Rhodospatha wendlandii Schott

Ortiz, Orlando Oriel, de Stapf, María Sánchez, Baldini, Riccardo Maria & Croat, Thomas Bernard, 2019, Synopsis of aroids (Alismatales, Araceae) from Cerro Pirre (Darién Province, Panama), Check List 15 (4), pp. 651-689 : 684

Rhodospatha wendlandii Schott ( Figs 6G, 7A)

Material examined. Vicinity Cerro Pirre, along trail from base camp to Rancho Frío on slopes of Cerro Pirre; 07°58′N, 077°43′W; 200–450 m; 27 Jul. 1994; T. B. Croat 77128 ( MO). Parque Nacional Darién, Cerro Pirre, Camino hacia Rancho Plástico, despues del primer mirador; 08°00′57″N, 077°43′41″W; 157 m; 14 Apr. 2016; O. O. Ortiz 2573 ( PMA). Ibid.; O. O. Ortiz 2574 ( PMA).

Identification. This species is characterized by its nomadic vine life form (appressed-climbing habit), distichous leaves, relatively long petioles with deciduous sheaths, large blades with numerous primary lateral veins, often truncated at base, inflorescences with creamy-pinkish spathes, and uniform pinkish spadices with naked bisexual flowers. On Cerro Pirre, R. wend- landii is the only species of the genus that presents a nomadic vine life form. It is possible to confuse this species with non-cordate Philodendron species , but they differ in having spirally arranged blades, with fewer pri- mary lateral veins and segmented spadices with unisexual flowers.

Distribution and ecology. Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. In the study area, this species ocurrs along semideciduous and evergreen forests, between 90 and 800 m.