International Aroid Society

13. Syngonium schottianum Wendl. ex Schott, Prodr. 200. 1860. TYPE: Costa Rica, Wendland (destroyed, type photo seen FM-12301).

Porphyrospatha schottiana (Wendl. ex Schott) Engler in A. DC., Monogr. Phan. 2:290. 1879.

Juvenile plants with scandent stems; internodes 10-20 cm or more, to ca. 1 cm diam., petioles sheathed beyond the middle, often to near the apex; blades ovate, becoming ovate-elliptic, with small lobes at base, the lobes rounded or angulate; venation conspicuous, the primary lateral veins sunken above, the tertiary veins clearly visible beneath. Adult plants epiphytic or hemiepiphytic creepers; stems to ca. 1 m long, ca. 4 cm wide; internodes very short; petioles 47-100 cm long, prominently sheathed except for the distal 5-13 cm, subterete above the sheath, weakly flattened near the blade attachment, the sheath firm, to 3 cm high near the base, tapering to 1 cm at the apex, with one margin shorter, the apex free, round, boat-shaped; blades lobed at the base, 40-60 cm long, 19-37 cm wide, dull on both surfaces, medium green above, much paler beneath, whitish, the posterior lobes directed slightly upwards and sometimes closing the sinus, sometimes slightly unequal, the sinus 6-14 cm deep, usually narrow, sometimes as broad as deep; basal portions of the major lateral veins sunken, the collective veins weakly visible, all other veins obscure on the upper surface; lower surface with the basal portions of the major lateral veins raised, arcuate-ascending and loop-connected with the major laterals, forming weak collecting veins, the innermost arising from the middle or lower Vs of the blade, the successive collective veins closely paralleling the first but becoming closer and more obscure toward the margin, spaced at intervals of 0.5-3 mm, each arising from the lower primary lateral veins and basal veins; basal veins 2-4, coalescing up to 1-4 cm from the petiole, the basal rib naked 1-6 cm.
Inflorescences 4 per axil, each subtended by a prophyll ca. 25 cm long, 4 cm wide, conspicuously 2-ribbed on the outside surface, the ribs thin, ca. 4 mm high; peduncles 15-20 cm long, obtusely 3-sided; spathe tube green or green tinged with purple mostly in longitudinal streaks, pale violet purple inside, ca. 9-10 cm long at anthesis (to 17 cm long and 7.5 cm diam. in fruit); spathe blade whitish, ca. 10 cm long, constricted at its base and articulating along an elevated ring which forms 4-5 cm above the apex of the pistillate part of the spadix; spadix to 19.5 cm long; staminate portion of the spadix 19 cm long, 3 cm diam., white; pistillate portion of the spadix pale orange, 3.5 cm long on the open side, to 2.5 cm long on the back side, the stigmas bright yellow, irregularly rounded, 3.5 mm diam., ca. 1 mm high, with an irregular, often slitlike depression in the center.
Infructescences usually green, heavily tinged with purple, 14-16 cm long, 5-6 cm wide; fruiting spadix 7.5-10 cm long on the open side, 6-7 cm long on the back side, 3-5.5 cm diam., the surface pale brown; stigmas raised, ca. 2.8 mm wide, the central core ca. 1 cm diam.; seeds irregularly oblong, white, ca. 7 mm long. Figs. 26-28, 30.

DISTRIBUTION: Syngonium schottianum ranges from Honduras to Panama but is also likely to range into Colombia. The species has been collected in Costa Rica only on the Atlantic slope in Alajuela and Heredia. It is restricted to the Atlantic slope except at middle elevations along the Continental Divide in central Panama. It ranges from near sea level to about 900 m in wetter parts of tropical moist forest, premontane wet forest, and tropical wet forest.
See the discussion of S. sagittatum for possible relationships with that species. The species is closest to S. crassifolium from Colombia and Ecuador, but it differs from that species by its pale lower blade surface and its generally larger inflorescences.
Flowering inflorescences have been found from February through August. Nearly mature fruits are known from July.

COSTA RICA: ALAJUELA: NE of Quesada, Croat 46950 (MO); Near Upala, Croat 36261. 36445 (MO). CARTAGO: NE of Turrialba, Croat 43367 (MO). HEREDIA: Near Puerto Viejo, Croat 35686, 35759 (MO). LIMON: S of Punta Cahuita, Croat 43190, 43196 (MO).
HONDURAS: OLANCHO: N ofCatacamas, Standley 18745 (F).
NICARAGUA: RIO SAN JUAN: NE of El Castillo, Neill & Vincelli 3617 (MO). ZELAYA: Vicinity of Matagalpa, Stevens 7516 (MO).
PANAMA: BOCAS DEL TORO: W of Almirante, Croat 38210 (MO); Station Milla 7.5, Croat 38114 (MO). CHIRIQUI: Vicinity of Fortuna Dam site, Croat 48710 (MO). COCLE: Vicinity of El Cope, Hammel 2632 (MO), Croat 49148 (MO); La Mesa, Croat 13421, 37406 (MO); Cerro Pilon, Lallathin 5004 (MO), Croat 14363 (MO); N of Cerro Pilon, Croat 37568 (MO), COLON: Vicinity Guasimo, Croat 9959 (MO), 9935 (MO, SCZ); Near Portobelo, Kennedy 480 (F), Croat 36972 (MO). PANAMA: NE of Alto de Pacora, Croat 22730 (MO); Cerro Campana, Croat 17244, 25223, 35984 (MO). VERAGUAS:
Escuela Agricola Alto Piedra, Croat 25542, 27339, 48974 (MO), Croat & Folsom 33997 (MO); Near Santa Fe, Croat 33991A (MO).