Monstera corana M. Cedeño & O. Ortiz, 2025

Cedeño-Fonseca, Marco, Ortiz, Orlando O., Hay, Alistair & Zuluaga, Alejandro, 2025, Land of giants: two new pachycaul Monstera (Araceae, Monsteroideae, Monstereae) from Panama, PhytoKeys 267, pp. 109-122 : 109-122

Monstera corana M. Cedeño & O. Ortiz sp. nov.

Figs 1 , 2 , 3

Type.

Panama • Provincia Bocas del Toro: distrito Chiriquí Grande, corregimiento Chiriquí Grande , áreas abiertas alrededor de la carretera principal, 17 November 2022, 85 m elev., M. Cedeño, O. Ortiz, N. Köster, A. Hay & R. da pena 2730 ( holotype PMA!; isotype B!) .

Diagnosis.

Monstera corana differs from M. buseyi Croat & Grayum by having white, connected and consistently branched primary lateral veins (vs. weakly connected to each other at the base and sometimes weakly branching), 20-35 lateral veins per side (vs. 35–65 per side), blades decurrent at the geniculum (vs. broadly cuneate to truncate at base) and a thin, distally undulate petiole sheath (vs. petiole sheath never undulate).

Description.

Robust appressed-climbing nomadic vine. SEEDLINGS: unknown. JUVENILE PLANTS: unknown. ADULT PLANTS: root climbers; stem cylindrical, minutely white-green warty, looking like a pulverulent indument; internodes 0.5–7 cm long, 4–7 cm diam.; anchor roots blackish; feeder roots blackish; petiole 50–75 cm long, green, minutely white punctulate especially towards the base, minutely white-green warty the rest of its length (like the stem), sheathed along its entire length; petiole sheath thin, persistent and undulate from the middle of the petiole to the geniculum, deciduous from middle to the base; geniculum minutely white-green warty throughout, flattened adaxially and transversally convex abaxially, 5.0– 7.5 cm long; blades 50–80 × 40–55 cm, narrowly ovate, rounded or asymmetric at base, shortly acuminate at the apex, membranaceous, decurrent on the geniculum and almost connecting with petiole sheath; mid-rib white, concave adaxially, square abaxially; primary lateral veins 20–35 per side, impressed adaxially, prominent abaxially the base of each vein abruptly prominent, connected to each other at the union with the main vein, thick and white up to half their length, diverging at 80–90 ° and often with one or two subsidiary (branching) veins starting from the base or close to the base, on either side of the primary lateral vein, running near the primary vein and then separate until they reach the margin; secondary veins parallel to the primary lateral veins; collective vein poorly visible; fenestrations scarce, near the mid-rib, when present in two rows along the mid-rib, comprising small oblong holes 0.5–4 cm long, often scattered towards the margin; margins entire. INFLORESCENCES solitary, produced on ascending stems; peduncle 25 cm long, minutely white-green verrucose; spathe unknown; spadix 22 cm long, 5 cm diam.; basal sterile flowers 3–4 mm long; fertile flowers 5–7 mm long; stamens unknown; anthers unknown; ovary quadrangular in longitudinal section, 2–3 mm long, style truncate; stigma linear; berries with the stylar cap after anthesis white, white-cream when ripe; pulp white; seeds unknown.

Etymology.

The epithet “ corana ” refers to Cora Jane, the daughter of Dr. Sarah Spaulding, who has been a supporter of several projects about Aroid conservation in Costa Rica.

Distribution and ecology.

Monstera corana is endemic to Panama, known only from the type locality ( Chiriquí Grande, Bocas del Toro Provinces) at 85 m elevation in a Tropical rain forest life zone.

Phenology.

Flowering unknown; mature fruits in November.

Discussion.

This species is a member of Monstera sect. Monstera and is characterised by its stem with densely and finely white-green warts, the green petiole white punctulate towards the base and densely and finely white-green warty towards the apex, the petiole sheath undulate from the middle of the petiole extending to the base of the geniculum, the blades narrowly ovate, rounded or asymmetric at base and weakly perforated near the mid-rib, primary lateral veins thick and white, connected to each other and the union with the main vein and abruptly prominent at the base, with subsidiary veins arising from the base or close to the base of the primary vein (Table 1 ).

