Drymonia serrulata

Appearance

Climbing or creeping vine, hemiepiphytic at least when juvenile, often with many aerial roots; older stems with a paperish red bark; younger parts succulent. Petioles 6-30 mm long; blades asymmetrical, acute to shortly acuminate at apex, oblique at base, 5-17 cm long, 3-9 cm broad, slightly fleshy, dark green and scabrous above, paler below (juvenile leaves often purplish below), gla­brous to slightly pubescent, the margins dentate. Flowers usually solitary in axils; calyx foliaceous, puberulent, 5-6 cm long, the lobes 5, free, cordate, all but the central one very asymmetrical, persistent in fruit; corolla bilabi­ate, thick, 5-7 cm long, usually white or cream at least on tube and outer surface, the limb 3.5-4.5 cm wide, the lobes 5, dentate, marked with red or violet-purple inside, the upper lip with nectar guides extending into throat, the lobes smaller, the tube asymmetrical, gibbous at base and below the upper lip, the upper concavity with gland-tipped trichomes; stamens 4; filaments broadened at base, twisting in age to draw anthers to bottom of corolla; anthers ca 8 mm long, held together in pairs in throat of corolla, the apex directed downward, the thecae opening at base of anther; ovary superior; style ca 2.5 cm long, densely glandular-pubescent, held between 2 prominent lobes within the tube basal to the lower lip, elongating after opening of anthers, hollow-tubular at apex; stigma 1, with 2 opposing lobes to 4 mm long; nectary of 1 large dorsal gland. Capsules ± globose, 10-20 cm long; valves 2, bright orange to red inside, curving back at maturity to expose the cone-shaped clus­ter of placental and funicular tissue covered with seeds; seeds many, shiny, black, oblong, tapered at ends, twisted, ca I mm long.

Distribution

Throughout most of tropical America from Mexico to Brazil (Mato Grosso) and Bolivia; Lesser Antilles.

In Panama, known principally from tropical moist forest in all regions (except lowland Chiriqui) where forest still exists; known less frequently from premontane wet forest, tropical wet forest, and premontane rain forest in Chiriqui, the Azuero Peninsula, and central Panama.

Habitat

Common along the edge of the lake, occurring occa­sionally in the forest high in the canopy.