Philodendron
strictum G. S. Bunting,
Phytologia 60: 328. 1986.
TYPE: Venezuela. Tachira: San Cristobal÷Chorro del Indio÷Cano Seco÷La Florida,
km 20-22 (E of San Cristobal), 1100-1125 m, 6 Mar. 1977, Bunting &
Borges 5001 (holotype, NY; isotypes, PT, VEN). Figures 393-395, 397, 398.
Terrestrial or hemiepiphytic; stems stout; inter-nodes 3-4 cm long,
2.5÷5 cm diam., usually broader than long, sometimes longer than broad,
dark green to gray-green, semiglossy; roots moderately few, drying dark brown,
semiglossy, sparsely scaly; cataphylls 25-40 cm long, unribbed to bluntly
1-ribbed, rarely bluntly 2-ribbed or sharply 1-ribbed, pale green, soft,
turning yellowish and persisting semi-intact at upper nodes; petioles (47-56)63-105
cm long, subterete, obtusely D-shaped with faint medial rib, obtusely flattened
adaxially, light green to gray-green, weakly glossy, sparsely dark lineate,
drying usually light yellow-brown, sometimes blackened; sheath inconspicuous;
blades ovate-cordate, conspicuously bicolorous, acuminate at apex (the
acumen sometimes in-rolled), cordate, sometimes sagittate at base,
(24)38-66(74) cm long, (16)27-52 cm wide (1-1.3 times longer than wide), (0.5÷1
times the petiole length), broadest near the middle; upper surface dark green,
semiglossy, lower surface much paler, whitish, matte; anterior lobe
(19-28)31-51(57-62) cm long, (19)27-48(53-56) cm wide, (1.7-2.8(3.3) times
longer than posterior lobes); posterior lobes 12-23 cm long, 8.6÷26 cm wide, obtuse
to broadly rounded; sinus usually spathulate, sometimes hippocrepiform; midrib
flat, paler than surface above, convex and darker below; basal veins 7÷10 per
side, with 0÷2 free to base, part of the remainder coalesced 1÷12.4 cm;
posterior rib sometimes not naked, often obscurely naked for 1.5 cm, rarely 3.5
cm; primary lateral veins 5÷11 per side, departing midrib at a 50÷65¡ angle,
deeply sunken above, convex and darker below, usually prominently down turned
before meeting midrib; minor veins numerous, fine, indistinct below, arising
from both the midrib and primary lateral veins.
INFLORESCENCES erect-spreading, 1-4 or more per axil; peduncle (6)11÷15
cm long, 1-1.5 cm diam., with thin, yellowish epidermis; spathe 13÷17.7
cm long, 2.5-4.3 cm diam. (0.9÷2.3 times longer than peduncle), moderately
constricted above the lube (very slick inside), 2.7 cm diam. at constriction;
spathe blade light green to whitish, tinged purple-violet (B & K red-purple
3/2.5), sparsely short-white-lineate medially outside, margins paler, (opening
elliptic in face view, 10.7 cm long, 4.8 cm wide), light green to whitish and
suffused red inside, drying dark to reddish brown; spathe tube green to
purple-violet (B & K red-purple 3/2.5) outside, 4 cm diam., maroon or
violet-purple inside; spadix sessile; bluntly pointed at apex, 9.2-16 cm
long; pistillate portion weakly tapered toward apex, 2.1÷3.9 cm long in front,
(1.6)3÷3.3 cm long in back, 0.6÷1.4 cm diam. at apex, 1÷1.5 cm diam. at middle,
1.3÷1.5 cm wide at base; staminate portion 8.9÷11.9 cm long; fertile staminate
portion somewhat ellipsoid, sometimes ovate to tapered, 1.1 cm diam. at base,
1.2÷1.3 cm diam. at middle, 8÷ 9 mm diam. ca. 1 cm from apex, broadest in the
middle or sometimes just above the base, narrower than the pistillate portion,
as broad as the sterile portion; sterile staminate portion narrower than the
pistillate portion, 1-1.4 cm diam.; pistils (1.1)2.7-3.4(5.4) mm long, 1.3-1.6
mm diam.; ovary (4)5-6-locular, 1.8 mm long, 1.3-1.7 mm diam., with axile placentation;
locules 1.8 mm long, 0.6 mm diam.; ovules 20-28 per locule, 2-seriate, 0.2-0.4
mm long, longer than funicle; funicle 0.1 mm long, adnate to lower part of
partition, style 0.7÷0.9 mm long, 1.3÷1.6 mm diam., similar to style type B;
style apex flat; stigma subdiscoid, truncate, 1.1÷1.3 mm diam., 0.3-0.5 mm
high, covering entire style apex; the androecium prismatic, truncate, oblong,
irregularly 4÷6-sided at apex 0.9 mm long, 1.6÷2 mm diam. at apex; thecae
oblong, ± parallel to one another, nearly contiguous; sterile staminate flowers
blunt, prismatic, irregularly 4÷6-sided, 1.8÷2.9 mm long, 0.9-2.4 mm wide.
