Anthurium boekei Croat

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

Diagnostic

Planta scandens; internodia 4 – 15 cm longa, 6 – 7 mm diam.; cataphylla 3 – 4 cm longa, intacte vel semi-intacte persistentia; folia petiolo 2 – 9 cm longo, lamina anguste ovata, interdum ovato-elliptica, nervis primariis lateralibus 8 – 10 utroque; pedunculus 5 – 10 cm longus, 1 – 2 mm diam.; spatha viridis; spadix viridis sub anthesi, purpureus post anthesin, 2 – 7 cm longus.

Ecology

Anthurium boekei is endemic to Ecuador, known from Loja and El Oro provinces in SW Ecuador in Premontane dry forest and Premontane moist forest life zones at elevations from 600 to 1600 m. It grows on road banks, cliffs or trees.

General Description

Scandent epiphyte or hemi-epiphyte; internodes dark brown, 4 – 15 cm long, 6 – 7 mm diam.; cataphylls persisting intact or semi-intact at upper nodes, 3 – 4 cm long. Leaves with petiole sulcate adaxially, 2 – 9 cm long (averaging 3.2 cm), drying to 1.5 – 3.5 mm diam.; blade broadly ovate, sometimes ovate-elliptic, coriaceous, semiglossy, moderately bicolorous, drying to light brown and semiglossy above, paler and matte to weakly glossy below, 8 – 14 cm long (averaging 12 cm), 4.5 – 10 cm wide (averaging 7 cm), 1.5 – 2.6 × longer than wide, rounded to emarginate at apex, often with a short apiculum; petiole/blade ratio 1.9 – 6.5 (averaging 1.8); midrib convex on both sides, paler below; primary lateral veins 8 – 10 per side, collective veins more or less equally sunken above, raised weakly below; basal veins two per side, both forming collective veins, one at or near the blade margin, one 0.5 – 1 cm from margin, at times innermost collective vein arising from lowermost primary lateral vein; upper surface sparsely glandular-punctate, glands black, c. 0.02 mm diam.; lower surface densely glandular-punctate, glands reddish brown, c. 0.15 mm diam. Inflorescence with peduncle 5 – 10 cm long, 1 – 2 mm diam.; spathe green, reflexed; spadix 2 – 7 cm long, green at anthesis, becoming purplish after anthesis; old pollen yellowish.