MONSTERA CEDENOI

PROTOLOGUE: Monstera cedenoi O.Ortiz, Croat & J.Hughes, published in Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography (Webbia) 79: 306 (2024).

Monstera cedenoi O. Ortiz, Croat & J. Hughes sp. nov. Type: Costa Rica. San José: Cantón Pérez Zeledón, 1000 m, 7 de Oct. 2022, M. Cedeño, O. Ortiz, J. M. Hughes 2515 (holotype USJ [2 sheets]; isotypes B, MO, PMA).

DISTRIBUTION: Costa Rica: Costa Rica.

DISTRIBUTION NOTE: Costa Rica: San José.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION:

Nomadic vine, terrestrial or appressed-climbing habit. Seedlings bearing foliage leaves. Juvenile plants: root climbers; terrestrial; stems dark or light green, smooth, cylindrical, 0.2–0.5 cm diam.; internodes 1–2 cm long; cataphylls unknown; petiole distinct, dark or light green, smooth, 13–30 cm long, sheathed half or 4–10 cm below base of the geniculum; petiole sheath persistent; unsheathed portion terete or slightly ribbed; geniculum almost terete, 0.3–0.5 cm long; blades lanceolate, attenuate at base, acuminate, thinly coriaceous, 12–25 × 2–7.5 cm, not appressed to the phorophyte; fenestrations present or absent, completely fenestrated or generally one fenestrated side. Adult plants: root climbers; stems green or dark green, cylindrical, internodes 0.5–7 cm long, 1.5–2 cm diam.; anchor and feeder root black or light brown, glaucous; petioles light green or dark green in the base, smooth and glaucous, 40–75 cm long; petiole sheath persistent and involute, up to 1/2 of the petiole length; unsheathed portion terete and slightly ribbed near geniculum; geniculum almost terete, sulcate adaxially, 1–2.5 cm long; blades narrowly ovate, asymmetrically rounded at base, sometimes obtuse in one side and rounded in the other, acuminate at apex, subcoriaceous, drying yellowish-brown, 40–53 × 11.5–21 cm, not decurrent onto the geniculum; ribbed adaxially, convex abaxially; primary lateral veins 8–15 per side, departing midrib at 75–85°, strongly sunken adaxially, prominent abaxially, irregularly sinuous to the margin; secondary veins parallel; collective veins visible on the margins of each lobe; fenestrations present, those located along each side of the midrib larger oblong elliptical, those located near the midrib usually comprising small sub-circular holes 0.3–2 cm diam., with filamentous strands connecting between the perforations, the larger perforations often tearing through to the margins, the spaces between perforations 0.3–2.5 cm wide, often with a primary lateral vein; margins entire or pinnatilobed due to tearing of the fenestrations that extend to the margin, the sinuses reaching halfway or all the way to the midrib.²

INFLORESCENCE:

Inflorescences on ascending stems, solitary; peduncle smooth, 24 cm long; spathe naviculiform, acuminate to long-acuminate, glaucous-green externally during development, glaucous-green and pinkish externally and light orange-yellow internally at anthesis, becoming torn at base as it fully opens, deciduous soon after anthesis, 12–17 × 10–14 cm, up to 6 cm longer than the spadix; spadix during development unknown, pale-orange at anthesis, 8–11 cm long, 2–2.5 cm diam., sterile zone basal, 2.5 cm long; sterile flowers 3–5 mm long, with a transparent secretion; fertile flowers 5–6 mm long; ovary rectangular in longitudinal section; style hexagonal; stigma linear; stamens with laminar filaments, 1.5–6 mm long; anthers 1.5–3 mm long; berries unknown; seeds unknown.²

ECOLOGY:

Monstera cedenoi is endemic to Costa Rica, only known from the south on the Pacific side in the region of Pérez Zeledón at ca. 1000 m. It occurs in the Tropical moist forest life zone, in primary and secondary forest, and open areas. Flowering in October.²

ETYMOLOGY:

Monstera cedenoi is dedicated to Marco Vinicio Cedeño Fonseca, specialist in Neotropical Araceae and especially in the genus Monstera.²

NOTES:

1. Monstera cedenoi differs from Monstera bocatorensis, Monstera croatii, Monstera epipremnoides, Monstera gentryi, Monstera glaucescens, Monstera mittermeieri and Monstera oreophila by the combination of the following morphological characters: leaves with glaucous-pruinose, terete, petioles with persistent petiolar sheaths that reach up to 1/2 of its length, entire (but sometimes torn), extensive fenestrated blades, inflorescences with pinkish (externally) and orange-yellow (internally) spathes, pale-orange spadices, and flowers with a rectangular ovary and a linear stigma.²

REFERENCES:

1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Monstera cedenoi O.Ortiz, Croat & J.Hughes

2. Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography (Webbia) 79: 306 (2024) — protologue.

3. iNaturalist: Monstera cedenoi

Additional photo from iNaturalist by Paul Norwood