Araceae
Anthurium brenesii Croat & R.A.Baker
SUMMARY
Epiphyte; stems short, 1.5-2.5 cm diam.; roots moderately few, to ca. 5 mm diam.; cataphylls moderately thick, 10-25 cm long, acuminate at apex, tinged red at margins, weathering into fibers, drying light brown. LEAVES pendent; petioles 14-45 cm long, ca. 6 mm diam., terete: geniculum to 1.5 cm long; blades oblong, moderately coriaceous, abruptly to gradually short-acuminate at apex, acute to weakly attenuate at base, 32-68 cm long, 6-10.3 cm wide, broadest near the middle, the midrib raised above and below; the primary lateral veins 13-15 per side, departing midrib at 55° angle, sunken above, prominulous below; collective vein arising from the base, 2-5 mm from the margin, sunken above, raised below. INFLORESCENCE erect or pendent, shorter than the leaves; peduncle (10)28-43 cm long, 4-5 mm diam., terete, shorter or longer than petioles; spathe moderately thick, medium green sometimes tinged reddish at anthesis, ovate to ovate-elliptic, 5.5-8.5 cm long, 3.5-5.5 cm wide, broadest from 1 cm above the base to about the middle, acute to rounded and apiculate at apex, cordate and somewhat clasping at base, inserted at 25°-40° angle on peduncle, ± erect and held close to spadix or at ca. 45° angle to peduncle; spadix sessile or subsessilc, green, reddish-brown to red-violet, 7-8 cm long, to 8 mm diam., at base, to 6 mm diam. at apex; flowers square to weakly 4-lobed, 1.7-2.5 mm long in both directions; 6-10 flowers visible in the principal spiral, 6-9 flowers visible in the alternate spiral; the lateral tepals to 1.2 mm wide, the inner margin concave, pistil green scarcely emergent, the stigma oblong, 0.5-0.6 mm long; stamens emerging rapidly throughout, lateral stamens first, quickly followed by alternate stamens, exserted on short, translucent filaments, retracting to hold anthers just above the margins of the tepals; anthers orange, ca. 0.6 mm long, 0.8 mm wide; thecae ovate-ellipsoid, slightly divaricate; pollen orange, faintly spicy scented at anthesis. INFRUCTESCENCE spreading to pendent, the spathe usually withered, the spadix to 9 cm long, 2 cm diam.; berries exserted ca. 1 mm, before maturity, obovoid, flattened, orange (B & K Yellow-red 7/5), 9-11 mm long, 5-7.5 mm diam., rounded at apex; mesocarp juicy with sparse, thick raphide cells; seeds 2 (rarely 1), tan, 3-4.5 mm long, 2.2-3 mm wide, 1.8-2.2 mm thick, enveloped in almost translucent (tinged orange) casing, ca. 10 mm long and as wide as the seed.