Philodendron grandipes K. Krause

Terrestrial; stem creeping over soil, 20–100 cm long, leaf scars obscured by cataphylls; internodes short, 1–4 cm long, 2.8 cm diam., usually broader than long, medium green, semiglossy, coarsely white-streaked at apex; roots more or less smooth, slender, elongate, 2–4 mm diam., few per node, descending; cataphylls moderately coriaceous, 16–22 cm long, sharply 2-ribbed, green to pale green or reddish or pinkish, drying brown to tan, persisting semi-intact or as fibers at lower nodes, acuminate at apex. Leaves arching to pendent; petioles 25.5–73 cm long, 10–12 mm diam., D-shaped, spreading, pale to medium green to reddish at base, with a medial rib adaxially, rounded abaxially, with adaxial margins erect, surface finely and weakly striate; sheathing 3.5–5.5 cm long; geniculum slightly thicker than petiole when apparent, 1.4–1.7 cm long, paler than petiole; blades broadly ovate-cordate, subcoriaceous, moderately bicolorous, acute to abruptly acuminate at apex (the acumen apiculate and downturned), cordate at base, 20–50 cm long, 15.5–36 cm wide (0.9–1.7 times longer than wide), (0.5–0.9 times the petiole length), broadest at or near the middle, margins broadly undulate, upper surface dark green, semiglossy to glossy, sometimes matte or subvelvety, drying brown to greenish brown, lower surface semiglossy, moderately paler, drying brown to greenish brown; anterior lobe 16–37 cm long, 15–38 cm wide (1.8–3.7 times longer than posterior lobes), broadest slightly above or at point of petiole attachment; posterior lobes 5.5–15.5 cm long, 7.4–18.6 cm wide, directed downward, usually held up somewhat at an angle from the midrib, rounded to obtuse; sinus parabolic to hippocrepiform, sometimes closed with lobes overlapping before being pressed; midrib concolorous, flat at base, becoming weakly sunken toward apex above, thicker than broad at base, becoming convexly raised, concolorous below; basal veins 8–10 per side, 1(2) free to base, several remaining coalesced 0.5–2(4) cm, prominently sunken above, convexly raised below; posterior rib usually not naked, sometimes briefly so at base; primary lateral veins (8-10)11–17 per side, departing midrib at a 20–30 degree angle, spreading to 50–70 degree angle, more or less straight to the margins, quilted-sunken and concolorous above, prominently convex, matte, and darker than surface below; interprimary veins about as conspicuous as primary lateral veins above, flat and darker than surface below; minor veins arising from both the midrib and primary lateral veins; tertiary veins distinct, weakly raised above, darker than surface below. Inflorescences erect, 2–4 per axil; peduncle 2.5–14 cm long, 5–8 mm diam., terete, green to reddish, white-lineate; spathe 6.6–11.8 cm long (0.6–2.5 times longer than peduncle), constricted more or less midway; spathe blade lanceolate, pinkish red, tinged green, pale green to white or green, short white lineate outside, 4–6 cm long, (opening broadly elliptic in face view, pinkish red to white, pale greenish white or pale green inside; spathe tube oblong-ellipsoid, dark reddish maroon to reddish purple to green, weakly short dark lineate outside, 2.5–4 cm long, 1.4–3.8 cm diam., pale green to greenish white to pinkish red inside; spadix sessile or very short stipitate; tapered, 6.6–11.8 cm long, broadest near the base; pistillate portion white, yellowish white (post-anthesis), slightly tapered toward the apex and base, (1.6)2–2.7 mm long, 9–11 mm diam. at apex, 1–1.5 cm diam. at middle, (6)10–11 mm wide at base, with 17–19; staminate portion 3.5–7.1 cm long; fertile staminate portion white, cylindrical to tapered, 7–10 mm diam. throughout, 1–1.5 cm diam. at base, 7–10 mm diam. at middle, 4–6 mm diam. ca. 1 cm from apex, narrower than the pistillate portion, as broad as the sterile portion; sterile staminate portion about as the pistillate portion, white, 1–1.5 cm diam.; pistils 1.8–2.3 mm long, 1.1–1.5 mm diam.; ovary (4)5–6-locular, 1.3–1.5 mm diam., locules 1–1.5 mm long, 0.4–0.6 mm diam., with axile placentation; ovules (7-10)16–22 per locule, arranged in series of 2, 0.2–0.4 mm long, longer than funicle, style similar to style type B; style apex more or less concave, sometimes weakly lobed; stigma subdiscoid, brushlike, lobed or unlobed, 0.9–1.4 mm diam., 0.2–0.5 mm high, covering center of style apex, depressed medially; the androecium truncate, margins irregularly 3–6-sided; thecae oblong, 0.2–0.3 mm wide; sterile staminate flowers blunt, margins irregularly elongate, 13–18 mm long, 9–13 mm wide. Berries creamy white, obovoid, apex truncate; seeds 20 per locule, 1.9 mm long, 0.2 mm diam., with prominent striations running from funicle to apex and slightly spiraling, perpendicular to larger veins. Juvenile blades narrowly elliptic to ovate, acute to weakly cordate at base.

Flowering in Philodendron grandipes probably occurs throughout most of the year (February through November, except October) but primarily in July and August. Post﷓anthesis collections have also been made from throughout the year, and immature fruiting collections are known from throughout the year (except February, March, and June). Philodendron grandipes ranges from Nicaragua (Zelaya) to Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador (Pacific slope) from near sea level to mostly less than 750 m (sometimes to 1200 m) elevation in tropical moist, premontane wet forest, and tropical wet forest life zones. Philodendron grandipes is a member of P. sect. Philodendron subsect. Philodendron ser. Fibrosa. This species is characterized by its terrestrial habit, short internodes, persistent cataphyll fibers, broadly ovate﷓cordate blades, usually green spathes and especially, by its D﷓shaped petioles with erect margins and a medial adaxial rib. Philodendron grandipes is closest to P. jodavisianum G.S. Bunting which has a similarly shaped petiole and other general features in common. The latter species differs in being an appressed-climbing hemiepiphyte with ovate﷓triangular (rather than broadly ovate) blades. This species frequents stream banks in Central Panama and is one of the few consistently terrestrial Philodendron species in Central America. Habitat in Costa Rica, however, is variable. Philodendron grandipes occurs along stream banks on the Osa Peninsula but at La Selva (Heredia) this species is wide scattered in the forest understory (M. Grayum, pers. comm.). Spathe tube color in this species is variable to some extent geographically. For example, on the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica, the spathe tube is usually greenish whereas on the Pacific slope, the spathe tube color is generally reddish on both surfaces.

Philodendron pleistoneurum Standl. & L.O. Williams, Ceiba 3. 109. (1952). Type: Costa Rica. Puntarenas: Esquinas Forest, 60 m, 27 Mar. 1951, Allen 6036 (holotype, EAP; isotypes GH, US).