Anthurium puberulinervium
Appressed-climber or terrestrial; stem erect if terrestrial, slender and elongate, 50-200 cm long; internodes longer than broad, of varying lengths, (1)2-9(12) cm long, 5-28 mm diam., matte, light green to greenish gray when fresh, drying yellowish green to brownish gray; roots moderately numerous, drying dark brown to brownish gray, pubescent or smooth, slender and elongate, tapered at apex, 3.5-30 cm long, probably subcoriaceous, faintly 1- ribbed, ca. 6.5-20 cm long, green, acuminate at apex, drying green to yellowish green to brownish green, persisting semi-intact, mostly deciduous but sometimes persisting as fine linear fibers at the upper nodes. LEAVES with petioles (13)20-63 cm long, 3-10 mm diam. when dried, stiff, C-shaped to V-shaped, sometimes terete, sharply sulcate adaxially with the margins narrowly winged, rounded and weakly to strongly multiribbed abaxially; geniculum subterete with deep angular-concave channel, narrower than petiole when dried, 2-3 cm long; blades chartaceous to subcoriaceous, oblong-obovate to oblong ovate-triangular, abruptly acuminate to acuminate at apex, (the acumen 10-25 mm long), cordate at base, (13)20-57 cm long, (7)26-39 cm wide, broadest at point of petiole attachment or at base; anterior lobe (26)31-42 cm long, broadest at or near the base; posterior lobes (3)14-20 cm long, (9)12.5-19 cm wide, directed downward and inward (in most of the young blades, downward and somewhat outward), the apex rounded; sinus hippocrepiform to parabolic or spathulate, sometimes closed with overlapping lobes, 8.5-16 cm deep; upper surface weakly glossy, weakly to prominently bullate, lower surface matte, medium green above, yellowish green to brownish green when dried, light green to olive below; midrib above more or less concolorous with the surface when dried, convexly raised below, drying prominently raised, paler than surface when fresh and on drying; basal veins 7-8 pairs, 1st and 2nd, rarely 3rd, free to base, the remaining coalesced for up to 4-6.5 cm, sunken above, prominently raised below, when dried flat to weakly raised above, raised below; posterior rib naked, curved; primary lateral veins 9-12 per side, departing midrib at 40-55° angle, more or less straight-ascending to the collective vein, sunken above, prominently raised below, paler interprimary veins almost as conspicuous as primary lateral veins, sunken above, raised below; reticulate veins prominulous, raised when dried below, visible above; collective vein arising from usually one of the uppermost basal veins, sometimes one of the lowermost basal veins or the 1st of the primary lateral veins, sunken above, drying flat to weakly raised above, raised below, less prominent than primary lateral veins to equally as prominent as primary lateral veins, 1-15 mm from margin. INflORESCENCES more or less erect; peduncle • 25-45 cm long, 2-7 mm diam., green to greenish brown when dried, flattened adaxially; spathe erect becoming spreading and recurled, subcoriaceous, semiglossy, green to dull yellowish, greenish to yellowish green when dried, linear-lanceolate, 11-17.5 cm long, 0.8-1.6 cm wide, broadest near base, the apex acuminate; stipe 2-4 mm long in front; spadix dark violet fading to dull brownish wine to dark maroon (B & K red purple 2/2.5) sessile or subsessile, oblong-cylindroid, 10-29 cm long, 3-7 mm diam.; flowers rhombic, 2.4-2.6 mm long, 1.8-2.2 mm wide, 8-10 flowers visible in principal spiral, 5-7 flowers visible in alternate spiral; lateral tepals 1.3-1.7 mm wide, the outer margins angled, 2-3-sided, the inner margins concave; pistils raised, ca. 0.4- 0.5 mm long, the ovary with pale linear raphides embedded in its walls.
The species, a member of sect. Polyneurium,is characterized by its elongate internodes, thin cataphylls (which persist semi-intact ar upper nodes and as sparse fibers lower down on the stem), by its thin, ovate-cordate to ovate-triangular, bullate leaf blades, which dry green and by its more or less sessile, dark maroon spadix. Especially characteristic is the frequent presence of a short, puberulous pubescence on the veins of the lower surface (sometimes on the upper surface as well), for which the species is named.
Anthurium puberulinervium is known only from Venezuela in Tachira in the area between San Crist6bal and the Colombia border at 1,300-2,000 m. lt is to be expected in Colombia.
The species inhabits relatively shady areas of the understory on usually steep, rocky slopes and may occur as an erect, free-standing plant or it may lean on or climb tree trunks.