Anthurium melastomatis Croat

Terrestrial or epiphytic, more or less erect; stems to ca. 1 m long, 8-12 mm diam.; inter-nodes elongate, 2.5-4.5 cm long, in lower portion, often relatively short near the apex; leaf scars inconspicuous; roots relatively few, ca. 2 mm diam.; cataphylls 10-16 cm long, promptly weathering to a well-developed, persistent reticulum of brownish fibers. LEAVES usually persisting only at the upper nodes; petioles subterete, narrowly and obtusely sulcate, the sulcus sometimes broader with a medial groove, 9-22 cm long, 3-5 mm diam., three-fourths as long as or sometimes longer than the blade; geniculum 1-1.5 cm long; blades subcoriaceous, weakly arched along the midrib, ovate to narrowly ovate, acuminate at apex (the acumen apiculate), usually obtuse to rounded or subcordate at the base, (8.5-)12-22 cm long, (4-)6.5-12.7 cm wide, broadest below the middle; upper surface semiglossy, densely but inconspicuously dark glandular-punctate, the lower surface semiglossy, much paler, more densely and more conspicuously dark glandular-punctate; midrib raised on both surfaces, paler than the surface above; basal veins usually 3, free to the base, 2 of these extending in smooth curves to the apex (both acting as collective veins), the third usually joining the margin in the lower one-fourth to one-third, merely etched into the surface and scarcely or not at all more prominent than the primary lateral veins; primary lateral veins 8-10 per side, departing the midrib at 30-50° angle, mostly straight to the first collective vein, etched into surface, the lateral veins between the first and second collective veins directed at the same angle or often at a broader angle more nearly approaching 90° from the midrib; interprimary veins weaker than primary lateral veins on fresh leaves but equally as prominent as the primary lateral veins on dried plants. INFLORESCENCE more or less erect; peduncles 17-34 cm long, 2-3.5 mm diam., terete, usually considerably longer than the longest petiole; spathe moderately thin, green, the margins sometimes tinged with purple, lanceolate-oblong, 2.5-7 cm long, 6-17 mm wide, broadest in basal one-third, abruptly acuminate at apex, acute to obtuse at base, inserted at ca. 30° angle on peduncle; stipe 1-2 mm long, ca. 3 mm diam., fleshy; spadix green, becoming violet purple in age, slightly tapered and relatively blunt at apex, 4.5-9.5 cm long, 5-7 mm diam. at base, 3-4 mm diam near apex; flowers square, 2.1-3.6 mm wide in both directions, the sides straight to weakly sigmoid; 5-6 flowers visible in the principal spiral, 3-4 visible in alternate spiral; tepals semiglossy, sometimes tinged purple on inner margins; lateral tepals 1.4-2 mm wide, the inner margins broadly rounded, turned upward against the emerging pistil, the alternate pair with inner margins at least appearing concave; pistils green, weakly emergent; stigma oblong, brush-like, 0.3-0.5 mm long; stamens emerging in a regular sequence from the base, retracting completely after anthesis; anthers creamy white, ca. 0.2 mm long, ca. 0.4 mm wide; thecae oblong-elliptic, scarcely divaricate; pollen white. INFRUCTESCENCE semi-erect, the spadix turning violet purple, to 13 cm long; berries pinkish white to red, obovoid, ca. 5 mm long (boiled up), 4 mm wide, rounded at apex; seeds 2, ellipsoid, slightly flattened, obliquely sunken at apex around the funiculus, rounded at base, 2.5-3 cm long, 1.9-2.1 mm diam., 1-1.5 mm thick, tan, with a sticky, gelatinous, transparent appendage at apex.