MONSTERA BOLIVIANA

PROTOLOGUE: Monstera boliviana Rusby, published in Bulletin of the New York Botanical Garden 6: 494 (1910). The protologue is reproduced below.

DISTRIBUTION: Peru to Bolivia: Bolivia, Peru.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION:

Petioles reaching 30 cm or more in length, very stout, the sheath extending to the base of the blade, finely many-ribbed, minutely granular-roughened; blades reaching 45 cm or more in length, and half as broad, ovate, moderately inaequilateral, truncate to subcordate at the base, shortly abrupt-acuminate and acute at the summit, perforated on both sides, the perforations long and narrow, some severing the margin, occasionally smaller ones interposed near the midrib; principal secondaries about 10–13 on each side, connecting to form a line almost at the margin; those of second and third grade numerous, slender, rather freely anastomosing.²

INFLORESCENCE:

Peduncle (but one seen) 15 cm long, slender, nearly straight, finely nerved, the spathe deciduous; spadix in fruit 7.5 cm long, 13 mm thick, cylindrical; summit of fruit about.4 mm broad, concave.²

ECOLOGY:

From protologue: Common on trees, Isapuri, 1500 ft.²

ETYMOLOGY:

The epithet refers to Bolivia, where R. S. Williams collected the type at Isapuri in October 1901.²

REFERENCES:

1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Monstera boliviana Rusby

2. Bulletin of the New York Botanical Garden 6: 494 (1910) — protologue.

3. iNaturalist: Monstera boliviana

Additional photos from iNaturalist by jose_balderrama and Jeremy Cowan