Philodendron rugapetiolatum Croat & M.M.Mora is a truly stunning aroid which boasts with beautifully textured, quilted leaves and 'rough', verrucous petioles.
It is a terrestrial to hemiepiphytic Philodendron. Petioles are terete to obtusely flattened adaxially or bluntly D-shaped toward apex and obtusely sulcate near base, somewhat spongy, dark green and matte when young, soon reddish brown to
reddish green, sometimes reddish-purple, verrucous and roughened to transversely
wrinkled-ridged adaxially, less so abaxially. Leaf blades are ovate-sagittate, subcoriaceous, dark green and weakly glossy to more or less matte subvelvety
above, much paler and weakly glossy below. Numerous quilted-sunken and branching primary lateral veins.
The species epithet comes from the Latin “ruga” meaning wrinkle or fold and “petiolus” meaning petiole referring to the closely and deeply folded epidermis on the petioles.
From the Modern Latin genus name Philodendron (Schott, 1830), from Greek philodendron, neuter of philodendros "loving trees," from philo- "loving" (see philo-) + dendron "tree" (from PIE *der-drew-, from root *deru- "to be firm, solid, steadfast," also forming words for "wood, tree"). The plant so called because it clings to trees.