Anthurium purpureospathum Croat

Epiphytic, or terrestrial at higher elevations; stem ca. 2 cm diam.; roots dense, descending, brown to greenish, smooth to scurfy, moderately thick, somewhat elongate, 3-5 mm diam.; cataphylls coriaceous to subcoriaceous, narrowly lanceolate, 7-14(25) cm long, obtuse to acuminate at apex, yellowish green, weakly tinged with red, drying dark tan (B & K yellow 5/2.5), persisting semi-intact, eventually as a reticulum of fibers. LEAVES erect to spreading; petioles 12-37(66) cm long, 4-10 mm diam., quadrangular to D-shaped, flattened to broadly and sharply sulcate adaxially, the margins raised, rounded to 1-3-ribbed abaxially, the surface pale-speckled; geniculum thicker and paler than petiole, 1-2.5 cm long; blades subcoriaceous to moderately coriaceous, oblong-oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic, shortly acuminate at apex (the acumen apiculate), obtuse to acute or attenuate at base, 27-74(94) cm long, 7.5-40 cm wide, broadest at or above the middle, the margins broadly undulate; upper surface matte to semiglossy, dark green, lower surface glossy to weakly. glossy, paler; midrib above obtusely angular-raised to convex at base, becoming narrowly raised toward the apex, below prominently higher than broad and 1-ribbed at base, gradually becoming convexly raised toward the apex, paler than surface above and below; primary lateral veins (6)11-16 per side, departing midrib at 45-70° angle, arcuate-ascending, loop-connecting in the upper half of the blade, convexly raised in grooves, paler than surface above, prominently and convexly raised and somewhat darker than surface below; interprimary veins sometimes present, almost as conspicuous as primary lateral veins; tertiary veins weakly visible above, flat to weakly raised and darker than surface below; collective vein arising from about the middle or the base of the blade, weakly sunken above, raised and darker than surface below, less prominent than primary lateral veins, 4-8(13) mm from margin. INFLORESCENCES erect to spreading; peduncle 3-38(50) cm long, 6-20 mm diam., rarely shorter than, mostly equalling or slightly longer than petiole, purplish or green, subterete; spathe subcoriaceous, purple to purplish with green mottling especially near the base at the center, oblong to narrowly ovate, 4.5-17.5 cm long, 1.5-4 cm wide, broadest just above the base, acute at apex (the acumen cuspidate), obtuse to rounded at base; spadix dark violet-purple (B & K purple 2/7.5), cylindroid to slightly tapered, (4)5-22 cm long, 3-10 mm diam. near base, 2-5 mm diam. near apex; flowers rhombic to weakly 4-lobed, 2-2.3 mm long, 2.5-3 mm wide, the sides smoothly to jaggedly sigmoid; ca. 14 flowers visible in principal spiral, ca. 7 in alternate spiral; tepals matte with small, scattered droplets; lateral tepals 1.4-1.6 mm wide, the inner margins flat against pistil; pistils slightly raised, purple becoming green and finally orange; stigma linear, ca. 0.5 mm long, droplets persisting for 4-10 days, drying with exserted papillae 4-6 days before stamens emerge; stamens emerging slowly from the base, held tightly in a circle around pistil; filaments transparent, flattened, soon retracting, holding anthers at level of tepals, 0.7-1 mm long, ca. 0.7 mm wide; anthers pale orange; thecae ellipsoid, usually not divaricate; pollen golden yellow (B & K yellow 8/2.5) fading to creamy white. INFRUCTESCENCE erect to spreading; spathe usually persisting; spadix 9-19 cm long, to 4 cm diam.; berries orange, red-orange to red (B & K red 6/7.5), narrowly ovoid, acute with minute, mammilliform style at apex, to 10 mm long; mesocarp pasty, transparent; seeds 1 or 2 per berry, pale greenish yellow, ca. 4 mm long, 2 mm diam.