PHILODENDRON ALTICOLA
PROTOLOGUE: Philodendron alticola , published in Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 84: 394 (1997).
Philodendron alticola Croat & Grayum, sp. nov. TYPE: Panama. Chiriquí: Parque La Amistad, 3.5 mi. W of Cerro Punta, 2 km inside park along old abandoned roads and trails, 800 m, 8°53′N, 82°35′W, 28 Mar. 1993, Croat 74906 (holotype, MO–4343624–5; isotypes, B, CR, F, K, PMA, US). Figures 45–48.
DISTRIBUTION: E. Costa Rica to W. Panama: Costa Rica, Panama.
SPECIES DESCRIPTION:
Epiphytic or hemiepiphytic; stem appressed-climbing; internodes dark green, promptly gray-green, finally light brown, semiglossy, finely ribbed, (1.5–2)4–10 cm long, 2–4 cm diam., drying pale yellow-brown, epidermis sometimes loosening and flaking free in small patches; cataphylls sharply D-shaped with weakly raised margins, pale green, weakly glossy, drying thin, to 28 cm long, unribbed, drying pale brown, deciduous at lower nodes, persisting semi-intact at upper nodes with a few exposed pale fibers, in part persisting as pale fibers at lower nodes with a few pale fibers and small, thin fragments of pale brown epidermis. LEAVES erect-spreading to spreading; petioles 42–70 cm long, 7–10 mm diam., subterete, medium green, weakly glossy, faintly lineate, obtusely flattened adaxially, weakly spongy, drying greenish to blackened, slightly flattened toward the apex adaxially, surface drying ± matte, sometimes with portions of epidermis loose and bubbled, tan and translucent; sheathing subtending an inflorescence, to 6 cm long; blades narrowly ovate-sagittate, subcoriaceous to moderately coriaceous, semiglossy, somewhat bicolorous, weakly and shortly acuminate at apex, sagittate at base, 44–72 cm long, 21–44 cm wide (1.6–2 times longer than wide), (about as long as petioles), broadest somewhat above point of petiole attachment, upper surface dark green, matte, drying brown to greenish brown and almost matte, lower surface moderately paler and weakly glossy, drying yellow-brown; anterior lobe 34–35.5 cm long, margins convex; posterior lobes 13–26 cm long, 11–17 cm wide, directed downward; sinus obovate, 10–19 cm deep; midrib speckled, slightly paler, drying broadly convex, concolorous above, narrowly rounded, slightly paler, drying prominently convex, often flat and irregularly ridged, yellowish brown below; basal veins 5–6 per side, with the first free to base, the second coalesced 1–5 cm, third and higher order veins coalesced 4–7.5 cm long; posterior rib naked for 1–3 cm; primary lateral veins 5–8 per side, those near end of blade departing midrib at a 50–65° angle, those in the lower one-half of blade departing at 80–95° angle, broadly curved to the margins, obtusely sunken and slightly paler, drying weakly raised above, convex and paler than surface, splayed out and downturned at the midrib, drying weakly raised below; interprimary veins inconspicuous; minor veins moderately distinct, fine, arising from both the midrib and primary lateral veins, drying prominulous, alternating with secretory canals appearing as intermittent lines, sometimes branched, blackened and minutely sunken.
INFLORESCENCE:
INFLORESCENCES erect, 1–2 per axil; peduncle ± terete, coarsely striate (coarser on spathe and base of tube, pale short-lineate otherwise), weaker toward apex, 5–12 cm long, drying 7–10 mm diam., pale green, drying dark brown; spathe coriaceous, 11.5–14(18) cm long, scarcely or not at all constricted midway, green to yellowish green throughout, acuminate; spathe blade dark green throughout, drying dark brown and unmarked, smooth outside, pale greenish white to white on upper two-thirds of blade inside; spathe tube 2.8–4 cm long, 2–3 cm diam., red to red-violet to purplish on lower one-third of tube inside; spadix 9–14 cm long; pistillate portion pale green, 0.8–1.2 cm long, 1–1.5 cm diam. throughout; staminate portion 8–12.5 cm long; fertile staminate portion creamy white, stubby, evenly and bluntly tapered to apex, 1.5–2 cm diam. throughout, broadest at the base, much broader than the pistillate portion; sterile staminate portion 1.5 cm diam.; pistils 3–4 mm long, 1.7–1.8 mm diam., ovary (4)5–6(7)-locular, with axile placentation; ovules 12–18 per locule, 2-seriate, weakly translucent, 0.4–0.5 mm long, longer than funicle; funicle 0.1–0.2 mm long, adnate to lower part of partition, style similar to style type B; central style dome sometimes weakly developed; dried style base raised but flattened apically with a narrow, pale ring around its outer margin; stylar canals emerging as tiny funnels at base of small apical depressions and arranged separately in a ring, drying as minute funnels extending above the surface of the style boss; style apex weakly concave; central domes and small depressions surrounding stylar canal exits; stigma covering entire style apex; androecium truncate, oblong prismatic, margins irregularly 4–5-sided or 4–6-sided, 0.9–1 mm long; thecae ± oblong, ca. 0.3 mm wide; sterile staminate flowers in part prismatic, in part weakly clavate or irregularly 4–6-sided, 1.2–1.8 mm wide. INFRUCTESCENCE in early fruit to 14 cm long; spathe becoming dark brown with paler lines in tube; berries white with dried style bases ca. 2 mm long, brown, with a narrow smooth ring around its margin; seeds tan, ovoid, weakly mammiliform, 1.4–1.8 mm long, 1–1.2 mm diam.
ECOLOGY:
Found at 800–2500 m elevation in Tropical Lower Montane wet forest or possibly Tropical Lower Montane rain forest.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin altus, “high,” and the suffix-cola, “dweller,” the epithet “alticola” means “high-dweller.” The name refers to the high elevations at which the species grows; it is one of the most high-ranging members of Philodendron subgenus Philodendron in Central America, occurring up to 2500 m.
NOTES:
1. Philodendron alticola is a member of Philodendron sect. Philodendron subsect. Philodendron ser. Fibrosa. In addition to the high elevations at which it occurs, the species is characterized by having the internodes longer than broad and drying yellowish brown and finely ribbed; by its subterete petioles about twice as long as the blades, drying darkened and sometimes with bubbly epidermis; the ovate-sagittate blades, which dry mostly dark brown above and yellowish green below with conspicuous blackened, interrupted and sometimes branched secretory ducts; and by the usually paired, short-pedunculate inflorescences with the spathe scarcely constricted above the tube, green outside, white inside on the blade and red to purple on the tube within.
2. The species is most similar to Philodendron straminicaule, which is also subscandent and has similarly colored blades. That species differs in lacking prominent intermittent laticifers and the fertile staminate portion of the spadix constricted above the sterile portion; the sterile staminate portion of the spadix only slightly thicker than the pistillate portion; and a doughnut-shaped style with the style tubes in the bottom of a concavity upon drying. In addition, it has only 1 ovule per locule (vs. 12–18 per locule for Philodendron alticola).
3. Flowering in Philodendron alticola is documented by just a few collections and might be bimodal. Specimens in Panama were collected both in bud and immature fruit in February (nearly mid-dry season in Panama), but post-anthesis collections were also made in August and September. No mature fruits were seen. The region where Philodendron alticola occurs is decidedly less seasonal (at least in terms of totally rainless days) than is much of the rest of Panama. This might induce a less seasonal flowering in Philodendron.
REFERENCES:
1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Philodendron alticola
2. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 84: 394 (1997) — protologue.