MONSTERA MOMOI

PROTOLOGUE: Monstera momoi Zuluaga & M.Cedeño, published in Phytotaxa 527: 138 (2021).

Monstera momoi Zuluaga & M.Cedeño sp. nov. Type: COLOMBIA. Departamento Valle del Cauca: municipio Buenaventura, carretera antigua Cali-Buenaventura, cerca a Zabaletas, 3°43’28.4”N, 76°57’41.6”W, 80 m asl, 28 July 2018, A. Zuluaga, J. Betancur, C. Castro & Lauren Raz 2752a (holotype CUVC!, isotype COL!).

DISTRIBUTION: Colombia: Colombia.

DISTRIBUTION NOTE: Colombia: Valle del Cauca.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION:

Robust nomadic vines, growing as appressed-climbers, fertile 2–4 m above the ground. Juvenile plants: root climbers, foliose, not appressed against the phorophyte. Adult plants: root climbers; stem yellowish green, light or gray, round, smooth, internodes 2–15 cm long, 1.5–4.0 cm in diam.; support and feeder roots black or reddish; leaf spreading to almost erect; petiole light green, with small white dots, smooth, 45–105 cm long, petiole sheath deciduous, unsheathed portion 3–4 cm below the geniculum; geniculum slightly ribbed or smooth, adaxially, convex abaxially, 3–9 cm long; blade ovate to elliptic, coriaceous to sub-coriaceous, decurrent, truncate to subcordate at the base, acuminate at the apex, 45–56 × 30–40 cm; midrib slightly flat and striate above, convex below; primary lateral veins 15–27 per side, impressed above, prominently raised below; secondary veins parallel; collecting vein slightly visible on margin; margin pinnatifid from the fenestrations reaching the margin, less often entire, 2–7 lobes per side, sometimes with few fenestrations not reaching the margins, lobes rounded proximally, acuminate distally.²

INFLORESCENCE:

Inflorescences born on ascending stems; peduncle smooth, 12–23 cm long; spathe cymbiform at anthesis, long acuminate, the apex remaining convolute, initially light green, turning yellowish green externally and white internally at anthesis,, 27–30 × 9–10 cm, up to 12 cm longer than the spadix; spadix initially white, turning, yellowish cream at anthesis, 14–22 cm long, 2–4 cm diameter; basal sterile fowers 3–5 mm long; fertile flowers 6–8 mm long; stamens with laminar filament, 1.5–7.0 mm long; anthers 2–3 mm long; ovary rectangular in longitudinal section and ridged, 3– 6 mm long, 2.5–3.0 mm diameter; style hexagonal, 1.5–2.5 mm long, 4–6 mm diameter; stigma linear, stigmatophore laterally flattened; berries with the post-anthesis stylar layer cream, ripe infructescence unknown; seeds unknown.²

ECOLOGY:

Monstera momoi is an endemic species from the Biogeographic Chocó region in Colombia, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. It has been found so far in the Valle del Cauca Department, inhabiting humid forests in the Tropical Rain Forest life zone on the Pacific slopes of the Andes between 0–100 m above sea level.²

DISTRIBUTION MAPS:

ETYMOLOGY:

The epithet “momoi” refers to Momo Woods, the son of Jonas Woods and Shio Kusaka, two influential artists and conservationists who are using their artwork to support projects protecting the delicate cloud forest ecosystems of the Chocó region.²

NOTES:

1. Monstera momoi is characterized by having light green petioles, petiole sheaths deciduous, the unsheathed portion 3–4 cm long below the geniculum, leaf blades pinnatifid, at least one side with a few fenestrations, and inflorescences with a cymbiform spathe at anthesis.²

2. Monstera momoi differs from all other species of the genus in Colombia in having light green and smooth petioles with an unsheathed portion 3–4 cm in length, deciduous petiole sheaths, leaf blades pinnatifid with few fenestrations, and cymbiform spathes, yellowish green adaxially. This species has been confused with Monstera dissecta from Costa Rica. However, it differs from the latter by having the petiole sheath deciduous (vs. persistent), pinnatifid leaves with few fenestrations (vs. pinnatifid leaves without fenestrations) and the stigmatophore laterally flattened (vs. stigmatophore conical).²

STORY:

STORY TITLE: Named for a child, to pay for a forest

Monstera momoi was described in 2021 from the old Cali to Buenaventura road near Zabaletas, in the Biogeographic Chocó of Colombia at only 80 m.² The epithet honors Momo Woods, the son of two artists who use their work to fund projects protecting the cloud forests of the Chocó; his sister received Monstera kikiae in the same paper.²

Before it had a name the plant passed for Monstera dissecta of Costa Rica. It differs in its deciduous petiole sheath, its pinnatifid leaves with a few fenestrations, and a laterally flattened rather than conical stigmatophore.² It grows as a robust appressed climber and is fertile only 2 to 4 m above the ground.²

REFERENCES:

1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Monstera momoi Zuluaga & M.Cedeño

2. Phytotaxa 527: 138 (2021) — protologue.