SYNGONIUM

Syngonium Schott, Wiener Z. Kunst 3: 780. 1829; Fl. Nicaragua; Fl. Panama; Costa Rica Plants Manual @ World Flora Online

Root climbing or shortly-creeping evergreen herbs, latex milky. Caudices often elongate, internodes short to elongate, green, roots arising from nodes. Leaves numerous, heterophyllous: juvenile and adult. Petioles of both types of leaves long, subterete to terete above with an obtuse to acute middle rib, long vaginate. Juvenile leaves simple, ovate to elliptic, sagittate or hastate. Adult leaves trisect to pedatisect, 5-9-cleft, the primary lateral nerves of the segments spreading. Inflorescence 1 or more per axilla, supported by a lanceolate cataphyll; peduncle erect in flower, pendulous in fruit, peduncle equalling or shorter than spathe. Spathes pale or yellowish green, rarely purplish, in fruit often turning bright red; tube ovoid to ellipsoid; limb opening widely at anthesis, ovate-elliptic, deciduous. Spadix much shorter than spathe. Pistillate portion basal, cylindrical to truncated-conical, apical staminate portion longer than pistillate, clavate with sterile flowers at base; apical appendix absent. Flowers unisexual, naked (perianth absent). Male Flowers: With 3-4 stamens, connate to form a truncate-obpyramidal 3-4(-6) sided synandrium; connectives of the anthers thick, the thecae rounded to obtuse at base, dehiscent below the apex of connective by a short slit. Female Flowers: Connate; ovary obovoid or oblong-obovoid, usually 2-locular, 1(-2) ovules per loculus, anatropous, basal or supported in the centre of axillary placentas. Stigma generally discoid or bilabiate. Infructescences with exfoliating spathe; fruits baccate, connate into an ovoid syncarp. Seed obovoid, borne on a short funicle, black.

39 species

Syngonium podophyllum

Syngonium podophyllum Schott, Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 9: 85. 1851; Fl. Nicaragua, Fl. Panama, Costa Rica Plant Manual @ World Flora Online

Large epiphytic vine; latex milky. Stem elongate, 1-2 cm in diameter; internodes up to 7 cm long, smooth, not warty. Leaves heterophyllous: Juvenile and Adult. Juvenile leaves simple, long-petiolate, up to 17 cm, petiole vaginate; blades sagittate or hastate; terminal lobe up to 13-15 cm x ca. 10 cm, triangular-ovate or oblong-ovate with acuminate apex; basal lobes triangular or oblong-lanceolate, directed downwards or prominently outwards. Adult leaves pedatisect, leaflets 3-5, free or united; the middle leaflet 10-25 cm x 3.5-13 cm, obovate to broadly elliptical, abruptly acuminate at apex, decurrent at base; next lateral segments gradually slightly shorter and narrower; the outermost often auriculate on outer side; the auricles oblong to oblong-elliptic or broadly elliptic, 4.5-9.5 cm x 2-4 cm, apex mostly obtuse; the leaflets separated by short or elongate segments of rachis; primary lateral veins 4-9 pairs on middle leaflet; petioles 30-45 cm long, vaginate ( sheathed) about 1/2 of their length, terete to obtusely angular above the sheath. Inflorescences (spadices) 4-11 per axila; peduncle erect, laterally compressed, generally up to 9 cm long at anthesis, curved and up to 15 cm long in fruit; peduncles separated by linear-lanceolate whitish cataphylls, ca. 10 cm long. Spathe with narrowly oblong-ovoid, ovoid to ellipsoid tube, 3-5 cm long and 1.5-2 cm in diameter, green, sometimes glaucous; limb ca. 6-7.5 cm long and ca. 4.5 cm wide, ovate, long cuspid at apex, greenish outside, whitish or pink inside; spadix 5-9 cm long; pistillate portion 1-2 cm x 6-9 mm, creamy-green, ovaries depressed-obpyramidal, stigma discoid, suborbicular; staminate portion 4-7 cm x 7-13 mm, creamy, slightly attenuate at each end. Fruit red to reddish orange when ripe.

Flowering and Fruiting: Almost throughout the year
Common Names: Arrowhead Plant, Arrowhead Vine, Arrowhead Philodendron, Goosefoot, African Evergreen, American Evergreen