Anthurium vanderknaapii Croat

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

Distribution

Anthurium vanderknaapii is endemic to Colombia, known only from two localities, the type locality on the western slope of the Cordillera Occidentale, as well as near Manizales in the Cordillera Central.

General Description

Terrestrial, rupicolous, 1.5 m tall; internodes 2-6 (-7) cm long, to 5-8 mm diam., medium to dark green, semiglossy; roots a few at each node; cataphylls 5-8.5 cm long, turning reddish brown, sharply 1-ribbed near apex, persisting semi-intact at upper nodes; petioles 4-9 (-13.5) cm long, ca. 2 mm diam., subterete to weakly and narrowly flattened, weakly sulcate adaxially, medium dark green and semiglossy and obscurely densely short-lineate, drying light to medium reddish brown; geniculum 5-15 mm long, scarcely thicker, obtusely C-shaped to sharply C-shaped, blades subcoriaceous, dark green and moderately glossy above, slightly paler to slightly less glossy below, drying dark green to olive-green above, slightly paler yellow-green below, lanceolate, (8-)13-14(-19) cm long, (2.8-)3-4.5(-6.3) cm wide at middle; midrib raised and paler (drying concolorous) above, drying narrowly raised and slightly paler yellow below; primary lateral veins ca. 5-7 pairs per side, weakly etched above, slightly darker and flat below. INFLORESCENCE erect; peduncle 14-17.5 cm long, 1.5-2 mm diam., drying dark reddish brown, slightly ribbed; spathe broadly ovate, 4-4.5 cm long, 2.5-3.8 cm wide at widest point, almost as broad as long, subcordate, emerging white, soon becoming red-orange, then greenish in age, drying reddish brown, weakly glossy above, semiglossy below; spadix bright golden-yellow to orange, 3.5-6.5 cm long, 4-6 mm wide before anthesis, up to 1.7 cm wide at anthesis, ageing to a dirty pink, drying dark brown to dark reddish brown. Flowers 5-6 per spiral, square, the margins straight on the principal spiral, weakly sinuate on the perpendicular margins; tepals weakly glossy; pollen yellow; berries orange-red; seeds 2.25 mm long, 1.5 mm diam.; mesocarp juicy.