SYNGONIUM LITENSE
PROTOLOGUE: Syngonium litense , published in Novon 27: 58 (2019).
Syngonium litense Croat, sp. nov. It differs from Syngonium macrophyllum Engl. by having narrower stems (to 2.5 cm diam. vs. 3–4 cm in Syngonium macrophyllum), less coriaceous leaves with smaller lobes (with the medial lobe less than 33 cm long vs. usually more than 35 cm long in Syngonium macrophyllum), and narrowly ovate-oblong-sagittate (vs. ovate-cordate) juvenile leaves. Type: Ecuador. Esmeraldas: along Hwy. from Esmeraldas to San Lorenzo, 32.9 km E of main San Lorenzo Rd., 10.6 km E of Río Santiago bridge, 01°02'47\"N, 78°58'13\"W, 44 m, 10 July 2000, T. B. Croat, L. P. Hannon, D. P. Hannon & E. Kinsinger 83814 (holotype, MO [2 sheets] MO-5150837!, MO-5150838!; isotypes, B!, COL!, HUA!, K!, NY!, QCNE!, S!, US!).
DISTRIBUTION: Ecuador: Ecuador.
DISTRIBUTION NOTE: Ecuador: Esmeraldas, Imbabura, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.
SPECIES DESCRIPTION:
Appressed-climber or hemiepiphyte at 3.5 m. Juvenile leaves narrowly ovate-oblong-sagittate, 15–17 × 5.3–7 cm, the posterior lobes triangular, 3–4 cm, narrowly rounded at apex. Adult plants with internodes 5–10 cm, 1.7–2.5 cm diam., dark green or dark olive-green, glossy, becoming ± grayish green in age, flattened-ribbed on one side, irregularly and smoothly wrinkled, drying yellow-brown and glossy. Leaves with petioles 47–64 cm, 5–7 mm diam., sheathed in lower 1/3–1/2 its length, sheath erect, 16–33 cm, to 3.5 cm high at base, medium to dark green, semiglossy, drying dark yellow-brown, sheath incurled, later spreading, free-ending at apex; free part terete near base, obtusely angular adaxially; blades usually 7-lobed (younger leaves trisected with 2 small lobes at base), 30–39 × 24–37 cm, thinly coriaceous, dark green and semiglossy above, slightly paler and semiglossy below, drying dark yellow-brown to blackish above, greenish yellow-brown and weakly glossy below; medial lobe oblanceolate, 29–33 × 10–11.5 cm, 2.6–3.2 times longer than wide, acuminate at apex, attenuated at base; inner lateral lobes 23–28 cm, only slightly shorter than medial lobes, narrowly rounded to bluntly acute at apex, markedly inequilateral, outer margin up to 2 cm wider than inner margin; outermost pair of lobes typically markedly auriculate at base of outer margin, auricle pinched off or sometimes becoming essentially free, 2.5–9 × 1.3–3 cm; major veins sunken and concolorous above, narrowly rounded and concolorous below; midrib narrowly rounded and slightly paler below, drying concolorous and narrowly wrinkled-ridged above, finely many-ridged and paler below; primary lateral veins sunken above, convex below, drying sunken and concolorous above, 4- to 5-ridged and paler below; tertiary veins fine, visible but not raised below.²
INFLORESCENCE:
Inflorescences 4 to 7 per axil, post-anthesis; peduncle 12–21 × 8–9 mm, slightly off terete, dark green, semiglossy; spathe 10–13 cm; tube 4–5 cm, 1.5–2 cm diam., medium to dark green and weakly glossy outside, moderately paler and glossier within, blade 6–8 cm, paler green, already moderately loose, outside weakly glossy, inside glossier; spadix 11.5 cm; male spadix 5.5 cm, 1 cm diam. in middle, white; sterile male portion 3.5 cm; female spadix 2.5 cm, pale green. Infructescences 6–6.5 cm, 3.7–4 cm diam.; spathe dark green and glossy outside, greenish white and glossy inside; fruit in spadix light brown or dark green, becoming orange at maturity, ca. 3.5 cm diam., 5 cm.²
ECOLOGY:
Syngonium litense is endemic to Ecuador (Esmeraldas, Imbabura, Los Ríos, Tsáchilas) at 0–830 m in Tropical wet forest and Premontane wet forest life zones.² altitude: 0–830 m
ETYMOLOGY:
Named for the Lita region on the western slope of the Andes in Imbabura Province, Ecuador, where the senior author first came to know the plant and circulated images and specimens under that name. The Latinized ending-ense means "from that place."²
NOTES:
1. A member of section Syngonium, distinguished by its vining hemiepiphytic habit, mostly 7-lobed, dark yellow-brown–drying palmately compound leaves with the leaf lobes acuminate, attenuate toward the base with the rachis markedly free between the inner segments and medial lobe and with the outermost lobe usually prominently auriculate with a short narrow lobe, petioles sheathing 1/3 to 1/2 their length, and by four to seven narrowly pedunculate inflorescences with a narrowly ovoid-ellipsoid spathe tube. It is most similar to Syngonium macrophyllum, which differs by having more coriaceous leaves and larger lobes.²
2. The species is named for the Lita region, where Croat first became acquainted with it and circulated images and specimens under that name.²
3. It was first collected at Cerro Samama in Los Ríos Province on 18 May 1994 by Bertil Ståhl and Jette T. Knudsen.²
REFERENCES:
1. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Syngonium litense
2. Novon 27: 58 (2019) — protologue.