A member of the aroid tribe Monstereae, Rhaphidophora tetrasperma is a native of Thailand and Malaysia that was identified to science in 1893.  Based on the information available,  Rhaphidophora tetrasperma is somewhat more closely related to the genus Monstera than Philodendron as some discussions on the internet attempt to imply.  However, neither genus is closely related.  Aroid expert Julius Boos explains, "The genus Monstera and all its relatives produce blooms with a bisexual spadix ,male and female flowers throughout the length of the spadix, while the Philodendrons and their relatives Homolamena and Furtadoa produce blooms with a unisexual spadix with female flowers at its base with sterile and male flowers above the female zone, which makes them very far apart and not close relatives even though they may appear alike!"   In addition, neither Philodendron nor Monstera species are found naturally outside Central America, Mexico, South America and the Caribbean.  The genus Rhaphidophora which is not found naturally in North or South America would then be a SE Asian equivalent with three Asian relatives including members of the genera Epipremnum,  Amydrium, and Scindapsus.   

Postings can be found on the internet as well as in the offerings of internet plant sellers identifying this species as Amydrium tetrasperma, Amydrium 'Ginnie', Philodendron "Ginnie", Philodendron imbe "Ginny", and Epipremnum "Ginny".  All are scientifically incorrect.  The use of single quotes implies a registered cultivar which also appears to be incorrect.  Numerous discussions have been held on aroid forums regarding some of these names, and they are still commonly used on sites such as eBay. 

On several of the popular garden websites plant collectors repeatedly refer to R. tetrasperma as a miniature form, or "mini" Monstera deliciosa  while others continue to insist it is a form of Epipremnum.  This note from expert aroid grower Michael Mattlage appears to sum up the correct conclusion, "I know there was some debate a while back on whether the plant labeled Amydrium, Philodendron, etc. etc. 'Ginny' was either a form of the variable Epipremnum pinnatum or Rhaphidophora tetrasperma.  The experts finally agreed with the later."   As indicated by Michael, the species does also appear similar to the adult form of Epipremnum pinnatum, but is only a related species.  Rhaphidophora tetrasperma is not a miniature form of Monstera and in February, 2007 aroid botanist Peter Boyce responded with this answer to a question posted regarding the "miniature Monstera deliciosa" theory on the forum Aroid l, "In the 90s while working on Rhaphidophora I investigated the so-called miniature form of M. deliciosa in cultivation in Europe and as named in Birdsey's Cultivated Aroids as 'Dwarf Ceriman' and these plants were without exception Rhaphidophora tetrasperma from peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand.  At the time Josef (Bogner) had a large one flowering in Munich and it was from here that I obtained inflorescences to confirm the generic Id.  Material from this clone was later used by one of my students Tam Shey May for molecular work on the Monstereae and embedded in the Rhaphidophora clade as sister to R. nicolsonii from Pen. Malaysia while M. deliciosa remained clustered with Stenopsermation and a Rhodospatha.  Thus morphologically (ovules, seeds) and on the molecular European 'Dwarf' Deliciosa' is a Rhaphidophora." 

Rhaphidophora tetrasperma is scientifically described as being a "small to medium sized" heterophyllous aroid.  A heterophyllous species is one that is capable of having very dissimilar leaves on the same specimen.  A deeply pinnatifid aroid,  R. tetrasperma  is easily confused with a small Monstera deliciosa, but solely by appearance.   As Julius explained, scientifically they are not closely related.  Rather than being stiff and leathery (coriacious) as are the leaves of Monstera deliciosa, the leaves are relatively thin and flexible.  Pinnatified species are those that produce leaves somewhat similar in shape to a feather or a palm frond.  This species is not related to any palm.  The juvenile form of Rhaphidophora tetrasperma is a shingling plant similar in appearance to Rhaphidophora korthalsii as well as Rhaphidophora nicolsonii but may be distinguished by a knowledgeable observer based on the petiole sheath and leaf lamina characteristics.  

Plants that shingle are found growing extremely close to their host tree as epiphytic forms (tree dwellers).  Rhaphidophora tetrasperma is quoted on the International Aroid Society website as being rare in nature and is restricted to only a few sites on the Malaysian peninsula near Kelantan and Perak as well as southern Thailand.  Very little has been published regarding this species in either scientific or commercially available literature.  In the rain forest of SE Asia the plant is a vine (liane) on the trees growing to a height of 5 meters (16 feet).  The plant is said to very rarely grow as a terrestrial species preferring to climb.

Rhaphidophora tetrasperma clings to its host with a sparse quantity of clasping roots from the nodes and internodes. The leaves can be ovate to a combination of oval and lanceolate.  A lanceolate leaf blade is one that is spear shaped.  The blades are not heavily coriaceous (leathery) and measure from 10 to 34cm (4 to 13.3 inches).  Since it is known to be a heterophyllous species, leaf variation should be expected.  Regardless of the common belief a species is determined by the shape of the leaf, that factor is rarely involved in a scientific determination.  Leaf variation among aroid species is extremely common and the shape of a leaf alone cannot be used to accurately determine a species.  An examination of the petiole supporting the leaf (commonly called the stem) will show it has a shallow groove.  In its natural range the species is found in dry to moist or wet forest as well as on sandstone and granite to an elevation of 190 to 760 meters (625 to 2500 feet).  The maximum leaf blade of our specimen in the photo above measures 16.5cm (6.5 inches).

