26. Syngonium neglectum Schott, Bonplandia 7:163. 1859. TYPE: Mexico, Veracruz, near El Mirador (at Km 45 on road from Puente Nacional to Huatusco, 21 Km E of Huatusco), Liebmann s.n. (C) (type photo of Schott drawing 3212, NYBG4315).

S. auritum (L.) Schott var. neglectum (Schott) Engler ex A. DC., Monogr. Phan. 2:294. 1879.
S. morelosense Matuda, Anales Inst. Biol. Univ. Nac. Mexico 22:369. 1951 [1952]. TYPE: Mexico, Morelos, Rio Polio near Cuemavaca, ca. 1500 m, Matuda 25933 [MEXU, isotype; according to Birdsey (1955), the holotype originally designated by Matuda was lost in the mail].
S. occidentale Bunting, Gentes Herb. 9:370. TYPE: Mexico, Nayarit, at Km 15 on road from Tepic to Jalcocotan, 900 m, Moore & Burning 8708 (BH, holotype: MEXU, US, isotypes).

Juvenile plants with stems not glaucous; petioles sheathed 2/3-4/5 their length, 8-30 cm long; blades subsagittate to hastate, the anterior lobe ovate, acuminate at the apex, 9-14 cm long, 6-9 cm wide, the posterior lobes very unequal, to 10 cm long and 4 cm wide; intermediate blades with the posterior lobes increasingly pinched off, 3-lobed with conspicuous, broad auricles. Adult plants with stems not glaucous, 1.5-2.5 cm diam., shiny, olive green, becoming tan, short or elon- gated-creeping and firmly attached to trees; sap pale tan, copious; internodes 1.5- 10 cm long on flowering parts, longer below, green when fresh, drying pale brown with many longitudinal folds; petioles 17-55 cm long, semiglossy, sometimes glaucous, slightly paler than the stem, sheathed i/a-Vs their length, the sheath free ending at the apex (the free ending portion sometimes to 2.5 cm long), the portion between the sheath and the blade subterete, obtusely angled adaxially; blade firm, semiglossy, weakly coriaceous, sometimes semiglaucous on the upper surface, usually pedatisect with 3-7 leaflets, occasionally 9, rarely 11; leaflets usually free or sometimes (especially the outer leaflets) confluent; median leaflet ovate to elliptic, rarely suborbicular, 14-38 cm long, 5-25 cm wide, acuminate at the apex with a small apiculum, obtuse to rounded and attenuate at the base, somewhat inequilateral; outermost leaflets often with slender, almost oblong au- ricles (these eventually pinching off and becoming widely separated as distinct leaflets); primary lateral veins 5-13 pairs, sunken above, prominently raised be- neath; tertiary veins clearly visible on the lower surface.
Inflorescences 1-3, usually I; peduncles 7-15 cm long and erect at anthesis, 12-18 cm long and pendent in fruit; spathe tube suborbicular to ellipsoid, 4.5-6.5(-8) cm long, 4-6 cm diam., green outside, dark dull waxy red or sometimes violet purple inside; spathe blade orbicular to elliptic, acuminate at the apex, green becoming yellowish cream within (sometimes reddish at the base), sometimes creamy white on both sides, reflexed from the spadix at maturity, 9-15 cm long, 7-14 cm wide (when flattened); spadix sometimes curved sharply outward somewhat above the pistillate portion; pistillate portion of the spadix 1.4-3.9 cm long, 1.5-2.9 cm diam., yellowish green, the flowers 2(-3)-carpellate, the stigma bilobed; staminate portion of the spadix white, curved forward, 8-16 cm long, 1.5-3 cm diam., the flowers usually 4-androus (rarely more), the synandrium usually flat at the apex, usually irregularly 6-sided, ca. 5 mm long, 3 mm wide, the margins weakly sinuate.
Infructescences orange to red, 6-9 cm long, 5-7 cm diam.; fruiting spadix brown, 5-7 cm long, 3-5 cm diam.; mesocarp fleshy, white; seeds grayish black to dark black, 6-10 mm long, 5-7 mm wide (Birdsey reports them as 10-13 mm long by 6-9 mm wide). Figs. 59, 60, 62, 63.

DISTRIBUTION: Syngonium neglectum is known only from Mexico but is wide- spread in that country, ranging from Tamaulipas to Chiapas on the Atlantic slope and from Nayarit to Chiapas on the Pacific slope. The range of life zones is uncertain, but the species is obviously quite variable ecologically and has been collected in both relatively dry and relatively wet areas. The species is most common at higher elevations in relatively dry situations. It occurs from near sea level (in the north of its range) or from near 350 m (in the south of its range) to 1700 m elevation.
The species was considered a variety of S. auritum (a strictly West Indian species) by Engler & Krause (1920). Syngonium auritum is distinguished by a spathe blade twice as long as the staminate portion of the spadix, whereas in S. neglectum the spathe blade and staminate portion of the spadix are of nearly equal length. Other characters which help to distinguish S. neglectum are the usually solitary inflorescences, and, especially, the size of the spathe and the staminate portion of the spadix, both of which are larger than for any other species.
Syngonium neglectum can be confused vegetatively with S. podophyllum where they occur together, although the latter species does not occur on the Pacific slope in Mexico and usually occurs at lower elevations, whereas S. neglectum frequently ranges above 1000 m. Syngonium neglectum also lacks the glaucous stems usually present on Mexican plants of S. podophyllum.
Syngonium neglectum apparently flowers during the first half of the rainy season (June to September) and also at the beginning of the dry season.

