Dieffenbachia killipii Croat

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 : 673

Dieffenbachia killipii Croat ( Fig. 2C)

Material examined. Vicinity of base camp on W side of Cerro Pirre; 08°00′N, 077°48′W; 50 m; 30 Jun. 1988; T. B. Croat 68961 ( MO). Cerro Pirre, vicinity of station along Río Perisenico; 08°01′N, 077°44′W; 110 m; 26 Jul. 1994; T. B. Croat 77102 ( MO). Parque Nacional del Darién, Estación Rancho Frío at N base of Cerro Pirre, ca 9 km S of El Real, in forest along Quebrada Perisenico, primary forest with Jessenia bataua , Astrocaryum standleyanum , Phytelephas and Brownea ; 08°01′N, 077°44′W; 70–270 m; 8 Oct. 1987; G. de Nevers 8267 ( MO). Cerro Campamento (south of Cerro Pirre), cloud forest; 07°47′N, 077° 43′W; 20–22 Mar. 1968; J. A. Duke 15591 ( MO). Area around Rancho Frío, 1/2 way up slope of Cerro Pirre from Piji Vasal; 08°01′N, 077°44′W; 12 Nov. 1977; J. P. Folsom 6247 ( MO). Parque Nacional Darién, Cerro Pirre, Ran- cho Frío; 08°01′16″N, 077°44′04″W; 103 m; 13 Apr. 2016; O. O. Ortiz 2543 ( PMA). Ibid.; 08°01′16″N, 077°44′04″W; 103 m; 13 Apr. 2016; O. O. Ortiz 2547 ( PMA). Ibid., cascada arriba; 08°00′58″N, 077°43′24″W; 164 m; 14 Apr. 2016; O. O. Ortiz 2572 ( PMA). Ibid., orillas del río Perresenico; 08°01′15″N, 077°43′58″W; 112 m; 1 Dec. 2016; O. O. Ortiz 2693 ( PMA). Ibid.; 08°01′15″N, 077°43′58″W; 112 m; 1 Dec. 2016; O. O. Ortiz 2694 ( PMA). Ibid.; 08°01′11″N, 077°43′51″W; 110 m; 1 Dec. 2016; O. O. Ortiz 2712 ( PMA). Ibid., campamento cerca del segundo mirador; 07°59′49″N, 077°42′43″W; 610 m; 3 Dec. 2016; O. O. Ortiz 2721 ( PMA).

Identification. This species is characterized by having relatively small size, milky sap, subcordate blades, greenish when dry, auriculate petiole sheaths at apex, and especially by lacking the medial sterile region between the female and male portion of the spadix. Dieffenbachia killipii is the only species of the genus on Cerro Pirre that lacks the medial sterile region.

Distribution and ecology. Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru. Dieffenbachia killipii is particularly abundant in the semideciduous lowland forest of Cerro Pirre. Unlike the remaining Dieffenbachia species in the study area, the individuals of D. killipii grow more or less dispersed and not as colonies along rivers and streams.