International Aroid Society

27b. Syngonium podophyllum Schott var. peliocladum (Schott) Croat, comb. nov.
S. peliocladum Schott, Prodr. Syst. Aroid. 202. 1860. TYPE: Costa Rica, Wendland (type destroyed, Sehott drawings 3215, 3216; NYBG Photos 4327, 4328).

Juvenile plants with stems not glaucous, usually dark violet purple; petioles sheathed from V-i to nearly the entire length; blades hastate to sagittate, the anterior lobe ovate, acuminate, the posterior lobes ovate to lanceolate, acute at the apex. Adult plants with stems not glaucous; internodes 0.4-1.5 cm diam., 1-20 cm long, usually densely covered with brownish projections; petioles 11-33 cm long, usually sheathed 1/2-4/5 or more of their length, obtusely 1-ribbed adaxially; blades trisect to almost 5-lobed, mostly 16-33 cm long, often drying yellowish green; lateral leaflets free or confluent, usually conspicuously auriculate and usually nearly pinched-off to form a small lobe, the auricle directed at right angles to the axis of the lateral leaflets; median leaflet 14-25 cm long, ovate to elliptic, acuminate at the apex, acute to cuneate at the base; primary lateral veins 3-8 pairs, sunken above, raised beneath; collective veins 2 or 3; tertiary veins all clearly visible.
Inflorescences usually 6-8 per axil; peduncles not glaucous, 3.5-11 cm long and erect at anthesis, 7-14 cm long and pendent in fruit; spathe tube ovoid to ellipsoid, usually not glaucous, 2-3 cm long, green inside and out; spathe blade greenish white to cream, 4-5.5 cm long, pistillate portion of the spadix 1-2 cm long; staminate portion of the spadix 4-6 cm long, the flowers similar to those of S. podophyllum.
Infructescences yellow to orange, 4-5 cm long, 3-3.5 cm diam. Figs. 66, 70.

DISTRIBUTION: Syngonium podophyllum var. peliocladum is known from Costa Rica and Panama, principally on the Atlantic slope from sea level to ca. 1000 m. In Panama it occurs only in Bocas del Toro Province. It occurs in tropical wet forest, premontane wet forest and wetter parts of tropical moist forest.
This variety is recognized by its trisect to almost 5-lobed leaves, usually several inflorescences, and stems which bear conspicuous tuberculate excrescences. Though previously considered distinct from S. podophyllum, it is distinguished from that species only by the stem excrescences, and the two taxa overlap in most of the characters previously used to separate them.
Flowering inflorescences are known from June through December. Immature fruits are found more or less throughout the year.

COSTA RICA: CARTAGO: Vicinity Chitaria, Solis 241 (F); Las Vueltas, Tucurrique, Tonduz. 12891 (US). HEREDIA: Finca La Selva, Croat 44306 (MO); Near Puerto Viejo, Croat 35677 (MO). LIMON:
N of Bribri, Burger & Antonio 10943 (F); Vicinity of Cairo, Standley & Valeria s.n. (US); La Colombiana Farm, Standley 36975 (US); Vicinity Llanuras de Santa Clara, Smith 4980 (US); Between Siguirres and Rio Pacuare, Burger & Liesner 6931 (MO).
PANAMA: BOCAS DEL TORO: Above Almirante, Gentry 2745 (MO); W of Almirante, Croat 38225 (MO); Vicinity Changuinola, Croat 38082 (F, MO), Lewis el al. 954 (GH, K, MO, UC, US); Chiri-quicito, Lewis et al. 2022 (MO); Vicinity of Chiriqui Lagoon, von Wedel 1025, 2616, 2765 (F, GH, MO); Between Quebrada Treglo and Puerto Palenque, Kirkbride & Duke 533 (MO); Rio Cricamola, between Finca St. Louis and Konkintoi, Woodson et al. 1915 (MO); Station Milla7.5, Croat & Porter 16305 (MO), Croat 38088, 38115 (MO); Water Valley, von Wedel 1545 (MO).