Philodendron brenesii Standl.

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

General Description

Hemiepiphytic, sometimes terrestrial; stem gray-green, to 2 m long, glaucous; sap watery, spicy-scented; internodes weakly glossy, becoming matte, 2.5 cm long, 2.5--5 cm diam., about as long as broad, medium to dark green, weakly glossy to semiglossy, drying gray, epidermis brown, crisp; cataphylls to 24 cm long, sharply 1-ribbed to sharply 2-ribbed, sharply and broadly sulcate, pale green to greenish brown to reddish or weakly tinged red near base, densely short dark lineate, drying tannish brown, promptly deciduous, obtuse at apex, margins clear to pale; LEAVES: petioles 20--53 cm long, 0.6--1.7 cm diam., subterete, somewhat spongy, yellowish green, very broadly convex to weakly flattened to obtusely flattened with obtuse medial rib adaxially, rounded to convex abaxially, with adaxial margins rounded, surface sparsely short, dark green or reddish lineate, sometimes with green to reddish ring around apex; blades narrowly ovate, subcoriaceous, short- to long-acuminate at apex, more or less sagittate at base, 28--79 cm long, 8--38 cm wide, (1.6) 1.8--2(2.4) times longer than wide, 1.1--1.4 times longer than petioles, upper surface medium to dark green, semiglossy to glossy, lower surface pale green to bluish green, matte to glaucous; anterior lobe 30--52 cm long, 20--30 cm wide (4.3--5.5 times longer than posterior lobes); posterior lobes 5.5--12 cm long, 8.8--13 cm wide, rounded, directed toward base; sinus narrow V-shaped; midrib very broadly convex to flat, whitish to pale green to pale reddish green, sometimes sparsely short red-lineate, at least near base above, narrowly convex to convex, pale green to reddish, matte, sometimes dark red-lineate below; basal veins 5--6 per side, 2 free to base, the third and fourth sometimes coalesced to 3.5 cm; posterior rib not naked; primary lateral veins (5--6)8--12(18) per side, departing midrib at a 60--95º angle, sunken above, convex and paler than surface below; minor veins visible, etched-sunken and paler above, slightly raised and slightly darker than surface below, arising from both the midrib and primary lateral veins. INFLORESCENCES erect, 1--2 per axil; peduncle 4.5--10.5 cm long, 0.5--1 cm diam., convex adaxially, rounded to angular abaxially, medium green, semiglossy; spathe thin, 9.5--18 cm long, (1.7--2.1 times longer than peduncle), constricted more or less at the middle, pale yellowish green throughout, spathe blade cream inside; spathe tube 4--6 cm long, semiglossy outside, deep magenta with resin canals inside, spadix sessile, more or less tapered, 11.5--17.3 cm long, broadest at the base; pistillate portion pale yellow, cylindrical, 2.8--8 cm long, 0.8--1.4 cm diam., taper toward base; staminate portion 8.6--10.8 cm long, only slightly broader than pistillate portion; fertile staminate portion cream, generally tapered, 9--14 mm diam. at base, 1.1--1.2 cm diam. at middle, 4--6 mm diam. ca. 1 cm from apex, broadest at base, usually narrower than the pistillate portion; sterile staminate 1--1.5 cm diam.; pistils 3.1--4.7 mm long, 1.7--2.8 mm diam.; ovary 5--8-locular, 1.8 mm long, 1.7 mm diam., with sub-basal placentation; ovules 6--12 per locule, arranged in 2 series of 6 ovules, contained within gelatinous matrix (no true envelope), 0.4 mm long, more or less equal in length to funicle, style 1 mm diam., similar to style type B; style apex flat to weakly rounded; stigma subdiscoid, 1.5--2.1 mm diam., 0.3--1.7 mm high, inserted on center of style apex, shallowly depressed medially; the androecium truncate, 4-6 sided; thecae oblong to ovate, 1.3 mm wide, contiguous; pollen cream, elongate to subspheroidal, 0.1--0.2 mm long, to 0.1 mm diam. INFRUCTESCENCE with berries yellow maturing to orange; seeds 2 per locule, very pale yellow, 1.4--1.7 mm long, 0.7 mm diam. JUVENILE plants creeping, appressed-climbing; internodes 8--15 mm long, 2--2.5 cm wide; petioles 7--8 mm diam, D-shaped, flattened adaxially, weakly striate; blades narrowly ovate, 19--23.3 cm long, 9--12 mm wide; basal veins 1--2; posterior rib not naked; primary lateral veins 5--10 per side.

Phenology

Flowering in Philodendron brenesii may be aseasonal. Flowering collections have been made in July and August, and many post-anthesis collections have been made between March and November. Fruiting collections have been made mostly during what is the dry season and early wet season in Costa Rica, December through May. Mature fruiting collections have been made in December, January, February, and May.

Habitat

Premontane rain forest and Tropical Lower Montane rain forest life zones.

Distribution

Ranges from Costa Rica to central Panama.

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 1700–1700 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Nariño.

Habit

Herb, Epiphyte, Climbing.

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 1700 m.; Andes.

Morphology General Habit

Hierba, trepadora, epífita

Conservation

No Evaluada