Anthurium niqueanum 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 : 665

Anthurium niqueanum Croat ( Fig. 4A, B)

Material examined. Cerro Pirre, Rancho Carajo, Serranía del Pirre, PN Darién, bosque nuboso; 07°58′59″N, 077°42′29″W; 1118 m; 21 Apr. 2016; J. E. Batista 1579 ( PMA). Ibid.; 07°59′21″N, 077°42′26″W; 1118 m; 22 Apr. 2016; J. E. Batista 1616 ( PMA). Middle slopes on W side of Cerro Pirre; 07°56′N, 077°45′W; 800–1050 m; 29 Jun. 1988; T. B. Croat 68950 ( MO). Cerro Pirre, ridge top near Rancho Plastico; 07°57′N, 077°42′W; 1200 m; 10–20 Jul. 1977; J. P. Folsom 4303 ( MO). Serranía de Pirre, N end of range, 2–3 mi. N of Cerro Pirre; 07°56′N, 077°42′W; 1000–1100 m; 29 Dec. 1978; R. L. Hartman 8495 ( MO). Parque Nacional Darién, caminando entre Campamento Rancho Frío No. 2 hacia la cima de Cerro Pirre; 08°00′N, 077°45′W; 700–1000 m; 7 Feb 1991; H. Herrera 877 ( MO). Ibid., Cerro Pirre; 07°46′N, 077°44′W, 1400 m, A. Zapata 1587 ( PMA). Ibid., Serranía de Pirre, Rancho Plástico; 07°59′13″N, 077°42′28″W; 1127 m; O. O. Ortiz 2642 ( MO, PMA).

Identification. This species is distinguished by its nomadic vine life form, elongated internodes, bullate blades, triangular or ovate-triangular with prominent veins on the lower dried surface. Croat (1986b) reports that this species has greenish spadices and unknown berries color; however, according to the observations in the field, this species has reddish spadices with promi- nent yellowish stamens at anthesis and whitish berries that turn red when they are mature. Anthurium niqueanum can be confused with juvenile individuals of A. dukei Croat , but the latter species is vegetatively differ- entiated by having very short internodes and markedly ribbed petioles.

Distribution and ecology. Anthurium niqueanum , known only from the Serranía de Pirre (endemic to Pan- ama), occurs in montane cloud forests, above 1100 m. This species usually grows on shrubs or small trees, up to 5 m. It is common to observe several seedlings and juvenile individuals along the forest floor.