MONSTERA AMARGALENSIS

PROTOLOGUE: Monstera amargalensis Croat & M.M.Mora, published in Aroideana 27: 113 (2004).

DISTRIBUTION: Colombia (Chocó): Chocó, Colombia.

DISTRIBUTION NOTE: Colombia: Chocó.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION:

Epiphytic; stems less than 1 m long; internodes short, near apex, 4 cm diam., longer than broad lower down, drying medium yellow-brown and narrowly longitudinally folded. Leaves with petioles 28–60 cm long, slightly longer than the blades, moderately green, matte, densely pale-speckled, sheathed to the geniculum; sheath incurled below the middle, erect near the apex, its margins persisting intact; juvenile leaves elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 1.9 times longer than wide, markedly inequilateral and lacking perforations; adult leaves erect-spreading; blades narrowly ovate, 38–41 × 25–31 cm, pinnatifid, at least on one side, with pinnae 2–4 per side, 2–11.5 cm wide, divided to within 1–4.5 cm from the midrib, subcoriaceous, acute to shortly and abruptly acuminate at apex, inequilateral and obtuse to rounded and weakly attenuate at base, medium to dark green and semiglossy above, moderately paler, yellow-green and semiglossy below; drying subcoriaceous to papyraceous, dark brown to dark yellow-brown above, medium yellow-brown to dark brown below; midrib broadly sunken and paler yellow-green above, narrowly rounded and paler below; primary lateral veins 14–16 pairs, arising from midrib at 40–55° angle, making a broad curve or gradual sigmoid curve to the margins, concolorous, bluntly and deeply sunken above, prominently convex, much paler and pleated below, drying moderately darker than the surface; minor veins moderately few, indistinct.²

INFLORESCENCE:

Inflorescence 1 per axil; peduncle 18–23 cm long, 1.4–1.6 times longer than spadix, slightly thicker in one dimension, 1–1.5 cm × 0.8–1.3 cm (drying to ca. 7–10 mm diam.); spathe promptly deciduous; spadix light gray-green, matte, whitish, 12–14 cm long, 2–2.5 cm diam.; pistils subterete to hexagonal at apex, the style drying blackened and sunken at apex, 2.8–3.2 mm diam.; stigmas linear, extending across most of the style.²

ECOLOGY:

Monstera amargalensis is endemic to Colombia, known only from the Department of Chocó at the type locality on Cabo Corrientes as well as near Tadó in the valley of the Río San Juan. The species is nearly always found growing on trees at 1.5–15 m above the ground, but occasionally on rocks.²

ETYMOLOGY:

Named after the type locality, the Estación Biológica El Amargal on Cabo Corrientes, Chocó Department, Colombia.²

NOTES:

1. The species is characterized by its short internodes, long-petiolate leaves, fully sheathed petioles with sheaths persisting intact, 2–4-pinnatifid dark brown-drying blades and by its long-pedunculate spadix. The species can be confused with Monstera adansonii Schott, especially in living condition, but that species has blades which consistently dry greenish in Central America and northern South America. It is also confused with Monstera spruceana (Schott) Engl., which also has blades which dry dark brown and have only a few broad pinnae, but that species has peduncles which are shorter than the spadix, rather than much longer than the spadix.²

REFERENCES:

1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Monstera amargalensis Croat & M.M.Mora

2. Aroideana 27: 113 (2004) — protologue.