Spathiphyllum atrovirens Schott

  • Authority

    Bunting, George S. 1960. A revision of Spathiphyllum (Araceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 10: 1-54.

  • Family

    Araceae

  • Scientific Name

    Spathiphyllum atrovirens Schott

  • Description

    Species Description - Leaf-blade lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 40-61 cm long and 15-22 cm wide, the apex acuminate, the base obtuse, the primary lateral veins many, arising at an angle of 60-70°; petiole to 42 cm or more long, alate in the lower two-thirds; geniculum 1.5 cm long. Peduncle to 50 cm or more; spathe cucullate, elongateelliptic, 21-26 cm long and 6.7-7.5 cm wide, the apex attenuate-acuminate, the base acute and decurrent on the peduncle 5.5-10 cm; spadix 3.5-5 cm long, on a Stipe 0.5-1 cm long; perianth of separate segments; pistil obpyramidal, slightly constricted between the annular style and the ovary, apically subtruncate, only the elevated stigma exceeding the perianth; ovary 3-locular, the ovules superposed, varying from 4 to 3(-2) in each of the 3 locules, totaling 12-9(-8) ovules per ovary; fruit unknown.

  • Discussion

    Figure 7.

    Type collection: H . Pittier 9053, "bord d'liii ruisseau a San Francisco de Guadalupe, alt. 1170 cm," Costa Rica, Oct 1894 (neotype US, duplicate BR). The holotype, Wendland 1264, deposited at Berlin or Vienna, appears to be no longer extant, probably having been burned.

    This species is one of three Spathiphyllum species based upon Wendland collections from Costa Rica. Until the present study, S. atrovirens was known only from the (original) type collection. Though the type specimen appears to be no longer extant, I refer to this species two subsequent collections which agree well with the original description and with Schott's drawing (W). One of these collections is designated neotype of S. atrovirens.

    The exact locality where Wendland collected his speeimen is unknown, having been noted simply "bei Pedregal." Standley (Field Mus. Publ. Bot. 18: 48. 1937) stated that Wendland "entered the country by the Sarapiqui Valley, and explored especially the mountain chain from Barba to Turrialba," which restricts his localities mostly to the provinces of Heredia and Cartago. on the Atlantic side of the cordillera. Standley (op. cit. 143) further stated that S. atrovirens was found in "Guapiles and undoubtedly in other parts of the Atlantic coast; region of San Ramon at 950 meters." Guapiles is in Limon, adjacent to the earlier-named provinces. The Pittier collections came from this same region.

    S. atrovirens is closely related to S. brevirostre, but the spathe is longer-decurrent upon the peduncle, and the primary lateral veins of the leaf-blade arise at a wider angle than in S. brevirostre.

  • Distribution

    Distribution: Restricted to the Atlantic slope of the Cordillera in east central Costa Rica. COSTA RICA: pres San Francisco de Guadalupe, Mai 1893, Pittier 7995 (BR).

    Costa Rica South America|