PHILODENDRON ALATISULCATUM
PROTOLOGUE: Philodendron alatisulcatum , published in Aroideana 39: 47 (2016).
Philodendron alatisulcatum Croat, sp. nov. Type: ECUADOR. Esmeraldas: Lita-San Lorenzo, 14.2 km W of Río Lita (old bridge), 00°52'11"N, 78°27'16"W, 425 m, 4 July 1998, T. B. Croat, R. Mansell, L. P. Hannon & J. Whitehill 82307 (holotype, MO-5026677–79; isotypes, AAU, B, COL, F, K, NY, QCNE, S, SEL, US).
DISTRIBUTION: Ecuador: Ecuador.
SPECIES DESCRIPTION:
Epiphytic; internodes 1–10 cm long, 0.5–2.5 cm diam., gray and asperous, semiglossy; cataphylls green, unribbed, persisting as a reticulum of pale fibers; petioles broadly rounded abaxially, deeply and broadly sulcate with marginal wings which are spreading then reflexed, 20–48 cm long, 0.7–1.5 cm diam., semiglossy, medium green; blades thinly coriaceous, deeply ovate-cordate, widest at the base, 23–42 cm long, 20–32 cm wide, 1.1–1.6 times as long as wide, 0.8–1.2 times as long as petiole (juvenile blades 14–20 cm long, 6–13.5 cm wide), dark green and weakly glossy above, moderately paler and matte below, posterior lobes 5–15 cm long, 9–15 cm long, sinus 6–8 cm wide; midrib deeply sunken and concolorous or paler above, round-raised and darker matte below; primary lateral veins 15–20 pairs, quilted-sunken and concolorous above, narrowly raised and concolorous below, with wing-like domatia in the axils on the lower surface; basal veins 5–8 pairs, similar to primary lateral veins; minor veins moderately visible.
INFLORESCENCE:
Inflorescence lacking.
ECOLOGY:
Found as an epiphyte at 425–800 m elevation in a premontane wet forest life zone.
ETYMOLOGY:
From the Latin “alatus,” meaning winged, and “sulcatum,” meaning sulcate, in reference to the species’ distinctively winged and deeply sulcate petioles.
NOTES:
1. The species is a member of subgenus Philodendron characterized by its short internodes, persistent, fine pale fibrous cataphylls, deeply sulcate and broadly winged petioles and deeply ovate-cordate blades with wing-like domatia in the axils of the primary lateral veins on the lower surface.
2. This species is most similar to Philodendron alatiundulatum Croat but that species differs in having the petiole wing prominently undulate and not at all deeply sulcate.
3. Because the species is such a distinctive one and because it is an element in what the authors consider a complete flora, this species will be described in its sterile condition. It is hoped that this will induce someone to search for it and collect it in flower.
STORY:
STORY TITLE: Named for its winged, furrowed petioles — and never yet seen in flower
When Thomas Croat and colleagues revised the philodendrons of the Lita-San Lorenzo region of western Ecuador, one plant stood out so sharply that they named it even though no one had ever collected it in flower. Philodendron alatisulcatum takes its name from the Latin words for “winged” and “sulcate,” a nod to the deeply grooved, broadly winged petioles that mark it out at a glance.²
An epiphyte of premontane wet forest, it is endemic to a narrow band of western Ecuador in Carchi and Esmeraldas provinces, between about 425 and 800 m. Its blades carry a curious detail: small wing-like domatia tucked into the vein axils on the underside. Considering it a distinctive and essential element of the region’s flora, they described it from sterile material alone, hoping the account would prompt someone to seek it out and finally record its bloom.²
REFERENCES:
1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Philodendron alatisulcatum
2. Aroideana 39: 47 (2016) — protologue.
Additional photos by David Scherberich