PHILODENDRON COTOBRUSENSE

PROTOLOGUE: Philodendron cotobrusense , published in Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 84: 422 (1997).

Philodendron cotobrusense Croat & Grayum, sp. nov.

Planta hemiepiphytica; internodia 1–3 cm longa, 1.5–2 cm diam., cum epidermide argenteocana; cataphylla usque 14 cm longa, acute 2-costata, decidua; petiolus 32.5–35 cm longus; lamina profunde 3-lobata, 37–38 cm longa, 46–52 cm lata, venis confertis; nervis lateralibus I 18–19 utroque; inflorescentia usque 5; pedunculus 6–9 cm longus; spatha 6–14 cm longa, lamina spathae extus cremeoflava, intus eburnea; tubo spathae extus viridi, intus rubro-violacio; pistilla 6–7-locularia; loculi 3-ovulati.

TYPE: Costa Rica. Puntarenas: along road about halfway between Flor del Roble and Las Alturas de Coto Brus, 1250 m, 8°54′N, 82°51′W, 13 July 1985, Grayum & Hammel 5689 (holotype, MO-3446320; isotypes, CR, K, US).

DISTRIBUTION: E. Costa Rica: Costa Rica.

DISTRIBUTION NOTE: iNaturalist: Puntarenas.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION:

Hemiepiphyte; stem appressed-climbing; internodes short, thick, 1–3 cm long, 1.5–2 cm diam., mostly longer than broad, epidermis silvery gray; cataphylls to 14 cm long, sharply 2-ribbed, yellow-green, tinged pinkish, deciduous; petioles 32.5–35 cm long, 4–9 mm diam., subterete, firm, obtusely flattened adaxially, surface matte; blades deeply 3-lobed, margins incised to within 1.5–2 cm of base, subcoriaceous, weakly bicolorous, long-acuminate at apex (the acumen probably downturned), ± cordate at base, 37–39 cm long, 46–52 cm wide (0.7–0.8 times longer than wide), (1–1.2 times longer than petiole), usually about equal to petiole, upper surface dark green, semiglossy, lower surface weakly glossy, somewhat paler; median lobes 30.5–32 cm long, 13–17 cm wide; lateral lobes 24–27 cm long, 9–12.6 cm wide (2.14–2.88 times longer than wide), directed ± upward, broadly confluent to 2.5 cm with medial lobes; midrib broadly convex, closely veined above, convex below; basal veins lacking; primary lateral veins 18–19 per side, departing midrib at a 50–65° angle, broadly curved to the margins, sunken above, convex below; interprimary veins almost as conspicuous as primary lateral veins; tertiary veins visible, slightly darker than surface; minor veins arising from both the midrib and primary lateral veins but mostly from midrib in upper half of blade.

INFLORESCENCE:

INFLORESCENCES to 5 per axil; peduncle 6–9 cm long, 3–4 mm diam., terete; spathe 6–14 cm long (1.8–3.5 times longer than peduncle); spathe blade creamy yellow outside, creamy white inside; spathe tube green outside, red-violet to purplish inside; spadix 9.5–12 cm long; pistillate portion yellow-green, 7–10 mm diam.; staminate portion 5–8 cm long; fertile staminate portion white, 8–12 mm diam.; ovary 6–7-locular, with sub-basal placentation; ovule sac 1 mm long; ovules 3 per locule, digitately arranged in series of 2–3, contained within transparent ovule sac, 0.2–0.3 mm long, slightly shorter than funicle; funicle ca. 0.3 mm long (can be pulled free to base), style similar to style type B; style apex flat; stigma subdiscoid, 1 mm diam., 0.2–0.3 mm high, covering entire style apex; the androecium truncate, ± oblong, prismatic, irregularly 4–6-sided, 0.7–1.1 mm long; thecae oblong, 0.3 mm wide, ± parallel to one another.

ECOLOGY:

Found in the Cordillera de Talamanca of eastern Costa Rica, at 1000–1250 m elevation, in Premontane wet forest transitional to rain forest.

ETYMOLOGY:

Although the protologue does not explicitly explain the name, the epithet cotobrusense clearly derives from Coto Brus, the district in Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica, where the type was collected along the road toward Las Alturas de Coto Brus; the Latin suffix-ense means “of” or “belonging to” that place.

NOTES:

1. Philodendron cotobrusense is a member of Philodendron sect. Tritomophyllum. This species is characterized by its appressed-climbing habit; sharply two-ribbed, deciduous cataphylls; short, thick internodes with a silvery-gray epidermis; petioles about equaling the deeply three-lobed, closely veined blades (with more than 16 pairs of primary lateral veins); and especially by the inflorescences in clusters of up to five per leaf axil, with the spathe tube green outside, red-violet within, and the blade creamy yellow on the outside and creamy white within.

2. Philodendron cotobrusense is most similar to Philodendron madronense Croat. That species differs in having the medial segment even more closely veined (to 18 or more) and not at all confluent with the lateral lobes. In addition, it has solitary inflorescences.

3. Philodendron cotobrusense is also similar to Philodendron tripartitum, but that species differs in usually having narrower, oblanceolate to oblanceolate-elliptic blades with more widely spaced primary lateral veins (usually 4–10, rarely to 12), and fewer inflorescences per axil (up to three) with longer peduncles. In addition, Philodendron cotobrusense has 3 ovules per locule whereas Philodendron tripartitum has 1. Davidse 24202, tentatively placed in Philodendron tripartitum, seems to be somewhat intermediate with Philodendron cotobrusense.

4. Flowering in Philodendron cotobrusense has been recorded only during the early rainy season, in July.

REFERENCES:

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

2. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 84: 422 (1997) — protologue.

3. iNaturalist: Philodendron cotobrusense

Additional photos from iNaturalist by nickrope, Marcel Esquivel and Lena Struwe