Epipremnum Schott

HABIT : evergreen climbing herbs, producing flagellae. LEAVES : several to many, distichous. PETIOLE : geniculate apically, sheath long, marcescent to deciduous, often decomposing to conspicuous net-fibrous mass. BLADE : entire, often oblique, lanceolate, elliptic, elliptic- oblong, or pinnatipartite to pinnatisect, rarely minutely perforate (E. pinnatum); primary lateral veins pinnate, running into marginal vein, secondary and often tertiaries parallel-pinnate, tertiary and higher order venation often reticulate. INFLORESCENCE : 1(-2) in each floral sympodium. PEDUNCLE : relatively short. SPATHE : boat-shaped, withering after anthesis, usually deciduous. SPADIX : subcylindric, conic, often quite thick, sessile or stipitate, shorter than spathe. FLOWERS : bisexual, or lowermost ones female, perigone absent. STAMENS : 4, filaments linear, somewhat broad, anthers much shorter than filaments, connective slender, thecae oblong-ellipsoid, dehiscing by longitudinal slit. POLLEN : fully zonate, hamburger-shaped, medium-sized (mean 40 µm., range 36-44 µm.), exine foveolate-fossulate, psilate at periphery, apertural exine coarsely verrucate. GYNOECIUM : ovary subtetragonal-prismatic, truncate, 1-locular, ovules usually 2, more rarely 4 or 6-8 (E. amplissimum), anatropous, funicle short, placenta parietal or near base of parietal partial septa, stylar region prismatic, as broad or broader than ovary, stigma umbonate to oblong-linear in axial plane of spadix. BERRY : 1-8-seeded, throwing off apical tissue. SEED : reniform, testa thickish, brittle, smooth, embryo curved, endosperm copious.