Anthurium schlechtendalii subsp. schlechtendalii

Epiphytic or epilithic; stem usually short, but reported to 40 cm long, 2.5-5.5 cm diam.; leaf scars obscured by root mass, to 4.2 cm wide; roots numerous, dense, ascending to descending, greenish to tan, smooth, short to moderately elongate, tapered, 3-8 mm diam.; cataphylls moderately coriaceous, curved, 7.5-16 cm long, caudate-apiculate at apex, drying brown, initially persisting intact, but eventually as a reticulum of fibers. LEAVES erect; petioles (2.5)10-23 cm long, 4-20 mm diam., quadrangular to trapezoidal, rarely D-shaped or terete, mostly widest adaxially, flattened to shallowly sulcate and with sharp margins adaxially, sharply to bluntly ribbed abaxially, rarely rounded; geniculum somewhat thicker and paler than petiole, 1-2 cm long; blades coriaceous, obovate-elliptic to broadly oblanceolate, acute to short-acuminate at apex (the acumen apiculate), acute to obtuse at base, (16.5)30-140(175) cm long, (4.5)10-60 cm wide, broadest near or above middle, the margins prominently undulate; both surfaces matte to semiglossy, medium green above, paler below, drying greenish; midrib flat to weakly raised at base, becoming more acute (sometimes weakly ribbed), diminishing and sunken at apex above, raised and square at base below, convexly raised at apex; primary lateral veins 15-16 per side, departing midrib at 50° angle, straight almost to the margin, then arcuate toward the apex, sharply to convexly raised and paler than surface above and below; tertiary veins flat, scarcely visible above, darker than surface below; collective vein arising from near the apex, sunken above, raised below, 2-5 mm from margin. INFLORESCENCES erect to spreading, sometimes pendent, shorter than leaves; peduncle 10-43 cm long, (4)6-13 mm diam., l.6-7.4 x as long as petiole, plain green or tinged with violet-purple, terete to weakly flattened and ribbed; spathe spreading to strongly reflexed, coriaceous, plain green or heavily tinged with violet-purple to red or entirely purple, narrowly triangular to lanceolate, (8)10-28 cm long, (0.7)1.5-5 cm wide, inserted at 70° angle on peduncle, acuminate at apex (the acumen inrolled), obtuse at base; spadix green to gray to brown to red to purplish violet, tapered, curved, (5.5)8-29 cm long, (7)17-20 mm diam. near base, 4-6 mm diam. near apex; flowers square, (2)2.2-2.6 mm in both directions, the sides straight to weakly sigmoid; 7-17 flowers visible in principal spiral, 10-14 in alternate spiral; tepals matte, purplish punctate; lateral tepals 1-1.3 mm wide, the inner margins convex and turned up against pistil; pistils emergent to 1 mm, dark purple to brown; stigma linear, 0.8 mm long, droplets appearing ca. 4 days before stamens emerge; stamens emerging rapidly from the base, lateral stamens emerging to midway before alternates emerge; filaments translucent, soon retracting, 0.2-0.5 mm long, 1 mm wide; anthers yellow to pale orange, 0.9 mm long in both directions, inclined over the pistil; thecae ± oblong, scarcely divaricate; pollen orange fading to cream, yeasty-scented at anthesis. INFRUCTESCENCE arching-pendent; spathe persisting; peduncle to 4 cm diam.; spadix 15.5-65(80) cm long, 4-6(9) cm diam.; berries bright red, obovoid to oblong to ellipsoid, rounded to acute at apex, 10-29 mm long, (5)6-7 mm diam.; pericarp thickened; mesocarp pulpy, white, with numerous raphide cells; seeds 2 per berry, greenish white, ovoid to oblong, flattened, 3-6 mm long, 1.5-3 mm diam., 1-1.5 mm thick, astringent to taste.