Philodendron dodsonii Image File

Hemiepiphytic. Stem appressed-climbing, leaf scars conspicuous, 1–2.7 cm long, 1.5–3.5 cm wide; internodes short on adults, stout, matte to glaucous, 2.5–3 cm diam., frequently longer than broad on nonflowering plants, gray-green, becoming whitish to grayish with age, epidermis flaking. Cataphylls thin, spongy, to 20–33 cm long, weakly to sharply 2-ribbed, sometimes unribbed, light green, dark green-striate, persisting in parchment-like mats, eventually fibrous, rarely deciduous intact, margins clear; petioles 52–93 cm long, 9–25 mm diam., subterete to obtusely flattened abaxially, soft, drying black, surface pale, dull whitish-streaked, thinly dark green-striate, drying black. Blades ovate, subcoriaceous, semiglossy, slightly bicolorous, very short acuminate to more or less acute at apex, weakly cordate to sagittate at base, 36–87 cm long, 28–66 cm wide (1.3–1.6 times longer than wide), (0.7–1.2 times longer than petiole), about equal in length to petiole, upper surface dark green, drying dark brown to dark yellow-brown, lower surface moderately paler and glossy, drying yellow-brown and matte to weakly glossy, margins weakly undulate and upturned, hyaline; anterior lobe 31–76 cm long, 39–70 cm wide, (1.65–2.9(4) times longer than posterior lobes); posterior lobes 11–29 cm long, (1.2, 16.6)22–30.8 cm wide, broadly rounded to broadly obtuse; midrib flat to sunken, slightly paler than surface above, convex, concolorous below; basal veins 7–8 per side, and with the first free to base, numbers 3–7 coalesced 4--12 cm; posterior rib prominently naked to 6 cm along the sinus; primary lateral veins (4)7–8 per side, departing midrib at a 50–60 degree angle, to the margins, sunken and paler than surface above, convex to round-raised, usually darker than surface, sometimes paler than surface near base below; interprimary veins sunken and concolorous above, raised and concolorous below; tertiary veins visible, slightly darker than surface below; minor veins darker than surface, drying smooth below, arising from both the midrib and primary lateral veins. Inflorescences 2–5 per axil; peduncles 5–9.5(14) cm long, 6–10 mm diam., subterete, pale green, white-streaked. Spathe 16–18 cm long ((1)1.8–3.5 times longer than peduncle), moderately constricted above the tube; spathe blade white outside, reddish inside; spathe tube red-purple to dark reddish (B & K red-purple 3/7.5) outside, red-purple to dark reddish inside, sap Mango-scented. Spadix 13–15(18) cm long; pistillate portion 6 cm long in front, 5 cm long in back, 2.5 cm diam. at middle, 2.2 cm wide at base; staminate portion 11 cm long; fertile staminate portion ca. 1 cm diam.; sterile staminate portion 2.5–3 cm diam.; pistils 4 mm long,1.7–2.3 mm diam.; ovary (4)5-locular, with axile placentation; ovules ca. 20 per locule, arranged in series of 2, 0.3–0.4 mm long, slightly longer than funicle; funicle 0.2–0.4 mm long, adnate to lower part of partition, style similar to style type B; central style dome fairly well developed; style apex broadly domed; stigma inserted on entire style apex; the androeceium truncate, more or less prismatic, oblong, margins irregularly 4–5-sided, 1–2.5 mm long; thecae oblong, 0.3 mm wide, contiguous, more or less parallel to one another; sterile staminate flowers clavate, irregularly 3–5-sided, 2.3–3.7 mm wide.

Type: Ecuador. Pichincha: along Río Blanco across from Villa Hermosa on road 1.9 km N of main Sto. Domingo de Los Colorados-Esmeraldas Highway, departing main highway 25 km NW of Santo Domingo, 410 m, 0°5'S, 79°15'W, 13 Mar. 1992, Croat 72982 (holotype, MO-04658574-﷓5; isotypes, AAU, B, COL, CR, K, M, MEXU, NY, PMA, QCA, QCNE, US.

