Araceae
Anthurium sapense Croat
SUMMARY
Epiphyte; stems to 1.5 cm diam.; internodes short near apex but quite elongate in lower portion of stem; leaf scars inconspicuous; cataphylls 15-16 cm long, moderately thick, abruptly acuminate at apex, turning reddish brown and persisting intact. LEAVES with petioles 31-55 cm long, obtusely sulcate; geniculum ca. 1.5 cm long; blades subcoriaceous (dry), ovate-triangular, acuminate at apex, deeply lobed at base, 27-31 cm long, 20-22 cm wide, broadest at the base or at point of petiole attachment; anterior lobe 17-21 cm long, the margins straight to weakly concave, the posterior lobes narrow, broadly curved downward, 12-13 cm long (from apex of sinus to tip of lobe); sinus mostly hippocrepiform when flattened, rounded at apex; both surfaces semiglossy; midrib and basal veins drying raised above, sharply raised below, the basal veins 6 or 7 pairs, the first pair (and sometimes the second pair) free to the base, the third pair coalesced to the higher order veins 2-3 cm, the posterior ribs curved, naked for 4-4.5 cm; primary lateral veins 3 or 4 per side, departing midrib at 60-65° angle, arcuate to the collective vein, drying raised on both surfaces; interprimary veins, secondary and tertiary veins drying prominent; reticulate veins drying prominulous; collective vein arising from one of the lower basal veins, weakly sunken above, prominulous below, 2-6 mm from the margin. INFLORESCENCE longer than the leaves; peduncles 53-74 cm long, terete, longer than the petioles; spathe white, broadly ovate to obovate, 10-13 cm long, 5.5-7.2 cm wide, broadest usually at middle, caudate at apex (the acumen 2 cm or longer), rounded to cordate and clasping at base; spadix sessile, pink, slightly tapered, bluntly rounded at apex, 7-9 cm long, 7-9 mm diam. at base, ca. 5 mm diam. near apex; flowers rhombic to sub-4-lobed, 1.6-1.8 mm long, 1.7-1.9 mm wide, 8-9 flowers visible in the principal spiral, 12÷14 flowers visible in the alternate spiral, the sides sigmoid; tepals semiglossy, the lateral tepals ca. 1 mm wide, the inner margins drying upturned and concave; pistils not emergent; stamens (dried) possibly retracted; anthers 0.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide; thecae ovoid, slightly divaricate. INFRUCTESCENCE with white berries (fide Hammel 1168, not seen).