Anthurium lasabanetaense Croat & O.Ortiz, 2016

Ortiz, Orlando O. & Croat, Thomas B., 2016, New Species of Anthurium section Calomystrium from Costa Rica and Panama, Phytotaxa 257 (1), pp. 34-50 : 38-41

Anthurium lasabanetaense Croat & O.Ortiz , sp. nov. ( Figs. 2–3 )

Species characterized by its terrestrial habit, cataphylls 10–12.5 cm long and promptly deciduous, subterete petioles which are typically longer than the blades, thick ovate cordate-sagittate, acuminate down-turned blades with a parabolic to spathulate sinus, 4–5 pairs of basal veins, 5–6 pairs of primary lateral veins, collective veins arising from first pair of basal veins, upper surface drying wrinkled-ridged with pits, densely pale punctate and pale short-lineate throughout, lower surface conspicuously pustular, minutely and faintly reddish brown speckled, inflorescence long-pedunculate with a cupuliform, white, broadly ovate-subcordate spathe with reddish veins, a spadix creamy-white to red, cylindroid, infrutescence with a green spathe and a broadly cylindroid spadix with red berries.

Type: — PANAMÁ. Veraguas: Parque Nacional Santa Fe, La Sabaneta, Bosque de aproximadamente 6–8 m de alto, con palmeras ( Colpothrinax aphanopela R. Evans ), 1000 m, 8°41’01”N, 80°59’09”W, 16 Julio 2009, Alicia Ibáñez, Fermín Hernández, José Guerra & Victor Concepción 5767 AI (holotype, PMA!).

Terrestrial herb to less than 1 m tall; internodes 1.5 cm diam., slightly longer than broad, drying gray-brown, semiglossy, irregularly ribbed; cataphylls 8.0– 12.5 cm long, turning moderately coriaceous, initially reddish brown, turning pale gray-brown, promptly deciduous; petioles subterete, 14.0– 23.5 cm long, drying 3–4 mm diam., semiglossy, drying sulcate, matte, finely many-ribbed, the area between the ribs finely and minutely granular; blades narrowly ovate-sagittate 16.0–17.5 × 10–13.2 cm, 1.3–1.7 times longer than broad, 0.59–0.78 times as long as petioles, gradually acuminate at apex, deeply lobed at base, coriaceous, dark green and semiglossy above, slightly paler below, drying gray-brown and matte above, moderately paler, slightly paler, obscurely dark-punctate and yellow-brown, sparcely pustular below; anterior lobe 13.0–15.5 × 12.1 cm, broadly rounded on margins; posterior lobes 5.0–6.3 × 4.1–5.5 cm; basal veins 4–5 pairs, 1st pair free to the base, 2nd pair fused 1.2 cm, 3rd & 4th pairs fused 3 cm, both 1st and 2nd pairs arising to the apex, the innermost, 0.5–0.7 mm from margins; posterior rib nearly straight, naked nearly ½ its length; sinus parabolic to spathulate 4.5 cm deep, 2.5–5.0 cm wide; midrib narrowly rounded, drying nearly concolorous, irregularly acute-ribbed above, drying darker brown and acute below with a medial rib and many small finer ribs on the sides; primary lateral veins 3–6, departing midrib 45-60° angle; collective veins from 1st pair of basal veins, 5 mm from margins; tertiary veins moderately prominent below; upper surface drying wrinkled-ridged with pits, densely pale punctate and pale short-lineate throughout; lower surface conspicuously pustular, minutely and faintly reddish brown speckled. Inflorescence markedly long-pedunculate, peduncle reddish, 44.0– 53.5 cm long, 4–5 mm diam., drying dark brown; spathe 5.5–7.8 × 3.5–5.0 cm, broadly ovate-subcordate, conspicuously naviculiform, abruptly acuminate, white and moderately glossy inside, with many red veins; spadix cylindroid, creamy-white at anthesis, red in post-anthesis, 2.8–3.9 cm long, 7–10 mm diam., 4 times longer than wide, rounded at apex, stipitate ca. 10 mm; f lowers 5–7 visible per spiral; 2 mm long and wide; tepals smooth; stamens held at the level of the tepals; anthers 0.4 × 0.6 mm. Infructescence sometimes reclining; spathe light green with many dark longitudinal veins with cross-veins between; spadix oblong-ellipsoid, 5 cm long, 2.3 cm diam., 2.3 times longer than wide, rounded at apex, tepals minutely granular; berries 5 mm diam., red.

Eponymy:— The species is named for the type locality at La Sabaneta in the Santa Fe National Park in Veraguas Province of Panama.

Distribution:— This species is endemic to Panama, known only from the type locality in Veraguas province, Santa Fe, Panama.

