Araceae
Anthurium brownii Mast.
SUMMARY
Epiphyte; stems short, 2.5-3 cm diam.; roots few, thick, puberulent to densely velutinous; cataphylls coriaceous, 9-15 cm long, caudate-acuminate at apex, drying reddish-brown (B & K Yellow 4/2.5), persisting ± intact, ultimately weathering to a network of fibers at base. LEAVES erect to spreading; petioles 13-100 cm long, 3-10 mm diam., subterete, shallowly and bluntly sulcate; geniculum 2-2.5 cm long, sometimes tinged red-violet (B & K Red-purple 4/10); blades narrowly ovate-triangular, moderately thick, 15-66 cm long, 11-48 cm wide, broadest at base, gradually acuminate at apex (the acumen flat, apiculate), prominently lobed at base; anterior lobe 11-40 cm long, the margins straight to convex; posterior lobes 4-13 cm long, directed sharply upward; the upper surface matte to semiglossy, lower surface paler; midrib convexly raised above, sometimes tinged reddish, sunken at apex, acutely raised below; basal veins 5-6 pairs, the first to fourth coalesced 2-6 cm, the posterior rib naked, upturned along outer margin; primary lateral veins 4-8 per side, departing midrib at 25°-35° angle, raised in valleys at base above, sunken at apex, raised below; lesser veins visible but less prominent; collective vein arising from first basal vein or lowest primary lateral vein, 2-7 mm from margin. INFLORESCENCE erect, longer than leaves; peduncle 51-65.6 cm long, 4-6 mm diam., terete, green mottled with red-violet, longer than petioles; spathe lanceolate, green (B & K Yellow-green 6/10), 8-23 cm long, 1.5-4.5 cm wide, acuminate at apex, round to cordate at base; spadix stipitate to ca. 11 cm, violet-purple, 7-28 cm long, 4-15 mm diam.; flowers rhombic, 2.5-3.2 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, the sides straight to sigmoid; 7-10 flowers visible in the principal spiral, 5-12 flowers visible in the alternate spiral; tepals matte, punctate, minutely papillate, sometimes with droplets, lateral tepals 1.8-2 mm wide, the inner margin broadly rounded; pistils emergent; stigmas linear, ca. 0.5 mm long, large droplet apparent ca. 1 week before first stamens appear, turning glossy then gray and drying when anthers open; stamens emerging rapidly in a ± systematic progression from base, lateral stamens emerging in basal one third before alternates emerge, held in circle around pistil; anthers yellow or tinged purple, thecae moderately divaricate, pollen purple fading to white sometimes yellow, with a pungent fruity aroma at anthesis. INFRUCTESCENCE pendent-spreading, 38 cm long, 3 cm diam.; berries ellipsoid to obovoid, 5-8 mm long, ca. 5 mm wide, orange to red-orange (B & K Yellow-red 7/2.5); pericarp thick; mesocarp juicy; seeds 2, oblong, greenish-white, flattened with transparent sticky appendages at both ends, elongated at apex, rounded at base.