MONSTERA CARIBAEA

PROTOLOGUE: Monstera caribaea M.Cedeño, O.Ortiz & A.Hay, published in Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography (Webbia) 78: 109 (2023).

Monstera caribaea M.Cedeño, O.Ortiz & A.Hay, sp. nov. Type: Costa Rica, Provincia Limón, Cantón Talamanca, distrito Cahuita, alrededores de Puerto Viejo, 20 m, 30 Jan 2019, M. Cedeño & A. Hay 1615 (holotype USJ!).

DISTRIBUTION: Costa Rica to Panama: Costa Rica, Panama.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION:

Robust nomadic vine, of appressed-climbing and sometimes later also pendent habit. Seedlings: filiform. Juvenile plants: root climbers; stems green, smooth, flattened; internodes 2.0–8.0 cm long, 3.0–6.0 mm diam.; petiole not visible (covered by blade), dark green, smooth, 2.0–4.0 cm long; blades obovate, cordate at base, obtuse at apex, coriaceous, 4.0–11 × 5.0–9.0 cm, appressed to the phorophyte; fenestrations absent. Adult plants: root climbers; stem light or dark green, smooth; internodes 3.0–13 cm long, 1.0–1.5 mm diam.; anchor roots beige; feeder roots brown; petiole dark green, smooth, striated at the base, 20–25 cm long, sheathed to the base of the geniculum; petiole sheath semi-persistent; geniculum smooth or striated, slightly terete, 2.0–3.0 cm long; blades lanceolate, rounded or subcordate at base, apex acuminated, thinly coriaceous, 20–35 × 15–21 cm, midrib grooved above, convex below; primary lateral veins 9.0–11 per side, submerged on upper surface, prominent on lower surface; secondary venation parallel, reticulate towards margin; collecting vein slightly vis- ible; fenestrations present or absent, when present, only one side of blade and narrow; margins entire or pinnatifid, due to tearing of the fenestrations that extend to the margin, often only one side is pinnatifid.²

INFLORESCENCE:

Inflorescences: on both ascending attached and/or free hanging stems; peduncle smooth, 4.0–5.0 cm long; spathe obtuse or mucronate, in developing inflorescences light green, colour at anthesis unknown; spadix white during development, in male anthesis cream, 12–13 × 2.5–3.5 cm, the basal region of sterile flowers narrowed towards the peduncle; basal sterile flowers 1.5–3.0 mm long; fertile flowers 5.0–7.0 mm long; stamens not seen; ovary rectangular in longitudinal section and ribbed, 3.0–4.0 × 1.5–2.0 mm; style compressed and hexagonal, 1.5–2.0 × 1.5–3.0 mm; stigma linear; berries with stylar layer after anthesis yellowish green, mature stylar cap unknown; pulp unknown; seeds unknown.²

ECOLOGY:

This species is endemic to the southern Caribbean slopes of Costa Rica and western Caribbean slope of Panama, at 20–25 m elevation. It occurs in Tropical wet forest life zones, in open areas. Flowering time is unknown but fruiting was recorded in January and March.²

ETYMOLOGY:

The species epithet refers to the Caribbean coast, where the new species was first discovered.²

NOTES:

1. Monstera caribaea has similarities to Monstera pittieri, with which it grows sympatrically, but differs in having larger leaves on adult plants 20–35 × 15–21 cm (vs. 13–18 × 5–10 cm in Monstera pittieri), margins entire or pinnatilobate (vs. entire margins never pinnatilobate), erect inflorescences on ascending and/or pendulous stems (vs. pendulous inflorescences on pendulous stems), peduncle 4.0–5.0 cm long (vs. 1.0–4.0 cm long), spadix 12–13 × 2.5–3.5 cm (vs. 4.0–9.0 × 1.5–3.5 cm), styles not separated from adjacent ones (vs. the styles slightly separated from adjacent ones), and the style shorter than the ovary (vs. style longer than the ovary).²

2. The species is a member of sect. Marcgraviopsis. It differs from other species of the section by its appressed-climbing and pendent habit, highly variable blades with the presence of lobes and perforations, but sometimes restricted to only one side of the blade, and the erect inflorescence with short peduncle <5 cm long. The hanging stems of Monstera caribaea that connect to the ground are similar to the adult individuals of Monstera pittieri, mainly in that some have perforations in only one margin of the blade.²

REFERENCES:

1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Monstera caribaea M.Cedeño, O.Ortiz & A.Hay

2. Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography (Webbia) 78: 109 (2023) — protologue.