Philodendron auriculatum Standl. & L.O.Williams

CATE Araceae, 17 Dec 2011. araceae.e-monocot.org

Distribution

Occurs only in southwestern Costa Rica on the Pacific slope from San José and Puntarenas Provinces (as far west as Carara).

Phenology

Flowering phenology in Philodendron auriculatum is unclear but possibly flowering is initiated in the late rainy season. Only a single flowering collection exists (October) but there are a modest number of collections collected post-anthesis during the dry season and early rainy season (January through June). A single mature fruiting collection was made in January.

Habitat

Tropical wet forest life zones.

General Description

Usually epiphytic, sometimes epilithic, rarely terrestrial; stem appressed-climbing, creeping, leaf scars conspicuous, 2.5--3 cm long, 2.5--3.5 cm wide; internodes short, scurfy, 1--4 cm long, 1.5--5.5 cm diam., usually broader than long, dark green, drying becoming light tan with age; roots purplish maroon at base, brownish green or yellow at apex, pubescent, tapered, slender, to 27 cm long, 3--4 mm diam., few per node, sometimes emerging through the cataphylls at the nodes; cataphylls subcoriaceous, sometimes moderately spongy, 13--50 cm long, sharply 2-ribbed, pale green, drying brown, several persisting intact, eventually deciduous, emarginate with subapical apiculum at apex. LEAVES mostly erect or erect-spreading; petioles 24--53 cm long, 7--23 mm diam., erect to spreading, subterete, more or less spongy, green, somewhat flattened at base adaxially, rounded abaxially, surface short, dark, green-lineate and with dark green ring at apex; blades usually oblong-oblanceolate, rarely oblong-elliptic, broadest from middle to above middle, with narrow auriculate lobes, subcoriaceous, bicolorous, acuminate at apex (the acumen inrolled), usually narrowly cordulate or auriculate at base, 37.5--75 cm long, 9--23 cm wide (3.3--4.2 times longer than wide), (1.4--1.6 times longer than petiole), broadest at the middle, upper surface dark green, drying pale yellow-green, semiglossy, lower surface slightly paler green, semiglossy; sinus 7--14 mm deep; midrib broadly convex at base becoming flattened toward the middle, eventually weakly sunken at apex above, green, with dark green lineations, midrib convex at base, eventually narrowly convex at apex below, green-striate, paler than surface; primary lateral veins 7--10(11) per side, departing midrib at a 80--85º angle, more or less straight to the margins, sunken, concolorous above, raised to round-raised, paler than surface below; interprimary veins numerous, usually as conspicuous as primary lateral veins; minor veins arising mostly from the midrib, fewer from the primary lateral veins; lesser veins obscure above, fine, moderately conspicuous and darker than surface below. INFLORESCENCES more or less erect, 1--2 per axil; peduncle 7--11.3 cm long, 9--11 mm diam., medium to pale green, unmarked, semiglossy; spathe erect-spreading, subcoriaceous, 13--14.5 cm long, (1.2--1.8 times longer than peduncle), weakly constricted midway (6 cm above base); spathe blade broadly flattened, curved weakly forward, pale greenish outside, to 9 cm long, (opening elliptic in face view, 5.5 cm wide), pale green, heavily suffused with red (B & K Red-Purple 3/10) throughout inside; spathe tube oblong-ellipsoid, medium to dark green outside, densely short lineate throughout outside, 6 cm long, 3.5 cm diam., red to maroon (B & K Red-Purple 3/10) at base, weakly so toward apex inside, spadix oblong (weakly tapered or weakly clavate), 11--24 cm long, broadest usually at the middle; pistillate portion medium to dark green, tapered toward the apex, 2.3--4.2 cm long, 2.7--4.3 cm long in front, 2.4--2.7 cm long in back, 8-12 mm diam. at apex, 9--15 mm diam. at middle, 5--7 mm wide at base; staminate portion 9.5--12 cm long; fertile staminate portion weakly tapered or weakly ellipsoid, 8--16 mm diam. at base, 10--16 mm diam. at middle, 6--10 mm diam. ca. 1 cm from apex, broadest at the middle or more or less uniform, broader than or as broad as the pistillate portion, as broad as the sterile portion; sterile staminate portion broader than or as broad as the pistillate portion; sterile staminate portion 0.7--1.5 cm diam.; pistils to 2.6 mm long, to 1.6 mm diam.; ovary 5--7(8--9)-locular, 0.7--1.2(2.1) mm long, (0.7)1.1--1.3 mm diam., with sub-basal placentation; ovules (3)4 per locule, 1-seriate (or in 2 series of 2), contained within translucent ovule sac, if present, 0.2--0.4 mm long, usually longer than funicle, style similar to style type B; style crown usually as broad as ovary; stigma discoid, 0.7--1 mm diam., 0.1--0.3 mm high, covering entire style apex; the androecium margins 4--6-sided and scalloped, 1--2.3 mm diam. at apex; thecae oblong (ellipical, slightly obovate); sterile staminate flowers irregularily rounded to bluntly 5-sided, 2.3--3 mm long, 1--1.5 mm wide, white. INFRUCTESCENCE with berries orange.