Philodendron billietiae

Surname: Philodendron billietiae, Croat 1995
Synonyms: not known
etymology:
billietiae = in honour of Dr. Frieda Billiet, botanist and curator at the Botanical Garden Meise, Brussels, Belgium
Reproduction: Meristem
Origin: French Guiana, Brazil
Location: hemiepiphytic, climbing in tropical rainforest, from sea level to 200m altitude, often in open areas,
Remarks: Philodendron billietiae was discovered by Frieda Billiet in 1981 and brought to flower in the Meise Botanical Garden in Brussels, Belgium. During a visit by Tom Croat, it was determined that it was a new species, but the herbarium deposited from the flower was not sufficient for a diagnosis, as it came from cultivation. Frieda Billiet had to make five more trips to French Guiana to find the plant again. On the fifth trip with Tom Croat, more specimens were finally found in flower, and a description was now possible, which Tom Croat published in 1995, 14 years after the species was discovered.
Philodendron billiietiae, with its large and clearly veined leaves, is one of the most striking or spectacular araceae, and is still sought after by many enthusiasts, as it is rarely offered in stores.