Monstera corana is most similar to M. buseyi which differs in having green petiole white punctulate toward the base and densely and finely white-green warts towards the apex (vs. petiole green with black warts), the petiole sheath distally undulate (vs. petiole sheath never undulate), leaf blade 50–80 × 40–55 cm, narrowly ovate, rounded or asymmetric at base (vs. leaf blade 27–75 × 11–33 cm, ovate to lanceolate-ovate or elliptic, broadly cuneate to truncate at base), and primary lateral veins 20–35 per side, white and strongly connected to each other at the base and always strongly branching (vs. primary lateral veins 35–65 per side, pale green and weakly connected to each other at the base and sometimes weakly branching) (Table 1 ).

Monstera corana is also similar to M. alfaroi and M. costaricensis (Engl. & K. Krause) Croat & Grayum. However , it differs from M. alfaroi in having the green petiole minutely white punctulate toward the base (vs. petiole brown at base, brown-black and white warty), the petiole sheath thin and distally undulate, persistent from half way to the geniculum or deciduous from half way towards the base (vs. petiole sheath undulate in the new leaf and later deciduous), primary lateral veins abruptly prominent at the base connected to each other, diverging at 80–90 ° and with two branching veins that start from the base or close to the base (vs. primary lateral veins never connected to each other at the base, diverging at 50–70 ° and never branching), leaf blade membranaceous, decurrent on the geniculum and almost connecting with petiole sheath, (vs. leaf blade coriaceous or subcoriaceous, not decurrent on the geniculum) and Monstera corana occurs at 85 m elevation in Tropical rain forest whereas M. alfaroi occurs at 1100–1250 m elevation in Lower montane rain forest life zone (Table 1 ).

Monstera corana differs from M. costaricensis in having the petiole sheath thin and distally undulate (vs. petiole sheath thick and undulate throughout its length), the leaf blade 40–55 cm wide, membranaceous and decurrent on the geniculum and almost connecting with petiole sheath (vs. leaf blade 15–35 cm wide, coriaceous or thinly coriaceous, slightly decurrent-undulate up to medial part of the geniculum), lateral veins abruptly prominent at the base connected to each other, diverging at 80–90 ° and with two branching veins that start from the base (vs. primary lateral veins never branching, departing at 45–65 °) and the flower in the spadix with truncate style (vs. flower in the spadix with conic style) (Table 1 ). Monstera corana and M. costaricensis occur sympatrically in the tropical rain forest in Chiriquí Grande area.

Figures

Figure 1. Monstera corana M. Cedeño & O. Ortiz. A. Adult plant growing in the forest around Chiriquí Grande; B. The first and second authors with the adult plant in the type locality – Photo by A. Hay; C. Petiole sheath thin and undulate (white arrow) and the geniculum flattened adaxially and transversally convex abaxially (black arrow); D. Infructescence in development; E. Spadix with the white stylar caps after anthesis and the styles truncate (black arrow). Photos by M. Cedeño.

Figure 2. Patterns of primary lateral veins of Monstera corana M. Cedeño & O. Ortiz and similar species. A. M. corana with primary lateral connected to each other at the base (white arrow), thick and white up to half its length, with one or two branching veins that start from the base (black arrow); B. M. buseyi with primary lateral veins green and weakly branching; C. M. alfaroi with primary lateral veins white and not branched; D. M. costaricensis with primary lateral veins white and not branched. Photos by M. Cedeño.

Figure 3. Petioles ornamentation of Monstera corana M. Cedeño & O. Ortiz and similar species. A. Adult plant of Monstera corana with petiole sheath deciduous in the lower half of the petiole and undulate in the upper half to near the base of the geniculum; (I) petiole green punctulate at the base with green and white punctae; B. Adult plant of M. buseyi with petiole sheath deciduous; (II) petiole green black verrucose; C. Adult plant of M. alfaroi with petiole sheath deciduous; (III) petiole brown with brown and black verrucose; D. Adult plant of M. costaricensis with petiole sheath undulate throughout its length; (IV) petiole with green and white verrucose. Photos by M. Cedeño.