PHILODENDRON BREVISPATHUM
PROTOLOGUE: Philodendron brevispathum , published in Bonplandia 7: 29 (1859). The protologue is reproduced below.
SYNONYMS:
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS: Philodendron arcuatum K.Krause; Philodendron brevispathum subsp. holmquistii (G.S.Bunting) G.S.Bunting; Philodendron brevispathum var. wurdackii Croat; Philodendron holmquistii G.S.Bunting
DISTRIBUTION: C. & S. Trop. America: Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil West-Central, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Venezuela.
DISTRIBUTION NOTE: iNaturalist: Heredia, Madre de Dios, Pará.
SPECIES DESCRIPTION:
Translated from protologue: Petiole shorter than the midrib. Leaf blade ovate-sagittate-cordate, deeply sinuate, with posterior lobes turned backward, close together, semi-ovate, rounded below and cuspidate at the apex.
INFLORESCENCE:
Translated from protologue: Inflorescences 1–2 from one axil. Spathe 2½–3 inches long, with a tube scarcely 1 inch long and an acute apex. Spadix conoid-cylindric, supported by a short stipe. Female spike half an inch long; neuter zone slightly or scarcely longer; male zone three times longer than the female. Ovaries about 6-locular, the locules multiovulate.
ETYMOLOGY:
Although the original description does not explicitly explain the name, it likely refers to the comparatively short spathe. From Latin brevis, “short,” and spatha, “a broad blade or spathe.”
NOTES:
1. Thomas B. Croat recorded Philodendron brevispathum among a few aroids occurring in small islands of vegetation scattered through the savannas of southern Beni Department, Bolivia, between Rurrenabaque and Riberalta, during a collecting trip in the summer of 2000 (June 14th to August 25th).⁴
2. Eduardo G. Gonçalves wrote in 2002 that Philodendron brevispathum is common in Mauritia palm swamps.⁵
REFERENCES:
1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Philodendron brevispathum
2. Bonplandia 7: 29 (1859) — protologue.
3. iNaturalist: Philodendron brevispathum
4. Aroid-L mailing list, Thomas B. Croat, November 5th, 2000
5. Aroid-L mailing list, Eduardo G. Gonçalves, May 23rd, 2002
Additional photos from iNaturalist by thegoodtwin, Alex Castelein, DBerard, Vincent A. Vos, Emily Christian, Wagner Nogueira and Igapo Institute