Anthurium lancifolium Schott

Description

Author : Tom Croat

Description: Epiphyte or terrestrial, 30-90 cm tall; stems 1-1.5 cm diam.; the internodes very short; roots short, 3.5 mm diam.; leaf scars obscured by persisting cataphylls; cataphylls 4-7 cm long, drying reddish-brown weathering into coarse fibers. Leaves spreading; petioles 15-45 cm long, 3-5 mm diam., obscurely and narrowly flattened adaxially sometimes with a faint medial rib; geniculum ca. 1.5 cm long, tinged purplish; blades subcoriaceous, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate or oblong-elliptic, 20-30(-50) cm long, 4-12 cm wide, long-acuminate at apex, cuneate at base; both surfaces semiglossy with black glandular punctations, more conspicuously so on lower surface; midrib narrowly and convexly raised above, becoming more acute at apex, prominently raised below; the primary lateral veins 15-25 per side, departing the midrib at 35° angle, sunken in valleys above, raised below; lesser veins obscure; collective vein arising from near the base, relatively straight, extending to the apex, 5-15 mm from the margin. Inflorescence ± erect, shorter than leaves; peduncle 26-60 cm long; spathe green, oblong-lanceolate, 4.3-8.5 cm long, 0.8-1.9 cm wide, broadest at base, abruptly cuspidate at apex; spadix gray- or greenish-white, 4.5-9.5 cm long, 5-7 mm diam. at base, 4-5 mm diam. at apex; flowers rhombic to 4-lobed, 3-3.3 mm long, 3.3-3.6 mm wide, the sides straight to broadly sigmoid; ca. 5 flowers visible in the principal spiral, ca. 8 flowers visible in the alternate spiral; tepals glossy, smooth, the lateral tepals ca. 2 mm long, the inner margin convex; the pistil emergent; stigma green, elliptic, ca. 3 mm long; stamens emerging 1 or 2 at a time, exserted on fleshy, flattened filaments; anthers while, held just above tepals, 0.5-0.8 mm in both directions; thecae not divaricate; pollen white. Infructescence pendulous; spadix to 15 cm long; berries violet-purple, ovoid to globose, ca. 3-5 mm wide; mesocarp pulpy; seeds white, broadly ellipsoid, to 4 mm long, 3 mm wide, 2 mm thick, flattened.

Common names: None recorded.

Distribution: Nicaragua to Colombia from sea level to 1700 m.

Ecology: In wet forests.

Phenology:

Pollination:

Dispersal:

Taxonomic notes: It is the most common and widespread species in section Porphyrochitonium and is also one of the most variable. Blades vary in shape from linear-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate to narrowly ovate with their dried coloration varying from green to olive-green to brown. The species is recognized by its short stems with persistent, weathered cataphylls, frequently terrestrial habit, generally elongate, gradually acuminate, glandular-punctate blades that more or less equal the petiole in length, by the green, lanceolate spathe, and especially by the grayish-white, moderately short, weakly tapered spadix that has stamens persisting after anthesis, unlike most species in the section, that promptly retract their stamens. The species is known to have two varieties and more varieties or perhaps even distinct species are expected to be segregated from this variable, wide ranging species as living material of the group is studied in detail. The typical variety has dark violet-purple berries from the beginning of berry maturation, whereas the variety albifructum has berries that are white before maturity becoming faintly purple-violet at the base at maturity. Leaves of variety albifructum also differ from those of the typical variety found on Cerro Colorado where they occur together. Those of variety albifructum are narrowly ovate, rather than lanceolate, and dry yellowish-green on the lower surface. Most blades of the typical lancifolium dry rather dark. Anthurium lancifolium is similar to A. aureum Engl. of South America, which has leaves drying golden green beneath.

Conservation:

Uses:

Etymology: The epithet refers to the lanceolate leaf blades.

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