Anthurium obscurinervium Image File

Epiphytic or terrestrial; stem to more than 30 cm long, 1–3.5 cm diam.; roots dense, short, ca. 3 mm diam.; cataphylls subcoriaceous, 4–9 cm long, acute to acuminate at apex, drying whitish (B & K yellow 9/2.5 to yellow-red 9/7.5), persisting as linear fibers. Leaves spreading; petioles (3.5)6–22 cm long, 4–10 mm diam., sharply D-shaped, slightly thicker than broad, sharply flattened to broadly and shallowly sulcate adaxially, the margins sharply raised to curved inward, rounded to obtusely or acutely angular, sometimes 1-ribbed abaxially; geniculum somewhat thicker and much paler to darker than petiole, 0.7–1.7 cm long; blades subcoriaceous, narrowly oblong-elliptic to oblong-linear, long-acuminate to short-acuminate (rarely acute) at apex, attenuate to narrowly acute at base, (18)30–79 cm long, (3.2)4–7(11) cm wide, broadest at or near the middle, the margins flat, weakly revolute; upper surface semiglossy, medium to dark green, lower surface glossy, much paler; midrib convexly raised at base, becoming acutely raised toward the apex above, prominently and acutely raised at base, becoming less pronounced toward the apex below; primary lateral veins 25–55 per side, departing midrib at 40–50 degree angle, straight to the collective vein, obscure and flat above and below; interprimary veins numerous, almost as conspicuous as primary lateral veins; tertiary veins drying visible; collective vein arising from the base, slightly more prominent than primary lateral veins, 4–6 mm from margin. Inflorescences erect-spreading; peduncle 20–45 cm long, 2–4 mm diam., 1.6–4(5.5) times as long as petiole, pale green, sometimes tinged purplish, subterete to 3–4-ribbed; spathe spreading, rarely reflexed, thin, green to pale green, sometimes tinged with purple at margins, lanceolate-elliptic to linear-lanceolate, (2.5)3–7 cm long, 0.7–1.7 cm wide, broadest near the base, short-acuminate at apex (the acumen somewhat inrolled), acute at base; stipe 2–13 mm long in front and in back; spadix medium green (B & K yellow-green 7/5) to pale green, cylindroid, scarcely tapered, curved, (1.7)4–11(15) cm long, 3–6 mm diam. near base, 2–3 mm diam. near apex; flowers 4-lobed; 2–3 mm in both directions, the sides jaggedly sigmoid, 3–5 flowers visible in principal spiral, 5–7 in alternate spiral; tepals matte, weakly and minutely papillate, droplets present at anthesis; lateral tepals 1–1.8 mm wide, the inner margins straight to broadly rounded, the outer margins irregularly 3–5-sided; pistils weakly raised, green; stigma depressed, 0.2–0.4 mm long; stamens emerging in prompt sequence from the base, the laterals preceding the alternates by 3–11 spirals, held in a tight cluster above the pistil; filaments translucent, 0.4 mm long, 0.5–0.7 mm wide; anthers creamy white, 0.6–0.7 mm long, 0.7–0.9 mm wide; thecae ellipsoid to ovoid, scarcely divaricate; pollen pale yellow fading to white. Infructescence erect to pendent; spathe persisting, green, or absent; spadix 7–16 cm long; berries green becoming purplish to purple-black, obovoid-ellipsoid, quadrangular at apex, 6 mm long, 5 mm diam.

Type: Ecuador. Cañar: along road between Azogues and El Triunfo, ca. 2 km S of Hwy. at Cedro Pampa, 80--1000 m, 2°25’S, 79°10’W, Croat 50914 (MO 2828745, holotype; AAU, BM, G, K, LL, M, MICH, NY, QCA, RSA, SEL, US, isotypes).

Bolivar: Charquiyacu, 600 m, Solis 6114 (F). Cañar: Azogues﷓El Triunfo, 2 km S of Hwy. at Cedro Pampa, 800--1000 m, 2°25'S, 79°10'W, Croat 50914 (AAU, BM, G, K, LL, M, MICH, MO, NY, QCA, RSA, SEL, US). Carchi: Gualpi Chico, near Awa encampment, 1300 m, 0°58'N, 78°16'W, Hoover et. al 2658 (MO). Cotopaxi. Río Pilalo: Quevedo﷓Latacunga, 950--1100 m, 0°53'S, 79°10'W, Holm﷓Nielsen et al. 3076 (AAU). El Oro: 11 km W of Pinas, new rd. to Santa Rosa, 890 m, Dodson et al. 9033; 850 m, 9037 (MO, SEL); Machala﷓Loja, 25 km SE of jct. to Pinas, 890 m, 4°15'S, 79°45'W, Croat 50715 (CM, MO, NY, SEL, US, TEX); 600 m, 3°28'S, 79°45'W, Cornejo & Bonifaz 2508 (GUAY, MO). Esmeraldas: 550 m, 0°19'30"N, 79°46'6"W, Palacios 13685 (QCNE, MO). Guayas: Naranjal﷓Machala, 13 km S of Naranjal, 50--150 m, Harling & Andersson 19301 (GB, MO); Cord. Chongon-Colonche, 700 m, 1°49'S, 80°37'W, Cornejo & Bonifaz 3113 (GUAY, MO, QCNE). Los Ríos: Alta Centinela, 29.5 km W of Patricia Pilar, 450--475 m, 0°33'S, 79°22'W, Croat 50664 (AAU, MO, NY, RSA); Patricia Pilar-Mayo, ridge line at El Centinela, 600 m, 0°37'S, 79°18'W, Dodson et al. 8703 (MO, SEL); Río Blanco, Santo Domingo de Los Colorados﷓Esmeraldas, Villa Hermosa, 3 km S of Km 24, 250 m, 0°5'S, 79°15'W, Croat 50694A (MO). Manabi: 300--700 m, 0°1'N, 79°57'W, Vargas et. al 1222 (MO, QCNE); 850 m, 0°1'N, 79°58'W, Vargas et. al 1321 (MO, QCNE). Pichincha: 27 km S of San Juan, 12 km NE of Chiriboga, 2000 m, 0°17'S, 78°42'W, Croat 50606A (IBE, K, MO, NY, RSA, US, VDB). Alluriquin, along small river 5 km S of village, 1000 m, Werling & Leth-Nissen 449 (QCA).