MONSTERA ACACOYAGUENSIS
PROTOLOGUE: Monstera acacoyaguensis Matuda, published in Madroño 10: 48 (1949). The protologue is reproduced below.
SYNONYMS:
HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS: Monstera magnispatha var. acacoyaguensis (Matuda) Matuda
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS: Monstera magnispatha Matuda
OTHER NAMES: Mimbre, Conte arpón, Bejuco arpón (Mexico, Chiapas)
DISTRIBUTION: Mexico (Chiapas) to Belize: Belize, Chiapas, Guatemala, Mexico Southeast.
DISTRIBUTION NOTE: Mexico: Chiapas.
SPECIES DESCRIPTION:
Nomadic vine, appressed-climbing. Seedlings bearing foliose leaves. Juvenile plants root climbers; stems cylindrical, smooth, light green, internodes 3–7 cm long, 3–6 mm diam.; petiole distinct, light-green, smooth, 5–10 cm long, sheathed to the geniculum; petiole sheath semi-persistent; blades elliptical, subcordate at base, acuminate at apex, thinly coriaceous, 10–15 × 5–10 cm, not appressed to the phorophyte; fenestrations present or absent. Adult plants: root climbers; stems cylindrical, smooth, light green or grayish, internodes 1–3 cm long, 1–3 cm diam., as long as wide; anchor roots black, feeder roots light brown; petioles 35–55 cm long, light or dark green, smooth, sheathed to the geniculum; petiole sheath semi-persistent; geniculum 2–5 cm long, smooth, flattened or slightly corrugated adaxially and convex abaxially; blades 45–85 × 35–45 cm, 1.7–2.5 times longer than wide, slightly decurrent on the geniculum (decurrent part 1.5–2.0 mm wide), lanceolate, elliptical, subcordate to obtuse, acuminate at apex, thinly coriaceous, drying blackish or greenish brown; midrib sulcate adaxially, convex abaxially; primary lateral veins 15– 25 per side, parallel, sunken adaxially, raised abaxially, departing midrib at 75–85°; secondary veins inconspicuous and reticulate towards the margin; collective veins present; fenestrations elongated and ellipsoid, arranged in 1 or 2 series on each side of the midrib; margins entire or pinnatilobed (3–5 lobes per side).⁴
INFLORESCENCE:
Inflorescences on ascending stems, arranged in the axils and into deciduous cataphylls, 1–3 simultaneously during the flowering season; peduncle smooth, 15–35 cm long, 1.5–2.0 cm diam.; spathe acuminate, light-green and pruinose during development, yellowish green externally and white internally at anthesis, coriaceous, deciduous after anthesis, 10–20 × 7–10 cm, up to 10 cm longer than the spadix; spadix acute at apex, white during development, yellowish at anthesis, 15–17 cm long, 2–3 cm diam., (6.3)9.0–10.0(11.0) times longer than wide; basal sterile flowers 5–6 mm long, with yellowish stigmatic secretion; fertile flowers 5–7 mm long; stamens 2–6 mm long, with laminar filaments; anthers 1–3 mm long; ovary quadrangular in longitudinal section, ribbed, 3–4 × 2–3 mm; style hexagonal, 0.5–1.5 × 3.5–4.0 mm; stigmatophore columnar, 0.5–1.5 mm long; stigma linear, with a transparent stigmatic secretion; berries with a stylar cap white, cream white or cream during development, pulp white; seeds spherical, 4–7 mm diam., black.⁴
ECOLOGY:
Monstera acacoyaguensis ranges from Mexico (western Chiapas) to Belize and Guatemala; elevations range from 0–200 m, in Tropical moist forest, Premontane wet forest. Flowering in January and March. Fruiting in March.⁴
ETYMOLOGY:
After Acacoyagua, Chiapas, the type locality.⁵
NOTES:
1. The species, a member of sect. Monstera, is characterized by its large, non-pinnate, heavily perforated blades with attenuated leaf bases, with elongated and ellipsoid fenestrations arranged in 1 or 2 series on each side of the midrib, petiole sheath semi-persistent, and by the long inflorescence which is one of the longest and narrowest inflorescences of species in Central America. The epidermis of this species is characteristic in drying with a series of raised minute ridges with frequent diagonal cross-veins. Monstera acacoyaguensis could be confused with Monstera adansonii but differs in having petiole sheath semi-persistent (vs. petiole sheath deciduous, sometimes with fibrous residues), blades 45–85 × 35–45 cm (vs. blades 23–65 × 17–30 cm), peduncle 15–35 cm long (vs. peduncle 12–20 cm long), spathe up to 10 cm longer than the spadix (vs. spathe up to 5 cm longer than the spadix), spadix 15–17 cm long (vs. 10–15 cm long), and spadix 9–10 times longer than wide (vs. spadix 7.0–9.2 times longer than wide). The type specimen is from western Mexico, but most of the material observed is from the Caribbean slope in Yucatan, Belize, and eastern Guatemala.⁴
REFERENCES:
1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Monstera acacoyaguensis Matuda
2. Madroño 10: 48 (1949) — protologue.
3. iNaturalist: Monstera acacoyaguensis
Additional photos by David Scherberich
Additional photo from Wikimedia Commons by Qfaceae
