Anthurium rojasiae Croat

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

General Description

Terrestrial; internodes short, drying 1-1.8 cm diam.; cataphylls 10.5-16 cm long, weakly ribbed, drying brown to reddish brown, lanceolate, persisting at upper internodes intact, acute at apex. LEAVES: Petioles 39-64 cm × 5-8 mm, 1.1-1.4 times longer than blades, drying reddish brown; geniculum as broad as or thicker than petioles, blackened or concolorous, 2-3 cm long, drying 4-5 cm diam.; blades broadly ovate-cordate, acuminate (acumen 1-1.3 cm long with short apiculum ca. 1 mm long), 35-42.2 × 26.5-36 cm, 1.1-1.3 times longer than wide, drying dark yellowish brown, weakly glossy above, medium-dark reddish brown, semi-glossy, dark punctate below; anterior lobe 27-32.5 cm long, broadest above the petiole attachment, broadly convex along margins; posterior lobes 13.5-17 × 12-13.5 cm, directed downwards; midrib broadly convex to convex with acute margins, drying to 1 mm wide, concolorous above, broadly convex to convex, prominently raised with an acute medial rib, +/- concolorous below; primary lateral veins 4-5 per side, 2.5-4.5 cm apart, departing midrib at a 45°-55° angle and extending nearly straight to a collective vein, flat to broadly convex below, raised above, conspicuous and drying concolorous, more prominent than interprimary veins on both surfaces; basal veins 5-6 per side, 1st and usually the 2nd pairs free to base, 4th and 5th coalesced to 2-3.8 cm; basal rib naked for 1.5-2.5 cm along sinus; collective veins arising from 1st pair of basal veins but often weakly loop-connected with the 2nd or 3rd pair of basal veins, 1-3 mm from margin, less prominent than primary lateral veins; reticulate veins prominently raised. INFLORESCENCE erect; peduncle 15.5-20 cm long, drying 3-5 mm diam., drying reddish brown; spathe reflexed-spreading, green or creamy white, narrowly oblong-elliptic, 10-13.5 × 1.8-2.7 cm, acuminate at apex (acumen inrolled, ca. 4-5 mm long); spadix red, cylindroid-tapered, erect, 15-18 cm long, drying 7-8 cm diam. Flowers 1.8 × 1.4 mm, 10-11 visible per spiral; lateral tepals 1 mm wide, broadly rounded on inner margin, 2-sided on outer margin.

Diagnostic

Characterized by its dark red spadix and large reddish brown-drying, punctate blades with only 4-5 primary lateral veins. The species can be compared with A. grande N. E. Br. which differs from A. rojasiae in having blades 1.9 times longer and a greenish yellow spadix, in contrast to leaf blades 1.1-1.3 times longer than wide, and a red spadix for A. rojasiae.

Distribution

Only known from the type locality in northern Perú.

Habitat

Premontane wet forest transition to Tropical (P-wf/T), and Tropical Lower Montane wet forest (TLM-wf) life zones.