, becoming mushy, drying dark reddish brown. LEAVES spreading; petioles 30.5–85.5 cm x 0.5– 1.8 cm (dry), obtusely flattened adaxially, sometimes with slight medial rib, medium green, pale-striate, moderately glossy, drying reddish brown; geniculum slightly swollen, 1–1.5 cm, tan, drying darker than petiole and somewhat shrivelled; blades triangularovate, moderately coriaceous, moderately bicolorous, long-acuminate at apex, cordate at base, margins rounded, 28.5–68.5 x 15–49 cm, 1.4–1.6(–1.9)x longer than wide, 0.8–1.1(–1.5)x as long as petiole, adaxial surface semiglossy, medium to dark green, drying dull olive-green, often tearing between primary lateral veins, abaxial surface paler than adaxially, drying dull and paler than adaxially; anterior lobe 24– 54 x 15–49 cm, 1.8–2.8(–3.3)x longer than posterior lobes, broadest at point of petiole attachment; posterior lobes 7.5–23.5 x 7.5–23 cm, rounded; sinus spatulate to rhombic, 4.5–18 cm deep; midrib flat and paler than blade adaxially, drying olive to medium tan, narrowly rounded and paler than blade abaxially, drying light tan; primary lateral veins 5 to 9 per side, 2–4 cm apart, spreading from midrib at 65º angles, down-turned at midrib, then curving gradually upward to margin, obtusely sunken adaxially, convex and paler than blade abaxially, drying lighter than blade; basal veins 5 to 9 per side, with 2 free to base, 3 coalesced to 8 cm, 5 coalesced to 6 cm, 7 coalesced to 4 cm, well-developed posterior rib not naked or naked up to 3 cm, paler than blade adaxially and abaxially, drying light tan and raised abaxially; minor veins moderately obscure, arising from midrib. INFLORESCENCE erect or spreading, 2 to 6 per axil, enclosed in a persistent prophyll; peduncle 3– 10 cm x 2–3 mm (dry), much shorter than petiole, white in the lower 1/3, red to apex, drying dark reddish tan; spathe thumb-shaped, often caudate-acuminate when immature, 4.5–8.5 cm, slightly constricted; spathe blade 2–3 cm, red to maroon becoming green to white at apex outside, white inside; spathe tube 2.5–5 cm, red to maroon outside, white inside, drying dark rusty tan; spadix cylindrical,3.5–6 cm; pistillate portion pale green, 2–3 cm x ca. 2.6 mm; staminate portion creamy white, 2– 3 cm x ca. 2.5 mm at base, ca. 3.2 mm diam. at apex; sterile staminate portion not apparent; pistils ca. 1.4 x 0.6 mm at base, ca. 0.3 mm diam. at apex;ovary 5-locular, ovules with basal placentation, 1 per locule. INFRUCTESCENCE with orange berries. JUVENILE PLANTS differ in having internodes that are much longer than broad, leaf blades long-triangular, shallowly cordate at base, and lacking posterior rib.