Anthurium chamberlainii Mast.

Anthurium chamberlainii was originally described by Masters (1888) based on a living collection that was thought to be introduced from Venezuela toward the end of the 19th century. There was always considerable doubt of its provenance owing to the fact that the species had never been seen in Venezuela despite extensive botanizing by the senior author of this paper, and by George Bunting who spent most of his long career in Venezuela working on Araceae. Gilberto Morillo who studied the flora of the higher portions of the Cordillera de Merida reported never seeing the species (G. Morillo, pers. com.). Thus it came as a great surprise to learn that a collection at the Munich Botanical Garden, occurring in the State of Merida in Venezuela by Frank Hase, a bromeliad enthusiast from Bochum, Germany, has proven to be this long lost species. Since Masters’ specimen was rather quaintly described and does not comport to modern descriptions in content or style, the species is herein being completely redescribed. The original specimen prepared by Masters is complete and thus capable of being interpreted, thus there is no need for an epitype. However the current collection cited below serves to provide greater accuracy of location and its description is comparable to other species making direct comparisons possible. The new description was reentered into the Lucid Anthurium Key.
The species might be most easily confused with A. betanianum Croat, another large Belolonchium which differs in having the collective veins arising from one of the primary lateral veins. In the Lucid Anthurium Key the species tracks to A. cartilagineum (Desf.) Kunth, differing by having much smaller leaves (less than 75 x 40 cm) with the collective veins arising from the first pair of basal veins and very remote from the margin as well as by having a spadix with fewer flowers per spiral and much larger flowers; A. macarenense Schultes & Idrobo, differing by having a much narrower spathe with deep red or maroon on both sides with greenish veins; A. oxybelium Schott, differing by having more slender internodes typically longer than broad, a more cylindroid spadix with the stamens exserted and A. supianum Engl. from western Colombia, differing by having much smaller leaves (blades to 40 cm long) and a smaller more slender spreading spathe (to 7 cm long and 1.5 cm wide). Other members of section Belolonchium in Venezuela also differ.  Anthurium berryi Bunting differs by having the primary lateral veins from the uppermost basal veins; A. davidsei Croat and A. ginesii Croat, both differing in having the collective veins from the uppermost basal veins and by having a reflexed spathe; A. tatei G. S. Bunting, differing in having a mitered sinus, 6 pairs of basal veins, collective veins arising from 4th pair of basal veins and a spreading green spathe; A. nubicola Bunting, differing by having much smaller blades (52 x 28 cm) with the collective veins from the 1st or 2nd pair of basal veins and with a much shorter and stubbier purple spadix and A. tachiranum Croat, differing in having hastate to subhastate blades with the collective veins arising from the primary lateral veins from the upper basal veins.