1958 



* PHILODEXDRON crassinervium. 



Thick-ribbed Philodendron. 



MONCECIA TETRANDRIA. 



Nat. ord. Arace«. 



PHILODENDRON. Spatha tota persistens, post florescentiam reclusa. 

 Spadix dense obsitus, appendice carens. Anthera singuli floris liberae. Ovarimn 



multi-(.5- 1 5-)-loculare, loculis pluriovulatis, ovulis axi affixis erectis. Plantm 



Americana; tropicce, succo decolori, rhizomate in caulem elongatum scanden- 

 tem V. arborescentein mutato, foliis remotis, vaginis petiolaribus brevissimis, 

 stipularibus e/on(/a<is deciduis folio opposilis. Schott. in Meletemat. p. 19. 



P. crassinervium ,- foliis lanceolatis acuminatis costa crassissima inflata, spatha 

 obtusa cucullata apiculata spadicis longitudine. 



Spadix apice masculiis, basi fcemineus ipso medio neuter. Flores masculi 

 nudi, tetrandri ; staniinibus crassissimis , triincatis, extrorsum lineas duas 

 parallelas discretas polliniferas per rimam lonyitudinalem dehiscentes gercn- 

 tibus, initio bilocellatas, demum confluentes. Flores neutri e corpusculis 

 constantes slaminibus similibus sed majoribzis, miniis densis, etpolline orbatis. 

 Flores fosminei midi ; ovarium truncatum subtetragonum, 5-T-loculare, ovulis 

 in utroque loculo pluribus axi affixis ; stigma pulvinatum, glutinosum, indi- 

 visum, omnino ntidum. 



This is one of the extraordinary climbers which, in 

 tropical forests, lay hold of the trunks and limbs of trees, 

 fix themselves upon their bark, root on their surface, often 

 twine round and strangle them in their embrace, or some- 

 times hang down like cords or cables, from tree to tree, 

 contributing, along with wild Vines, Bauhinias, and other 

 powerfid twisting leguminous plants, Aristolochias, Passion- 

 flowers, and the like, to render the forests impassable. 



In the organs of vegetation, Philodendron constitutes 

 a case of excessive developement, in part arising out of high 



* From (/i(\ew to love, and ctvlpov a tree ; in allusion to the habit of the 

 plants of this genus to over-run trees in the South American forests. 



