Anthurium cartiense Croat

Epiphyte; stems less than 20 cm long, ca. 2 cm diam.; roots dense, green, descending; cataphylls coriaceous, 4-5 cm long, acute at apex, drying dark brown (B & K Yellow 4/2.5), weathering to persistent fibers. LEAVES spreading; petioles 10-22(-30) cm long, 4-5 mm diam., subterete, sharply and shallowly sulcate, faintly ribbed medially, the sides flattened and parallel to one another; geniculum 1-1.5 cm long; blades oblong-elliptic, moderately thick, acuminate at apex, obtuse to rounded at base, 10-33 cm long, 4.5-8.5 cm wide, broadest near middle; upper surface semiglossy, eglandular, lower surface much paler, matte, densely glandular-punctate; midrib convexly raised above and below, diminishing and sunken at apex above; primary lateral veins 10-16 per side, departing midrib at 30° angle, merely etched in surface of blade above, prominulous below, straight to collective vein; lesser veins obscure above, prominulous below; collective vein arising near the base, etched above, prominulous below, 3-6 mm from margin. INFLORESCENCE spreading, sometimes shorter than leaves; peduncle 34-47 cm long, 4-5 mm wide, triangular, sometimes 2-5-ribbed or winged, often twisted, sometimes tinged red-violet, 2-5 times longer than petioles; spathe medium thick, green (B & K Yellow-green 8/10), sometimes faintly tinged red-violet, oblong-lanceolate, 4.3-4.5 cm long, ca. 1.8 cm wide, broadest at base, acuminate at apex, rounded to truncate at base, spreading at a 90° angle, twisted longitudinally and turned up near apex, inserted at 50° angle on the peduncle; spadix green or green tinged purplish (B & K. Yellow-green 4/10-5/10), 5.5-8.5 cm long, 5-8 mm diam. at base, 3-4 mm diam. at apex; flowers square, 3-4.5 mm long, 2.8-3.8 mm wide, the sides straight to gradually sigmoid, ca. 5 flowers visible in the principal spiral, ca. 7 flowers visible in the alternate spiral; tepals semiglossy, minutely papillate, lateral tepals 2.3-3 mm wide, the inner margin straight; pistil slightly raised, green becoming dark purple or green tinged dark purple; stigma linear, 0.4-0.5 mm long, green, minutely exserted, moist with minute droplets ca. 3 days before stamens emerge; stamens emerging in a regular sequence beginning at the base, laterals first quickly followed by alternates, the first lateral retracting below tepals as first alternate emerges; anthers pale green, completely retracting beneath tepals, leaving traces of white pollen. INFRUCTESCENCE not seen; berries probably lavender.