As an aroid, Rhaphidophora tetrasperma produces a amall inflorescence with a spathe that is described as "canoe-shaped" measuring to 3.5cm (1.4 inches).  The spathe is scientifically described as "stiffly fleshy" and drops from the spadix rapidly.  The fruit that forms on the spadix of Rhaphidophora species each contain a number of small ellipsoid seeds.

Within the genera that form the tribe Monstereae, seed characteristics are frequently the only way a botanist can discern which genus any species may properly belong.  According to the excellent aroid text Aroids, Plants of the Arum Family by author Deni Bown, "Rhaph has many small oblong seeds; Amydrium has globose to heart-shape Epipremnum has a few large, kidney-shaped seeds; and Scindapsus has rounded to slightly kidney-shaped seed."  Some of the genera are so closely related the only way to divide them is by the number of seeds produced.  Within the genus Rhaphidophora there are approximately 100 known species.  I had believed a specimen of Rhaphidophora tetrasperma could be observed in the large tropical atrium at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens in Miami, FL, but as I would learn from Julius, "The shingle plant at Fairchild is not R. tetrasperma, but a new species of Rhaphidophora described by Pete Boyce and Craig Allen.  It retains its shingle juvenile form as an adult."  The genus Rhaphidophora is found from the island of Borneo, SE Asia through India and into Africa, however the species Rhaphidophora tetrasperma has a very limited natural range in only Malaysia and parts of Thailand.  The term "British India" used in the scientific description is not referring to what we now know as the country of India.

Our specimen was a gift from collector Bryan Stover and is potted in extremely porous soil containing orchid potting bark and charcoal.  The mixture is kept constantly damp in mottled light.  A word of caution, if you like this species, control where it grows!  One very knowledgeable grower warned the species can become very invasive in a greenhouse.  Apparently, if not controlled, the species will grow all over anything convenient including the fuse box, the heaters, the fan and wherever else it can run.  Easily cultivated, the species can be found very inexpensively despite the fact it is considered rare in nature.

My sincere thanks to Lucinda Lay of the Royal Botanic Garden Kew in London for providing a copy of Pete Boyce's scientific treatment of the species.  For those who would like to read the original document, you can find the work, which is published in 'Gardens Bulletin Singapore', Title: Rhaphidophora Hassk. (Araceae-Monsteroideae-Monstereae) in Peninsular Malaysia, and Singapore Volume 52, 1999, at the bottom of this page. 

Rhaphidophora tetrasperma Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 6 (1893) 548; Ridl., Mat. Fl. Malay.Malay Penins. 3 (1907) 44--45; Engl. & K. Krause in Engl., Pflanzenr. 37 (IV.23B) (1908) 48; Ridl., Fl. Malay.Malay Penins. 5 (1925) 124 - Type: Malaysia, Perak,  Scortechini 169b (K, holo). 

Distribution: Peninsular Malaysia (Kelantan, Perak). Also),  distributed in and southern Thailand. 

Small to medium-sized, rather slender, semi-pachycaul, heterophyllous liane to 5 m; seedling stage a non-skototropic shingling juvenile shoot; pre-adult plants very rarely forming terrestrial colonies; adult shoot architecture comprised of elongated, weakly clinging, physiognomically monopodial, flexuous, moderately leafy, non-flowering stems and weakly adherent or, more commonly, free lateral flowering stems; stems smooth, without prophyll, cataphyll and petiolar sheath fibre, internodes to 14 x 1 cm, separated by prominent straight leaf scars; flagellate foraging stems not observed; clasping roots sparsely produced from nodes and internodes; feeding roots stout, produced singly or in pairs from most nodes of free shoots; leaves weakly spiral-distichous; cataphylls and prophylls membranous, soon drying and falling; petiole shallowly grooved, 10--34 x 0.2--0.4 cm, smooth, apical and basal genicula slightly prominent; petiolar sheath prominent, extending to base of apical geniculum, soon falling to leave a prominent, slightly corky scar; lamina sparsely to + entirely deeply pinnatipartite to nearly pinnatisect, occasionally with large rhombic perforations adjacent to mid-rib, 12--42 x 9.5--38 cm, broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, thinly coriaceous, base truncate or very weakly cordate, apex acute to acuminate, individual pinnae up to 6 cm wide; mid-rib prominently raised abaxially, slightly sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, raised abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially; interprimaries diverging from primaries, much less prominent, slightly raised abaxially, very slightly impressed adaxially; secondary venation weakly reticulate, very slightly raised; tertiary venation barely visible; inflorescence few together, subtended by two prominent cataphylls, these soon falling; peduncle terete, 2--2.5 x 0.3--0.4 cm; spathe canoe-shaped, 3--3.5 x 0.8--1.5 cm, stiffly fleshy, apparently falling swiftly, white with adherent black cataphyll remnants; spadix cylindrical, sessile, inserted slightly decurrently on peduncle, 3--3.5 x 0.75 - 1 cm, white; stylar region well developed, mostly rhombohexagonal, c.c. 2 x 2 mm, truncate, margins deflexed; stigma elliptic, longitudinally orientated, c.c. 1 x 0.2 mm; anthers exserted at anthesis; infructescence not observed. 

Habitat: Disturbed rather dry to moist or wet forest on sandstone and granite. 190--760 m altitude. 

Notes: As noted under above, R. tetrasperma most closely resembles R. nicolsonii but may be distinguished readily on petiole sheath and leaf lamina characters. 

Other specimens seen: PENINSULAR MALAYSIA: Kelantan, Tanah Merah, Pergau Dam site, logging road to Sg Long Intake 1, Boyce 652 (K, KEP); Perak, Bidor Corner SFN s.n. (SING).