PHILODENDRON CLARKEI
PROTOLOGUE: Philodendron clarkei , published in Aroideana 27: 47 (2004).
Philodendron clarkei Croat, sp. nov. TYPE: Ecuador. Esmeraldas: Along road to Río Tululbí from main San Lorenzo-Lita Hwy, 33 km E of Gasolinera San Lorenzo at edge of San Lorenzo, along Río San José, 1.1 km N of main Hwy, 59 m, 1°04′44″N, 78°38′59″W, 12 July 2000, Croat et al. 83915 (holotype, MO-5150527; isotypes, AAU, B, CAS, COL, DUKE, F, GB, HUA, INB, K, MEXU, NY, PMA, QCA, RSA, S, SEL, TEX, UB, US, VEN). Figures 9–12.
Planta hemiepiphytica; internodia 4–12 cm longa, 1–2.7 cm diam.; cataphylla plerumque 2-costata; petiolus teres, 11–34 cm longus; lamina oblongo-lanceolata, 27–53 cm longa, 12–22 cm lata, plerumque obtusa vel rotundata ad basim; nervis primariis lateralibus (7)8–13 plerumque; inflorescentia 6–7 in quoque axila; pedunculus 3–4(7.5) cm longus; spatha albida, 7.5–11(13) cm longa; spadix 7.5–9.5 cm longus; parte pistillata, 1.8–4.5 cm longa.
DISTRIBUTION: Ecuador (Esmeraldas): Ecuador.
DISTRIBUTION NOTE: iNaturalist: Pichincha, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.
SPECIES DESCRIPTION:
Hemiepiphyte; internodes to 4–12 cm long, 1–2.7 cm diam., gray to brown, densely transversely fissured; cataphylls 15–19 cm long, medium green, sharply 2-ribbed (rarely 1-ribbed), pale green-red, deciduous; petioles terete, 11–34 cm long, 3–7 mm wide at point of attachment, 5–11 mm wide at base, slightly thicker than broad, D-shaped, obtusely sulcate medially, with one side obtuse, the other more or less acute, dark green, weakly glossy, obtusely flattened adaxially, short-lineate; blades oblong-oblanceolate, 27–53 cm long, 12–22 cm wide, widest at 2/5 to ⅔ of length, subcoriaceous, dark green and semi-glossy above, moderately paler and almost matte below, acuminate at apex, inequilateral and acute to obtuse or rounded at base, sometimes somewhat cordulate, rarely subcordate; midrib flat (broadly convex) and slightly paler above, narrowly rounded and darker below, sometimes purplish; primary lateral veins (7)8–13 pairs, departing the midrib at 50–60°, each vein 2.5–6 cm from the next, obtusely sunken, concolorous above, convex, slightly pleated and darker below; minor veins moderately obscure.
INFLORESCENCE:
INFLORESCENCES 6–7 per axil; peduncle 3–4(7.5) cm long, pale medium green, densely striate; spathe 7.5–11(13) cm long, greenish white to creamy white, red-tinged near base on outer surface, whitish throughout within; spadix 7.5–9.5 cm long; pistil pale green, 1.8–4.5 cm long.
ECOLOGY:
Found on the western slopes of the Andes in Premontane wet forest (P–wf), in Carchi, Esmeraldas and Pichincha Provinces, Ecuador.
ETYMOLOGY:
The protologue does not explain the epithet. It is presumably a patronym honoring someone surnamed Clarke, though the description names no dedicatee; the same paper's paratype list cites a collector named Clark repeatedly in these same Esmeraldas forests (e.g., Clark 2773, Clark 2149), a plausible but unconfirmed connection.
NOTES:
1. Philodendron clarkei is endemic to Ecuador and known only from the western slopes of the Andes in Carchi, Esmeraldas and Pichincha Provinces, in Premontane wet forest (P-wf). It is characterized by its deciduous, usually 2-ribbed cataphylls, D-shaped to V-shaped petioles, more or less oblong blackish-drying blades with widely spaced primary lateral veins and its clusters of whitish spathes.
REFERENCES:
1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Philodendron clarkei
2. Aroideana 27: 47 (2004) — protologue.
3. iNaturalist: Philodendron clarkei
Additional photos from iNaturalist by Rudy Gelis, Zarek, Zoltán Stekkelpak, Skjold Søndergaard, Bas Drost, davidenrique, Nataly and Rosario Douglas