Habitat and Ecology:— Anthurium lasabanetaense grows at 1100 m in a Montane rain forest life zone according to the classification of Holdridge et al. (1971). According to Cáceres-González & Ibáñez (2014), the vegetation of La Sabaneta resembles a highland savanna, dominated by Colpothrinax aphanopetala Evans (2001: 189) and abundant trees of the families Clusiaceae , Myrsinaceae , Ericaceae and Araliaceae .

Phenology:— Two specimens examined flowered in February and October, but two other specimens were fruiting in July and September. This species maybe flowers and fruits throughout the year, but further investigations are required to determine exact flowering and fruiting times.

Conservation status:— This species is notable for its reduced geographical range. Cáceres-González & Ibáñez (2014) mention that compared to other sites throughout the country, the La Sabaneta region in Santa Fe National Park is a place with special and unusual ecological characteristics. We suggest this species be considered in the CR B2ab(iii) category according to the IUCN Red List Criteria ( IUCN 2001).

Discussion:— In Panama Anthurium lasabanetaense could be confused only with A. obtusilobum Schott , A. sanctifidense Croat (1981: 334) , A. sapense Croat (1986: 178) and A. globosum Croat (1986: 105) , all of which have similar blade shapes and whitish spathes. Anthurium obtusilobum also differs by blades with collective veins arising from one of the lowermost basal veins (vs. collective veins from first pair of basal veins), basal veins ca. 8 pairs (vs. 4–5 pairs of basal veins) and inflorescences with reflexed, oblong-elliptic spathes at anthesis (vs. erect, ovate-subcordate and naviculiform spathes); A. sanctifidense differs by broadly ovate blades with lower surfaces moderately paler and glaucous when fresh (vs. ovate-sagittate blades, not glaucous on lower surface for A. lasabantense ), ovate to lanceolate spathes at anthesis (vs. ovate-subcordate, naviculiform spathes) and infructescences with purplish spadices and violet purple or orange berries (vs. infructescences with reddish spadices with red berries); A. sapense differs by ovate-triangular blades (vs. ovate-sagittate blades), entirely white spathes without red veins at anthesis (vs. white spathes with many red veins), purplish berries (vs. red berries) and A. globosum differs by inflorescences at anthesis with green spathes (vs. white spathes) and globose spadices (vs. cylindroid spadices).

In the Lucid Anthurium key ( Haigh et al. 2009) A. lasabanetaense tracks to Anthurium roseospadix Croat (1986: 170) which differs by inflorescences with shorter, 7.5–18.0 cm long peduncles (versus peduncles 44.0– 53.5 cm long), violet-purple spadices at anthesis (vs. creamy-white spadices) and whitish berries (vs. red berries).

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— PANAMÁ. Veraguas: Parque Nacional Santa Fe. La Sabaneta, entrando por Piragual, trocha que atraviesa el parque, desde Piragual al río Concepción, 8°40’16”N, 80°59’30”W, 5 Octubre 2008, Hernández 1066 (PMA); Área abierta con palmeras ( Colpothrinax aphanopela R. Evans ), 1100 m, 8°40’38”N, 80°59’31”W, 15 Julio 2009, Ibáñez, Hernández, Guerra & Concepción 5743 AI (PMA); Área abierta con palmeras ( Colpothrinax aphanopela R. Evans ), 1100 m, 8°40’33”N, 80°59’28”W, 18 Febrero 2010, Ibáñez, Flores, Concepción & Ábrego 6086 AI (PMA); Bosque achaparrado, dominado por Colpothrinax aphanopela ( Arecaceae ), vertiente Caribe, 1240 m, 8°40’34”N, 80°59’31”W, 30 Septiembre 2014, Batista, Cano, Perret & Rodríguez 1190 (MO, PMA).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Anthurium lasabanetaense Croat & O. Ortiz. Holotype specimen: Panama.Veraguas: Parque Nacional Santa Fe, La Sabaneta, Bosque de aproximadamente 6–8 m de alto, con palmeras (Colpothrinax aphanopela R. Evans), 1000 m, 8°41’01”N, 80°59’09”W, 16 Julio 2009, Alicia Ibáñez, Fermín Hernández, José Guerra & Victor Concepción 5767 (Photo MO Herbarium).

FIGURE 3. Anthurium lasabanetaense in its habitat at the type locality (Veraguas province, Santa Fe National Park, around La Sabaneta). A. In its habitat, Ibáñez, Flores, Concepción & Ábrego 6086 (PhotoAlicia Ibáñez).B. Flowering spadix (post anthesis), Ibáñez, Hernández, Guerra & Concepción 5767 (Photo Alicia Ibáñez). C. Flowering spadix at anthesis, Batista, Cano, Perret & Rodríguez 1190 (Photo Juvenal E. Batista). D. Infrutescence spadix, Ibáñez, Hernández, Guerra & Concepción 5743 (Photo Alicia Ibáñez).