Chlorospatha luteynii [Croat & L.P.Hannon ]

Chlorospatha luteynii

General description:

Terrestrial herb, to 1 m tall; stem not known; internodes not known (all measurements made from dried material); cataphylls not known. LEAVES 2-3, erect-spreading; petioles 40-90 cm long, glabrous, drying glossy, dark blackish brown, the epidermis in part separated ± intact, semi-transparent, sheathed 20-55 cm, 1/2 or more of total length; sheath decurrent at apex; free portion 4-6 mm diam. midway; blades deeply 5-lobed, occasionally weakly auriculate on outermost segments, ca. 35 cm long, ca. 31-40 cm wide, almost as wide as long, drying thin, weakly bicolorous; upper surface dark green, irregularly pale yellow-green-maculate (maculations 7-30 mm long, 3-12 mm wide), drying (matte)weakly glossy to semi-glossy, dark green to olive-green, maculations paler than surface; lower surface drying semi-glossy to glossy, maculations weakly paler than surface or not visible; medial lobe 24-31 cm long, 12-16 cm wide, 1.8-2.5 times longer than wide, abruptly acuminate at apex, broadest at or slightly above middle, cuneate and narrowly attached at base, 3-4 cm wide at point of attachment, ± symmetrical; lateral lobes confluent with all adjacent lobes, the confluent portion 1.5-4 cm wide; innermost segment 20-27 cm long, 8-10.5 cm wide, 2.3-2.8 times longer than wide, acuminate at apex (rarely acute), broadest at or above middle, narrowly attached at base, 3-3.5 cm wide at point of attachment, moderately inequilateral, the inner side narrower, the margin ± straight to weakly convex toward base, occasionally weakly attenuate; outer side to 1.9 times wider than inner side midway, the margin weakly convex toward base; outermost segment 15-18.5 cm long, 5-7 cm wide, 2.6-3 times longer than wide, acuminate at apex, broadest midway, narrow ly to broadly attached at base, 2-3.5 cm wide at point of attachment, moderately inequilateral, the inner side narrower, the margin ± straight toward base; outer side 1.3-1.5 times wider than inner side midway, weakly to broadly rounded toward base or forming an auricle 5.5 cm long, 2 cm wide; midrib and major venation round-raised on lower surface, drying much darker than both surfaces, almost black, ± flattened on lower surface; posterior rib naked 2-3.5 cm per side; primary lateral veins (on medial lobe) 5-6 pairs, arising at 25-40°, ± straight; primary lateral veins (on lateral lobes) 4-5 pairs, arising at 25-35°, weakly arcuate; secondary veins drying in part raised, otherwise prominulous or occasionally flattened on lower surface, moderately darker than surface; tertiary and reticulate veins drying in part prominulous, otherwise visibly distinct on lower surface, usually moderately darker than surface; reticulate veins obscure; collective veins 3, the innermost arising from the lowermost lateral vein at base, loop-connected with all preceding lateral veins, moderately scalloped, 0.4-1.2 cm from margin. INFLORESCENCES erect, to 3 per axil; peduncle held within the sheath, 20-43 cm long, ca. 2 mm diam., drying weakly glossy, dark blackish brown; spathe pale green, erect, 9-12 cm long, weakly or not at all constricted between tube and blade; spathe tube 4.3-5 cm long, 5-6 mm diam., drying matte, dark brown on outer surface, weakly glossy, paler and densely tan punctiform on inner surface (speckles regularly rounded, appearing as subepidermal cellular inclusions); spathe blade 5.5-7 cm long, 7-8 mm diam., acuminate at apex, drying matte, dark reddish brown (paler than tube), marcescent, erect after anthesis; spadix erect, 8.5-9.5 cm long, weakly stipitate 1-2 mm (stipe emerging from a small sheath in the spathe), adnate to spathe 2.7-3.6 cm, most of the length of pistillate portion; pistillate portion 2.9-3.7 cm long, ca. 4 mm diam., broadest midway, drying brownish; fertile staminate portion white, 5-6 cm long, ca. 3-6 mm diam., bluntly acute at apex, narrowed at base, tapering, drying medium-dark brown to reddish brown; sterile staminate portion 1.4-1.6 cm long, 1.5-2.2 mm diam., narrowest midway, drying dark tan; pistils weakly coherent, ca. 4-5 across the axis (viewed from above), ca. 1.2 mm long; ovaries subglobose, 1.5-2 mm diam., drying cream to tan; style disc-like, 1-2 mm diam., weakly broader than ovary apex, the margins not coherent with those of adjacent styles; stigma 0.3-0.5 mm diam., sessile; synandria ca. 1-1.5 mm long, 1-2 mm diam., coherent, truncate, deeply (2)3-4-lobed, (2)3-4-androus (either mostly 3- or mostly 4-androus on different specimens); sterile flowers ca. 1 mm long, 1.8-3 mm X 1 mm diam., ± elongated in direction of axis, coherent, truncate, subprismatic, in 6-7 whorls. BERRIES not known.

