MONSTERA PLANADENSIS

PROTOLOGUE: Monstera planadensis Croat, published in Aroideana 33: 89 (2010).

Monstera planadensis Croat, sp. nov. Internodia brevia, 6 cm diam.; petiolus 28–53 cm longus, vaginata ad geniculum; lamina ovata-oblonga, (30–)55–60 cm longa, (19–)29–34 cm lata, nervis primariis lateralibus 22–25 utroque; spadix 20–23(–30) cm longus, 3.7–4.5 cm diam. Type: COLOMBIA. Nariño: La Planada Reserve, 7 km above Chucunés on road between Túquerres and Ricaurte, primary cloud forest along trail above La Posada, 01°05′N, 78°01′W, 1,780 m, 27 Jul 1988, Croat 69596 (holotype, MO-3641835; isotypes, PSO).

DISTRIBUTION: Colombia: Colombia.

DISTRIBUTION NOTE: Colombia: Nariño.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION:

Hemiepiphyte climber, often appressed; internodes short, to 6 cm diam.; petioles 28–53 cm long (averaging 45 cm), 6–11 cm diam. at middle, sheathed throughout much of length, minutely speckled, drying dark brown to blackened, finely ribbed; sheath erect, the margins often deciduous; geniculum sharply sulcate; blades ovate-oblong, acute to apiculate at apex, slightly oblique and weakly subcordate at base, (30–)55–60 cm long, (19–)29–34 cm wide (averaging 57 × 31 cm), 1.5–1.8 times longer than wide, 1.2–2 times longer than the petioles, broadest near ⅓ of distance from base to apex, entire and eperforate to perforate with holes ellipsoid, 0.6 mm to 6.5 cm long, 0.4–1.3 cm wide, inequilateral, one side 1–2 cm wider, moderately coriaceous, semiglossy on both surfaces, slightly bicolorous, dark green above, slightly paler below, drying semiglossy, dark brown to dark gray-brown above, yellow-brown below; surfaces with tertiary veins prominulous on both surfaces with oblique cross-veins extending throughout most of the distance from the midrib to the margin; sinus to 2 cm deep; midrib flat and slightly paler above, thicker than broad and moderately paler below, drying sunken and concolorous above, convex and finely ribbed below; primary lateral veins arising at an acute angle, arising at 60–80(–100)° angle, 22–25 per side, 3–5 of these clustered in the lower 1 cm from the base, narrowly sunken above, prominently convex and creamy-white below, drying scarcely raised and slightly paler above, convex, paler and minutely ridged irregularly below.²

INFLORESCENCE:

Inflorescences 1 per axil; peduncle 28–34 cm long, 5–7 mm diam. at middle; spathe deciduous; spadix 20–23(–30) cm long, 3.7–4.5 cm diam., whitish at anthesis; pistils 3–5 mm diam., the style pale brown, the stigma oblong, 0.7–0.8 mm long. Infructescences with berries greenish white.²

ECOLOGY:

Monstera planadensis is endemic to the type locality at La Planada at 1,750 to 1,780 m elevation in Premontane wet forest.²

ETYMOLOGY:

The epithet refers to the La Planada Reserve in Nariño Department, Colombia, the type locality from which the species takes its name.²

NOTES:

1. This species is a member of sect. Monstera and is characterized by its thick stems, its thickly coriaceous, entire to minutely perforate blades lacking regular pinnate lobes, and by having a flowering spadix more than 15 cm long and 2.5–4.5 cm diam. It is closest to Monstera standleyana G.S. Bunting but that species differs in having more prominently perforated blades and even sometimes pinnately lobed margins (when not lacking perforations) and the blade surfaces are also comparatively smooth upon drying and lacking the prominently raised tertiary veins. In addition, Monstera standleyana has proportionately shorter spadices, less than 19 cm long and less than 6 times longer than wide versus more than 7 times longer than wide. Monstera planadensis may also be confused with Monstera adansonii Schott var. laniata (Schott) Madison, but that species generally has a much smaller spadix and somewhat smaller blades.²

REFERENCES:

1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Monstera planadensis Croat

2. Aroideana 33: 89 (2010) — protologue.

3. iNaturalist: Monstera planadensis

Additional photos from iNaturalist by steve_the_green, Deicy ximena Osorio Chaverra, michaelg_0804, LostInCR, eustreptospondylus, Peter Hoell, Samuel Peláez Vélez, Zac Peterson and Dirk Mezger