MEXICO: CHIAPAS: E of Bochil, Ton 2577 (DS, F, MEXU, MICH); Between Chiapilla and San Lucas, Laughlin 278 (DS); Escuintia, Croat 43864 (MO), Matuda 20947 (MEXU), 17284 (F, MEXU);
N of Ocozocoautia, Breedlove 25214 (DS), Croat 40586 (MO); Between Palenque and Bonampak, Croat 40220 (MO); NW of Solusi, Lathrop 6560 (DS). DISTRITO FEDERAL: Tamasopo near Agua Buena, Riedowski 10708 (MEXU). GUERRERO: Below Tierra Colorada on road to Acapuleo, Moore & Bunting 8841 (BH). HIDALGO: Puerto del Zopilote, Moore 2708 (BH, GH); S of Tamazunehale, Barkley et al. 7278 (MEXU); Near Tonatico, Acevedo s.n. (MEXU). JALISCO: Vicinity of Autlan de Navarro, Moore & Bunting 8735 (BH, MO); N of La Cuesta, McVaugh 21262 (MICH); SW of Pihuamo, McVaugh 24456, 24462 (MICH); S of Puerto Vallarta, Croat 45427 (MO); Quimixto, Mexia 1200 (F, GH, MICH, MO, NY, US). MARIA MADRE ISLANDS: Tres Maria Group, Maltby 96 (US). MEXICO: Temascaltepee, Hinton 3984 (GH, K), 3808 (G, K, NY). MICHOACAN: S ofArteaga, Moore & Bunting 8786 (BH, MO), 8792 (BH); Maguile, Emrick 129 (F). MORELOS: Cuemavaca, Borgeau 1418 (P), Matuda 25983 (MEXU, MICH, US), 25933 (MEXU), Moore & Bunting 8821 (BH); Oax-tepec, Harking 683 (MEXU), Matuda 26029 (MEXU, UC). NAYARIT: N of Compostela, McVaugh 16531 (MICH); Between Tepee and Jalcocotan, Croat 45243, 45336 (MO); Between Tepic and Jaleo-cotan, Moore & Bunting 8708 (BH, MEXU, US); Between Mazatlan and Las Varas, McVaugh 19025 (MICH). OAXACA: N of Ixhuatan, King 1997 (US); Betwen Pinotepa and Tiaxiaco, Croat 45803, 45815 (MO); Between Pochutia and Chacalapa, Hansen et al. 1543 (MO, WIS); NE of Valle Nacional, Thurm et al. 229 (UMO); El Vineda, Conwtti 3463 (MEXU, US). PUEBLA: Vicinity ofXicotepec de Juarez, Quintero 786 (MEXU). SAN LUIS POTOSI: Rowell et al. 17M350 (F); N of Tamazunehale, Xolocotti et al. 7644 (MEXU); NW of Tamazunehale, Croat 39282A (MO), Edwards 581 (F, MO), Hitchcock & Stanford 6916 (US), Vines 334 (US). TABASCO: Balancan, Finca La Esperanza, Calwda et al. 2653 (MO); Vicinity Comalcaleo, West 2716 (WIS); Between Villahermosa and Teapa, Bravo et al. 110 (MEXU). TAMAULIPAS: S of Ciudad Victoria, Palmer 309 (F, GH, MO, NY, UC, US), Meyer & Rogers (MO). VERACRUZ: Schnee V-VII (BH); Biological Station, Laguna Escondida, Her-ndndez & Vazquez 562 (MEXU); W of Coatzacoalcos, Croat 32740 (MO); Vicinity of Jalapa, Baez 127, 560 (F), Castillo & Tapia 677 (MO), Herndndez 205 (MEXU), Lot et al. 762 (MEXU), Ortega 336 (F, MO), Plunkett 27A (F); Vicinity Jesus Carranza, Nevling & Gomei-Pompa 2558 (F); E of Minatitlan, Barkley & Carr 36219 (GH); NW ofMisantIa, Bunting 1658 (US), Moore & Bunting 8945 (BH, MO), Motzorongo, Smith 468 (MO); Between Orizaba and Cordoba, Rosas 405 (A, MEXU, 0); Region of Orizaba, Borgeau 2416 (P); SW of Orizaba, Croat 39550 (MO); E of Papantia, Moore & Bunting 8952 (BH); Biological Station at San Andres Tuxtia, Calwda 85 (F, Jalapa); Vicinity San Andres Tuxtia, Madison 1742, 1743 (GH), Martinez.2286 (F, Jalapa), Quintero 710 (MEXU); Between Sarabia and Cerro Quebrado, Gomez-Pompa & Riba 262 (F); Vicinity of Tantoyuca, Chiang 10 (MEXU); Vicinity ofTepetzintIa, Chiang 353 (MEXU); NE ofTihuatlan, Hansen et al. 1766 (MEXU, MICH, MO, WIS); SW ofTlapacoyan, Nevling & G6mez.-Pompa 1125 (MO, Jalapa); SW ofVeracruz on Cordoba-Veracruz Road, Moore & Bunting 8876 (BH).