Anthurium ternifolium Croat & Carlsen

CATE Araceae, 17 Dec 2011. araceae.e-monocot.org

Distribution

Endemic to the eastern slopes of the Andes in Ecuador (Morona- Santiago, Napo, and Pastaza provinces).

General Description

Terrestrial or climbing epiphyte; internodes up to 7 cm long, 1.0-1.5 cm diam.; cataphylls drying reddish brown, 4-8 cm long, apex acuminate, decomposing into fibers, persisting at upper nodes. LEAVES erect; petiole (14-)20-34 cm x 3-5 mm, semiterete or Dshaped; geniculum 1.0-1.5 cm x 3-5 mm; blades deeply trilobed to [2.0-]4.0-6.5 cm from the base, subcoriaceous, 13-28 x [12-]16-26 cm, dark green, semiglossy above, slightly paler, matte below, raphides visible on upper surface, base cuneate; central lobe oblong-lanceolate, [8.5-]14.0-26.0 x [3.5-]5.0-10.0 cm, apex acuminate; midrib raised above and below, angled; primary lateral veins 5-7 per side, arcuate-ascending, sunken above, raised below, departing midrib at 30-45°; tertiary veins moderately conspicuous; collective veins arising from one of the lowermost pairs of primary lateral veins, 4-7 mm from the margin, sunken above, raised below; lateral lobes falcate [spreading], 35-45° [70-90°] from central lobe, 14-22 x 4.0-8.5 cm, apex narrowly rounded, inner margin straight to weakly concave, outer margin convex; basal veins 3-5 pairs, the first free, the rest joined for 2.5-4.0 cm; posterior ribs straight to weakly arcuate, 55-65° from midrib, naked for 1-3 cm. INFLORESCENCE erect; peduncle 20-35 cm x 2-5 mm, equal or longer than petiole; spathe green, lanceolate, reflexed, 4-8 x 0.6-1.0 cm, apex acuminate, acumen 3-5 mm long, base obtuse, clasping; spadix sessile, green, cylindric to narrowly tapered, (3-)5-10(-14) cm long, 4-5 mm diam. at base, ca. 3 mm diam. at apex; 3-4 flowers per principal spiral, rhombic, 3.0-3.5 x 2.0-2.5 mm, sides sigmoid; tepals semiglossy, lateral tepals ca. 1.5 mm wide, inner margin straight to weakly rounded, then recurved, outer margin angled; stamens not exserted; anthers ca. 3.5 x 0.5 mm, thecae elliptic, slightly divaricate; pistils emergent just at tepal level; stigma slit-like, ca. 0.5 mm across. INFRUCTESCENCE green, 7-14 x 0.7-1.5 cm; fruits green, ovate, ca. 5 x 3-4 mm.

Habitat

Premontane moist forests, premontane rain forests, and premontane wet forests.