INFRUCTESCENCE 2 cm wide; seeds pale yellowish, 0.9 mm long, 0.3 mm
diam.
Flowering in Philodendron strictum apparently occurs throughout
the dry season and first half of the rainy season in Central America (January
through September, though no flowers were seen in May). South American
flowering collections have been seen from February and July, and post-anthesis
inflorescences (or immature fruits) from January through November. Mature
fruits have been seen only from September.
Philodendron strictum ranges from Costa Rica to western
Panama, Venezuela (Tachira), Colombia (Antioquia, Choco), and Ecuador (Carchi, Esrneraldas).
In Costa Rica, this species occurs at 850 to 1525 m, and in Panama at 680 to
1665 m elevation in Lower Montane rain. Premontane rain, and Tropical
wet forest life zones. In Colombia, this species has been collected at 100
to 150 m in Choc6 and Valle Departments, and in Antioquia at 1560 m. In
Venezuela, it is known only from the state of Tachira in the south-western part
of the country, at 1000 to 1250 m elevation in Premontane wet. forest. It
was reported erroneously (owing to a typographical error) by Croat and Lambert
(1986) from 110 to 1330 m.
Philodendron strictum is a member of P. sect. Philodendron
subsect. Philodendron ser. Impolita. This species is
characterized by its usually terrestrial habit; thick stems; short internodes;
thick, yellowish, unribbed to bluntly one-ribbed cataphylls persisting
semi-intact at the upper nodes; obtusely flattened to D-shaped petioles usually
drying pale yellow-brown; and ovate-cordate blades with the lower surface
whitish and matte.
Philodendron strictum is most easily confused with P. hebetatum, which
shares blades with whitish, matte lower surfaces, as well as yellow-drying
cataphylls and petioles. Both species are easily identified by these features
alone. The two species are sympatric in at least one area along the Fortuna Dam
road in Panama but remain distinct by virtue of their respective habits and
blade shapes. Philodendron hebetatum differs in being consistently an
appressed epiphyte and in having a triangular-ovate blade vs. a generally
terrestrial habit and consistently ovate blades for P. strictum. Juvenile
plants of the two species, at this stage both terrestrial, are quite distinct
with the blades of P. hebetatum more elongate (2.5÷3 times longer than
broad), while those of P. strictum are more broadly ovate (1.2-2.5 times
longer than wide).
This species is also easily confused with the often syntypic P. thalassicum, which
differs in having blackened rather than pale yellow-brown petioles, cataphylls
promptly weathering to pale fibers vs. usually persisting yellowish and
semi-intact in P. strictum and internally greenish to white spathes (vs.
maroon or violet-purple in P. strictum). In addition (at least in
Panama), the petioles of P. thalassicum are more sharply D-shaped vs.
obtusely flattened in P. strictum.
A collection from 1875 m elevation in Antioquia Department, Colombia (McPherson
12939), possibly belongs to this species but differs in having reddish
brown cataphylls that are more fragmented on drying. It also has the petioles
drying dark brown, not yellowish as is typical for the species in Colombia
and Ecuador.
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