Anthurium umbraculum [Sodiro ]

Anthurium umbraculum

General description:

Hemiepiphytic, appressed epiphyte, or sometimes terrestrial; internodes short, to 4 cm long, .6-3.7 cm diam.; cataphylls thin, to 20 cm long, drying tan to red-brown, deciduous or persisting as a rotten, black, formless mass on stems; petioles 40-80 (125) cm long (averaging 78.3 cm), 7-12 mm diam., terete, narrowly and obtusely sulcate, medium green, semiglossy; geniculum much swollen, weakly sulcate, 1.5-3.5 cm long; blades cordate, ovate-triangular, narrowly acuminate at apex, (34-)50-90 cm long, (23-)30-66 cm wide (averaging 62 x 43 cm), 1.4-1.7 times longer than broad, .7-.9 times longer than the petioles, broadest somewhat below point of petiole attachment, subcoriaceous, convex at the margins; anterior lobe 31-65 cm long, 30-66 cm wide; posterior lobe 10-26 cm long, 11-30 cm wide, directed inward; sinus spathulate, 7.5-24 cm deep; upper surface dark green, matte, raised below, darker than surface; collective vein originating from near base, 2-3 mm from margin; INFLORESCENCES spreading; peduncle 25-33 cm long, 4-5 mm diam.; spathe chartaceous, spreading, pale green, brittle, 12-28 cm long, 1.5-2.5 cm wide; spadix green, tinged with red, becoming yellowish brown at anthesis, weakly glossy, curved, tapered, 18-28 cm long, 8-13 mm diam. at base, 3-6 mm at apex; tepals moderately glossy; pistils weakly exserted; pollen yellow-orange. Flowers 6-8 per primary spiral, 1.3-1.7 mm long, 1.6-2.0 mm wide.

General Description Reference:

Thomas B. Croat, Pu Huang, Jeffrey Lake, Carla V. Kostelac, 2009. Araceae of the Flora of Reserva La Planada, Narino Department, Colombia (Part 1)

Distribution Reference:

Thomas B. Croat, Pu Huang, Jeffrey Lake, Carla V. Kostelac, 2009. Araceae of the Flora of Reserva La Planada, Narino Department, Colombia (Part 1)

Distribution:

Anthurium umbraculum ranges from Colombia (Narino) to Ecuador (Azuay, Bolivar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Imbabura, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua), at elevations of 850-2,600 m (mostly above 1,700 m), in Montane moist forest, Montane wet forest and Premontane wet forest. It is been particularly well developed on the Pacific slope of Volcan Pichincha. It is relatively common throughout the area of La Planada study site and has been also collected in Narino at lower elevations.

Taxonomy

Taxonomic Notes:

This species is a member of sect. Polyneurium. It is recognized by its short internodes, cataphylls persisting as a rotten, black, formless mass on stems, the terete, narrowly and obtusely sulcate petioles, the more or less ovate, velvety leaf blades with numerous primary lateral veins which are close and raised in valleys as well as the green, brittle spathes and the yellowish brown spadices. Anthurium umbraculum is probably most easily confused with A. dolichostachyum (a species thus far not found at La Planada) owing to its similar stem with mostly deciduous cataphylls, petioles and blades of similar size and shape and the sometimes pale green inflorescence with a broad, brittle spathe. That species differs in having the berries red rather than greenish. Anthurium umbraculum is also similar to A.pulverulentum, but that species differs in having smaller blades which lack raised primary lateral veins and dry lighter green instead of blackish and in having stems with longer, more slender internodes which dry with many close, perpendicular fissures and with more persistent pale cataphyll fibers persisting. Anthurium umbraculum as it occurs at La Planada has blades with the lower surface having less conspicuously raised veins than does material of the species in the type locality on Volcan Pichincha in Central Ecuador but otherwise the characteristics present fit those of A. umbraculum.

Taxonomic Notes Reference:

Thomas B. Croat, Pu Huang, Jeffrey Lake, Carla V. Kostelac, 2009. Araceae of the Flora of Reserva La Planada, Narino Department, Colombia (Part 1)

CATE Araceae

Araceae

Anthurium umbraculum Sodiro

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