2,455
edits
Changes
no edit summary
{{Inc|
Philodendron (Greek compound for tree-loving). Araceae. Shrubby or tree-like ornamental plants, usually climbing, rarely arboreous.
Internodes more or less elongated: lvs. from entire to bipinnatifid: fls. monoecious, on spadices, with no perianth, the sterile with 2-6 stamens united into a sessile obpyramidal body, the pistillate fls. with a 2-10- loculed ovary and some staminodia, the berries inclosed in the involute spathe.—The species are all Trop. American. They are monographed by Engler in Das Pflanzenrich, hft. 60 (IV. 23 Dd) 1913, who accepts 222 species. Some of them are prominent in tropical plantings.
Only a few philodendrons can be grown to have an ornamental appearance in a small state. One which goes under the name of P. elegantissimum, with finely cut leaves, makes a good pot specimen, although it will reach considerable height when suitable opportunities are afforded. The same may be said of P. Selloum, a beautiful species with pinnatind leaves. The arborescent kinds should have a very porous rooting medium and copious supplies of water while in active growth. When climbing, they must have provision made for the roots, which are produced along the stems. Some of the species do well climbing up the stems of tall palms, such as arenga and livistona; otherwise dead trunks of tree ferns make admirable rooting substances for the roots to penetrate and cling to. Propagation is by division of the climbing stems. P. elegantissimum is an unidentified trade name.
P. calophyllum, Brongn. (P. nobile, Bull, in part). Lvs. tufted, 2-3 ft. long, 5-6 in. broad at middle, linear-oblong, acuminate, shining above, the costa very thick at base, with linear depressions: spathe pale yellowish green outside, inside bright carmine with white margin. N. Brazil. B.M. 7827. — P. canni ' .' I B. thick, coriaceous, oblong, shining above, the ...spathe cymbiform, green outside, purple, green...a. Brazil. P. Corsonianum, Makoy. Lvs. 1 1/4-2 ' ' '8 in. broad, shortly pinnatiftd, deep green above ....with green veins: spathe with a purple-crimsol...limb fight green with red spots outside, the ....darker spots. Hybrid. B.M. 8172. — P. Devansa scandent species with rather small glossy green the petioles, are blood-red when young...P. Duvivieri, Hort. Lvs. broadly and deeply 'crubescens, C. Koch. Climbing: lvs. elongated ov-......in. long, 4-6 in. wide: spathe black-purple. P...is a climber something like P. crassinervium: i. deep green, 12-18 in. long, 3-5 in. broad: spat
crimson within the tube. Brazil. B.M. 6813. — P. /Ilsemanii, Hort. Lvs. oblong, cordate, dark green, splashed or marbled with white, and sometimes tinged rose-pink. G.C. III. 43:289. — P. imperiale is mentioned in European trade-lists. Engler accounts for only one P. imperiale (of Schott) and that he makes a synonym of P. asperatum, Koch. Sander & Co. advertise P. imperiale var. Laucheana: "a lovely trailing stove foliage plant, which is admirably adapted for growing on pillars or wire shapes. It is quite distinct from and greatly superior to the well-known P. imperiale. The habit is much more graceful, the heart-shaped foliage smaller and more elegant. Down the center, from either side of me broad light green midrib, extend irregular blotches of dark green, projecting into a clear glaucous color, the edges of which are relieved by green blotches. The bases of the petioles bear bright red and green phyl-lodes." P. asperatum is a short-jointed climbing Brazilian species with cordate-ovate entire dull green lvs. — P. Mamei, Andre. Lvs. cordate-ovate, acute, variegated with white: spathe partly open above and whitish, the tube blood-red. Ecuador. R.H. 1883, p. 104 and 492; 1897, p. 573. I.H. 43:66. — P. pertusum is Monstera deliciosa. — P. Simsii, Kunth. Lvs. coriaceous, elongated triangular-sagittate. long-cuspidate, up to 20 in. long: spathe outside black-purple on the tube, yellowish on the limb. Guiana. B.M. 2643. — P. tripartitum, Schott. (Anthurium insigne, Mast.}. Lvs. 3- parted, 6-7 in. long: spathe-tube oblong, the blade whitish, ovate, shortly acuminate. Venezuela. — P. Warscewiezii, C. Koch. Lvs. triangular-sagittate, bipinnatifid, primrose, the lateral primary segms. 5-8 in. long. Cent. Amer. G.W. 10. p. 211. Gt. 59, p. 23.
George V. NASH.
}}
{{Taxobox
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| color = lightgreen