PHILODENDRON SIMSII. 
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PHILODENDEON SIMSII. 
Nat. Order, Arace^:, \ Caladieje, 
Generic Ch^uiacter.— Philodendron, SchoU.—Spathe con- 
volute at the base, straight, closed after flowei-ing. Spadix con- 
tiniiosly androgynous ; ntdhnentanj reproductive organs below 
the stamens ; no sterile appendix. J.;ii//ers two-celled, distinct, 
2-7 placed back to back in areolce ; the cells hidden within the 
connective, open at the apex. Ovaries many, crowded, free, 
5-15 celled. Ocules several, ascending from the central angle of 
the cells, orthotropous ; style very short or wanting; stigma 
capitate, truncate, or with imperfect radiating lobes. Berries 
distinct, many-seeded. {Undl. Gen. Plant.) 
P. SiMsii. — Kunth. — Caulescent ; rooting ; leaves shining 
cor date -sagittate, acute ; petioles roundish, slightly flattened on 
the upper side ; spadix slightly contracted below the midiUe, then 
tapering gi-adually to a point ; spathe C3'liudrically hood-shaped 
above, constricted in the middle, inflated below, a little longer 
than the spadis. 
Synonymy. — Philodendron Simsii, Kimih . Envmeratio Plant. 
iii. 4S.— Caladium grandifoliura, Siws, in Pot. Mag. t. 26-13 {not 
ofjacquin). C. Simsii, Hooker^ in Pot. Mag. p. 3345. 
BESCRIPTION. — A fine stove perenniaL Rhizome elongated into a stem, rooting. Leaves 
cordate-sagittate, very large, the blade two feet long, shining ; petiole roundish, more and 
more flattened on the upper side upwards, elongated (thirty inches), closely marked with fine, 
deep-green, interrupted streaks ; petiolar sheath very short. Spadix about eight inches long, 
cj'lindrically hood-shaped, convolute at the base, contracted in the middle, and attenuated 
above into a fine point, white, and marked about two inches below the contracted portion 
with an oblique crimson band, shaded off above and below. Spadix nearly as long as the 
spathe, thickened below, slightly contracted below the middle, and taping gradually up to the 
rather acute point ; the first inch fi-om the base occuj^ied by the numerous distinct ovaries, 
the remainder presenting a smooth sm-faco, with reticular lines indicating the boundaries of 
groups of sterile and fertile stamens. Ptudimentary staminal groups below the fertile. 
