PHILODENDRON BRANDTIANUM

PROTOLOGUE: Philodendron brandtianum , published in Das Pflanzenreich 4, Fam. 23 Db: 46 (1913). The protologue is reproduced below.

DISTRIBUTION: S. Colombia, N. Brazil, Bolivia: Bolivia, Brazil North, Colombia.

DISTRIBUTION NOTE: iNaturalist: Meta.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION:

Translated from protologue: Stem climbing, rather stout. Petiole slender, smooth, semiterete on the upper side, 5 dm long, nearly 1 cm thick below, slightly attenuate upward, narrowly sheathing at the very base; blade thinly leathery, ovate-oblong in outline, broadly sagittate at the base, the anterior lobe ovate, shortly acuminate at the apex, about 3 dm long and nearly as broad at the base, the posterior lobes subovate and rounded, 1 dm long, 1.2–1.5 dm wide, the posterior ribs naked in the sinus for nearly 3 cm; primary lateral nerves 2–3 on each side at the base, the costal ones 8–9, leaving the midrib at an angle of about 45° and slightly arcuate near the margin, the second- and third-order lateral nerves several, interposed among the primaries and more slender.

INFLORESCENCE:

Translated from protologue: Peduncle short, terete, stout, 2.5 cm long, 8 mm thick. Spathe green outside, white within or pale purplish toward the base, oblong-lanceolate, tipped with a slender, very sharp cusp-like point, slightly constricted at the middle, 1.2 dm long, convolute and about 2 cm in diameter. Spadix shortly stipitate, a little shorter than the spathe; the female inflorescence cylindric, 2.5 cm long, 1 cm thick; the male portion narrowly subclaviform, obtuse, 8 cm long, 1–1.2 cm thick at the middle, attenuate at both ends. Pistils subovoid, scarcely 2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, crowned by an orbicular stigma. Male flowers 3–4-androus.

ETYMOLOGY:

The epithet brandtianum is a Latinized personal eponym honoring Dr. M. Brandt, assistant at the Berlin botanical museum. A note closing the protologue states that its author, K. Krause, named the species for his colleague.² The Latinized ending-ianum means “of Brandt.”

NOTES:

1. Tom Croat wrote on March 19th, 2007 that Philodendron brandtianum never becomes three-lobed, and repeated the point on March 21st, 2007.⁴,⁵ A plant that had been shown under the name Philodendron variifolium was, in his identification, Philodendron brandtianum, and he said that Philodendron variifolium Schott is a different plant that people had mistakenly been calling Philodendron brandtianum for years.⁴

2. Plants sold as “Philodendron variifolium” are often Philodendron brandtianum.⁴,⁶ Steve Lucas, a grower, wrote on November 10th, 2009 that the real Philodendron variifolium looks nothing like the juvenile plant commonly sold under that name.⁶ Tom Croat replied on November 13th, 2009 that he did not know how the two had become confused and that his photograph of a drawing of a Poeppig collection was totally different.⁷

3. Type locality: Bolivia, along the Rio Madeira near Porvenir, in the Amazonian rainforest (the Hylaea). Krause based the species on a single Ule collection (Ule 9235, in flower February 1912; Berlin herbarium).²

REFERENCES:

1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Philodendron brandtianum

2. Das Pflanzenreich IV.23Db (Heft 60): 46 (1913) — protologue.

3. iNaturalist: Philodendron brandtianum

4. Aroid-L mailing list, Tom Croat, March 19th, 2007

5. Aroid-L mailing list, Tom Croat, March 21st, 2007

6. Aroid-L mailing list, Steve Lucas, November 10th, 2009

7. Aroid-L mailing list, Tom Croat, November 13th, 2009

Additional photos by David Scherberich

Additional photo by Patrick Blanc

Additional photos from iNaturalist by Martha Lucia Ortiz-Moreno, dscherberich, ebazile, avabelrose, Alex Castelein, eric_mejia, Manuel Ruedi, nates_ and Yuri Sofronov