General Description Reference:

Thomas B. Croat, Lynn P. Hannon, 2004. Chlorospatha of Antioquia (Colombia)

Distribution Reference:

Thomas B. Croat, Lynn P. Hannon, 2004. Chlorospatha of Antioquia (Colombia)

Reproduction Reference:

Thomas B. Croat, Lynn P. Hannon, 2004. Chlorospatha of Antioquia (Colombia)

Distribution:

Chlorospatha luteynii is known only from the northern portion of the Cordillera Central in Antioquia Department, Colombia, at 2,440-2,800 m elevation. It would be expected to occur elsewhere in the department, on both sides of the Cordillera Central, possibly to the south in Caldas and on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Occidental in Risaralda.

Reproduction:

Flowering is known to occur in Chlorospatha luteynii during the months of April and October, with fruiting occurring in October.

Taxonomy

Taxonomic Notes:

The species is distinguished by its deeply 5-lobed, dark green, conspicuously pale yellow-green-maculate leaf blades that dry dark green to olive-green on both surfaces and more or less glossy on the lower surface, with the midrib and major venation almost black on both surfaces. The species is also distinguished by its petiole, which dries glossy, almost black, with the epidermis partially separated intact, and by its entirely pale green spathe. The spadix is noteworthy in having the fertile staminate portion much longer than the pistillate portion, almost twice as long. In Chlorospatha , the fertile staminate portion is usually shorter, weakly longer than or equal in length to the pistillate portion. The sterile staminate portion is also relatively long, 1.4-1.6 cm long and densely flowered, with the sterile flowers markedly elongated in the direction of the axis, to 3 mm long. Grayum (1986) predicted that C. croatiana Grayum ssp. croatiana, known only from Central America, at 200-1,173(1,400) m elevation, would ultimately be found in Colombia, and although that taxon and C. luteynii have in common 5-lobed leaf blades, C. luteynii should be considered distinct. Chlorospatha luteynii differs in having prominently maculate leaf blades. Weak maculations were observed on only one blade of a sterile collection of what is presumably C. croatiana ssp. croatiana from Costa Rica, with the other blades lacking maculations (on the same plant). The petiole of C. luteynii dries with the epidermis partially separated from the main body, intact and semi-transparent, differing from that of C. croatiana ssp. croatiana , which usually dries more or less fibrous, with the epidermis not separated. The spathe of C. croatiana ssp. croatiana is usually shorter, 6-9.5(10) cm long vs. 9-12 cm long in C. luteynii . The most noteworthy differences lie in the inflorescences, particularly the structure of the spadix. The spadix of C . luteynii is adnate to the spathe most of the length of the pistillate portion and is significantly longer, 8.5-9.5 cm long vs. 3.9-8 cm long in C. croatiana ssp. croatiana, in which the spadix is adnate 1/5-3/5 of the length of the pistillate portion, rarely to 3/4. The fertile staminate portion in C. croatiana ssp. croatiana is cylindrical to weakly and evenly tapering from the base, narrowly rounded at the apex and approximately as long as or slightly shorter than the pistillate portion, differing from that of C. luteynii which is prominently tapering, acute at the apex and more than 2 cm longer than the pistillate portion, occasionally almost twice as long. The sterile staminate portion in C. croatiana ssp. croatiana frequently has the axis naked 1-4 mm at the base and the sterile flowers are usually laxly arranged and only occasionally subprismatic, differing from C. luteynii in which that portion is densely flowered to the base, with the flowers consistently subprismatic. Most of the comparisons stated above hold true also for C. croatiana ssp. enneaphylla Grayum, a taxon with 7-9 lobes, from lower elevations (below 1,000 m), which frequently has maculate leaf blades. In the latter species, the segments are nearly free to the base, with the confluent portion 1-3 mm wide, whereas those of C. luteynii are broadly confluent, with the confluent portion 1.5-4 cm wide. In both subspecies of C. croatiana, the innermost collective vein is conspicuously scalloped and remote from the margin, whereas that of C. luteynii is only moderately scalloped and not markedly remote from the margin. L. Escobar et al. 8482 is a sterile collection that differs from the type in having leaf blades that dry matte to weakly glossy on the upper surface, with the major and secondary venation raised on the lower surface. This is possibly another species. Three collections (in fruit only) from Risaralda Department, Colombia, were examined in the course of this treatment and are possibly this species: W Vargas 4026 (COL), O. Rangel & Gentry 5776 (COL) and 5903 (COL). The collections are from above 2,000 m elevation but dry brown, not green, and the segments are much broader, with the lateral segments not as inequilateral as those of C. luteynii. O. Rangel & Gentry 5776 (COL) occasionally has only three lobes. Both O. Rangel & Gentry collections have the major and secondary venation drying more or less raised (not flattened) on the lower surface and neither appears to be maculate.

Taxonomic Notes Reference:

Thomas B. Croat, Lynn P. Hannon, 2004. Chlorospatha of Antioquia (Colombia)

CATE Araceae

Araceae

Chlorospatha luteynii Croat & L.P.Hannon

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