Philodendron hederaceum var. kirkbridei Croat, var. nov.
TYPE: Costa Rica. Alajuela: eastern rim of Laguna Hule, ca. 1.5 km N of Angeles, along road through pasturelands,
840--860 m, 8 July 1972, Luteyn 3350 (holotype, MO--2173874; isotype, DUKE). Figure 224.
Planta hemiepiphytica; internodia 2--28 cm longa, 1--2.5 cm diam.; cataphylla 6--19 cm longa, incostata aut interdum leniter 2-costata, decidua intacta; petiolus (6.5)8--22.5 cm longus, 3--6 mm diam.; lamina (11)16--29.5(42) cm longa, (8)10.3--23(35) cm lata; inflorescentia 1; pedunculus 5.5--7.5 cm longus; spatha 14--24 cm longa, lamina spathae flaviviridis, extus cremascenti versus apicem, intus pallidius viridi; pistilla 5-locularia; loculi 20--25-ovulati; loculi cum ca. 24-seminibus.
Hemiepiphyte; internodes 2--28 cm long, 1--2.5 cm diam., weakly flattened on one side with two sharply raised ribs on the side above petiole, very weakly sulcate on the opposite rounded side, prominently ribbed throughout its circumference, the ribs smooth or prominently warty, 2--28 cm long, 1--2.5 cm diam., medium to dark green, matte, drying reddish brown; cataphylls 6--19 cm long, unribbed or sometimes weakly 2-ribbed, deciduous intact; petioles (6.5)8--22.5 cm long, 3--6 mm diam.; blades (11)16--29.5(42) cm long, (8)10.3-23(35) cm wide; upper surface medium to dark green, drying brown to greenish brown, lower surface medium green, glossy, drying brown to greenish brown; primary lateral veins 3--4 per side, departing mdirib at a 45--50E angle. INFLORESCENCES 1 per axil; peduncle 5.5--7.5 cm long; spathe 14--24 cm long, spathe blades yellow-green becoming cream colored toward apex outside, lighter green inside; spadix stipitate to 1 cm; 13--20 cm long; ovary 5-locular, 20--25 ovules per locule. INFRUCTESCENCE with about 24 seeds per locule.
Flowering in Philodendron hederaceum var. kirkbridei occurs during the late dry season and early rainy season (probably as early as March and as late as September) based on post-anthesis and early fruiting collections. No collections have been made at anthesis. Immature fruits have been collected in April, July, and August.
Philodendron hederaceum var. kirkbridei ranges from Costa Rica to Ecuador at (250)300 to 900 m in Premontane wet forest and Tropical wet forest. The variety has been collected only once in both Suriname and Ecuador. It was collected in Ecuador at Reserva ENDESA (0E5'N, 79E02'W), an area of Premontane rain forest. It is to be expected in Colombia.
This variety is recognized by its scandent habit, slender stems, petioles shorter than the blades, ovate-cordate brownish drying blades and especially by its dried stems which are reddish brown and conspicuously ribbed. Specimens from Panama have stems also conspicuously and densely warty while specimens in Costa Rica have stems reddish brown and conspicuously ribbed but are smooth rather than warty.
The variety differs from the autonymic variety primarily in occurring at generally higher elevations in wetter forests and by its reddish brown, conspicuously ribbed stems. In parts of Central America and in South America where both species occur,
P. hederaceum var. kirkbridei occurs usually above 500 meters and in Premontain wet and Tropical wet forests. In contrast, P. hederaceum var. hederaceum has stems which dry smooth and green and occur primarily in tropical moist forest. Though there is overlap in the elevation range and even life zone (both may sometimes be found in Premontane wet forest) the two varieties do not occur in the same sites and can be readily distinguished by their stems.
Philodendron hederaceum var. kirkbridei is named in honor of Joseph Kirkbride (BARC), who first collected the taxon in 1968 on Cerro Caracoral in Coclé Province in Panama while a graduate student at the Missouri Botanical Gardens.
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Additional specimens examined.
COSTA RICA. Alajuela: Cañas--Upala, 8 km N of Bijagua, 300 m, Croat 36498 (MO); Cariblanco, 900 m, 10E15'N, 84E11'W, Lent 3591 (F). Heredia: 3 mi. S of Cariblanco, 760 m, Croat 35837 (MO). PANAMA. Coclé: 710--800 m, 89E39'N, 80E36'W, Croat 68758 (MO, PMA, US); Cerro Caracoral, Kirkbride 1098 (MO); Alto Calvario, 9.4 km above El Copé, 750--900 m, Croat 44741 (MO); La Mesa, above El Valle de Antón, 900--930 m, Croat 37471 (MO); Cerro Gaital, 900--1000 m, 8E37'N, 80E08'W, Croat 67236 (MO). Colón: Río Piedras, Río Piedras Lumber Road, 6.7 mi. E of Sabanitas, 250 m, 9E22'30"N, 79E41'30"W, Croat 75158 (MO, PMA). Panamá: El Llano--Cartí Road, 12 mi. above Pan-American Highway, 200--500 m, Croat 22909 (MO); Mile 7, near El Llano, 460 m, 9E19'N, 79E59'W, Croat 75108 (MO, PMA, US); Km 12-16, Kennedy et al. 3146 (MO, US). San Blas: 1 mi. S of Nusagandi, 9 mi. N of Interamerican Highway, 350 m, 9E20'N, 79EW, Croat & Zhu 77001 (CM, MO).
ECUADOR. Pichincha: between Quito and Puerto Quito, Km 113, 800 m, 0E5'N, 79E2'W, Rodríguez 282 (MO).