Esmeraldas: Quinindé, Bilsa Biological Station, Montañas de Mache, 35 km W of Quinindé, 5 km W of Sta. Isabela, 400-﷓600 m, 0°21'N, 79°44'W, Pitman & Marsh 1146 (MO, QCA); Viche, Asplund 16514 (S); Fila de Bilsa, 7 km E of San José de Bilsa, ca. 80 km SW of Esmeraldas, 12 km SE of El Salto on Atacames﷓Muisne Road, 280 m, 0°37'N, 79°51'W, Gentry et al. 72977 (MO); Río Esmeraldas, opposite Quinindé (Rosa Zárate), Asplund 16361 (S); near San Mateo, 80 m, 0°52'N, 79°33'W, Croat 55632 (CAS, GH, MO, QCA); Río Lita, near Lita, 600-﷓650 m, Croat 38944 (MO). Guayas: Teresita, 2 km W of Bucay, 270 m, Hitchcock 20537 (NY, US); 3 km W of Bucay, 270 m, Hitchcock 20489 (NY, US), 20440 (US); Cordillera Chongon-Colonche, 600 m, 1°48'S, 80°47'N, Cornejo & Bonifaz 5237 (GUAY, MO); Huigra-El Triumfo, 160 m, 2°19'S, 79°12'W, Croat 61593 (F, MO, QCA). Los Ríos: Babahoyo-Montalve, Hacienda Clementina, 20 m, Sparre 17966 (S); Centro Científico Río Palenque, 230 m, Croat 38651 (MO); 250 m, 50658 (MO, QCA); 220 m, 0°35'S, 79°21'W, 73803 (MO, QCA, US); 550-575 m, 0°35'S, 79°12.3'W, 9 Oct 1983, Croat 57015 (MO).. El Oro: Piñas﷓Santa Rosa, above El Placer, 400-﷓700 m, Harling et al. 15524 (GB); Machala-Loja Road, 890 m, 4°15'S, 79°45'W, Croat 50718 (MO, QCA). Carchi: Río San Juan, vic. Chico, 12 km below Maldonado, 1200 m, Plowman et al. 4740 (SEL); El Pailon, ca. 45 km below Maldonado along a foot path to Tobar Donoso, 800 m, Madison & L. Bease 7176 (SEL). Imbabura: 13-﷓15 km E of Lita, 800 m, Croat 38918 (MO); Cachaco, 9 km E of Lita, 630 m, Croat 39000 (MO). Pichincha: Reserva ENDESA, Río Cabayales, ca. 700 m, 0°05'N, 79°02'W, Croat & Rodríguez 61503 (CAS, CR, MO, NY, QCA); 61516 (CM, MO, PMA, QCA, US); 710 m, 0°03'N, 79°07'W, Croat 73185 (CM, MO, QCA); Alóag﷓Santo Domingo, Río Toáchi, 850 m, Sparre 17816 (S); Tinalandia, above Río Toachi, 700 m, 0°16'N, 79°07'W, Croat 55745 (MO), 55738 (MO, QCA, SEL); Nono﷓Nanegal, 13 km SE of Nanegal, 1440 m, Croat 38895 (MO); Nanegal, Sodiro 13 (G); 35 km NW of Santa Domingo, Río Blanco, ca. 250 m, Gentry 9619 (MO); Quito, Parroquia Nanegal, along Río Umachaca near Hacienda El Carmen, 1250 m, 0°07﷓-7.5'N, 78°38'W, Webster et al. 28781 (DAV, MO); along Río Blanco across from Villa Hermosa on road 1.9 km N of main Sto. Domingo de Los Colorados-﷓Esmeraldas Highway, departing main highway 25 km NW of Santo Domingo, 410 m, 0°5'S, 79°15'W, 13 Mar. 1992, Croat 72982;Reserva Maquipucuna, Hacienda Esparragos﷓Cerro de Sosa, ca. 6 km airline SE of Nanegal, 1500-﷓1600 m, 0°7'N, 78°38'W, Webster & Bainard 27500 (DAV, MO); Cerro Campana, 5﷓-6 km (airline) E of Nanegal, 1750 m, 0°09'N, 78°37'W, Webster et al. 30069 (DAV); La Independencia-Río Caoni, 210 m, 0°9'N, 79°21W, Croat 55650 (MEXU, MO, QCA, WIS); Santo Domingo de Los Colorados, Hacienda Zaracay, 500 m, Sparre 15190 (S); 15191 (S); 15192 (S); Rancho Brahman, ca. 10 km NW of Santo Domingo de los Colorados on road to Esmeraldas, 400 m, Sparre 14090 (S); El Paraiso﷓Saguangal Road, 3 km from El Paraíso, 1500 m, 0°10'N, 78°46'W, Øllgaard et al. 37799 (QCA). Cotopaxi: Quevedo﷓Latacunga, 3 km E of El Palmar, 800 m, Dodson & Gentry 10253 (MO); La Mana, 1 km N of Pucayacu, 750 m, 0°42'S, 79°06'W, Croat 73276 (MO); 2 km N of Pucayacu near Río San Francisco, 690 m, 0°41'S, 79°6.3'W Croat 57080 (MO, QCA); Río Guapara, ca. 20 km NW El Corazón, 250 m, Sparre 17106 (S); 17164 (S); 17150 (S); 17108 (S); 17145 (S); Río Pilaló, Tenefuerste, Km 52-﷓53, 750-﷓900 m, Dodson & Dodson 12914 (MO). Cotopaxi﷓Cañar﷓Chimborazo﷓Bolívar: Bucay, 1000-﷓1250 ft., Camp E﷓3714 (MO, NY, S), E﷓3656 (MO, NY, S). Cañar: Azoques--El Triumfo Road, 1 km S of La Delicia, 2°27'S, 79°10'W, Croat 50867 (MO, QCA).