Monstera alcirana Croat, M.Cedeño, Zuluaga & O.Ortiz, Webbia

Croat, Thomas B., Cedeño-Fonseca, Marco & Ortiz, Orlando O., 2024, Revision of Monstera (Araceae: Monsteroideae) of Central America, Phytotaxa 656 (1), pp. 1-197 : 32-35

4. Monstera alcirana Croat, M.Cedeño, Zuluaga & O.Ortiz, Webbia 75(2): 251–262. 2020. ( Figs. 8 , 9 )

Type: — PANAMÁ. Coclé: along ridge of Cerro Gaital , N slopes of mountains near La Mesa, N of El Valle; 28 April 1982, 800–900 m, Knapp & Dressler 4880 (holotype MO!; isotypes K!, PMA!, US!).

Nomadic vine with appressed-climbing habit. SEEDLINGS: bearing foliose leaves. JUVENILE PLANTS: root climbers; stems smooth, terete, dark-green; internodes 1.5–2.5 cm long, 4–6 mm diam.; petiole conspicuous, light green, smooth, 4–9 cm long, sheathing to base of the blade; petiole sheath slightly persistent or completely deciduous; blades oblong-elliptic to lanceolate, attenuate at base, coriaceous, 3–6 × 3–4 cm, not appressed to the phorophyte; fenestrations absent.ADULT PLANTS: root climbers; stems dark green, smooth, terete or slightly flattened; internodes 0.5–3.0 cm long, 5–10 mm diam., usually 3–5 times longer than wide; anchor roots black and corky, with black root hairs; feeder roots black and corky, with black root hairs; petiole light green, smooth, 5–15 cm long, sheathing to base of the geniculum; petiolar sheath deciduous; geniculum bulky, 0.5–1.0 cm long; blades narrow, lanceolate, oblong-elliptic or ovate, attenuate at base, obtuse or short-acuminate at apex, thickly coriaceous, drying yellowish, 7.5–25.0 × 3–10 cm, 2.4–3.5 times longer than wide, with base slightly decurrent on the geniculum; midrib sunken adaxially, convex abaxially; primary lateral veins 4–7 per side, departing from midrib at 35–45°, strongly sunken adaxially, raised abaxially; secondary veins inconspicuous; collective veins not visible; fenestrations absent; margins entire. INFLORESCENCES on ascending stems; peduncle smooth, 10–38 cm long, 2–4 mm diam.; spathe light-green during development, cream on both surfaces at anthesis; spadix white during development, cream at anthesis, 3.0– 5.2 cm long, 0.7–1.0 cm diam.; basal sterile flowers 1.5–3.0 mm long; fertile flowers 3–4 mm long; stamens 1.5–4.0 mm long, with laminar filaments; anthers 0.5–1.0 mm long; ovary quadrangular in longitudinal section, ribbed, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–2.0 mm; style hexagonal, 1–2 × 2.0– 2.5 mm; stigma linear; berries with orange-green stylar cap, greenish during development; pulp white; seeds green or black, spherical, 2–4 mm long.

Distribution and ecology: — Monstera alcirana is endemic to Panama in the Provinces of Coclé, Panamá, Colón and San Blas (Guna Yala) Comarca in Tropical wet forest and Premontane rain forest at 350–1000 m.

Phenology: —The species flowers January-April, and July.

Discussion: —The species is member of sect. Monstera and is unusual for the genus in having leaves that are somewhat like Stenospermation and indeed the species was long confused with that genus (Gómez 1983).

The other species that can be confused with M. alcirana is M. minima , but M. minima is only known from the type locality in the Comarca Guna Yala (formerly San Blas), Panama, and from Colombia. The key differences are that M. alcirana has an orange fruiting spadix (vs. an apparently creamy fruiting spadix), and a thickly coriaceous leaf blade, 7.5–25.0 × 3–10 cm (vs. a thinly coriaceous blade 9–14 × 2.0–4.0 cm), obtuse or short-acuminate at apex (vs. long-acuminate at the apex). Monstera alcirana is the fourth diminutive species of Monstera in Central America, together with M. minima , M. obliqua , and the recently published species M. gambensis ( Cedeño-Fonseca et al. 2020b) . Monstera alcirana differs from the latter species in having a smooth petiole (vs. rough petiole), the petiole sheath deciduous (vs. persistent and involute), and the fruiting spadix orange when ripe (vs. yellow when ripe).

Additional specimens examined: — PANAMA. Coclé: La Mesa above El Valle; in forest on both sides of junction with road to Cerro Pilon , ca. 800 m, 21 Jul 1974, T.B. Croat 25390 ( MO!) . Along road between Llano Grande and Coclesito (N of Pintada), 4 mi. N of Llano Grande, 600 m, 28 Jan 1980, T. Antonio 3561 ( MO!) . 27 km N of Penonome on road to Coclesito in forest reserve at Continental Divide , ca. 300 m, 20 Feb 1978, B. Hammel 1635 ( MO!) . Vicinity el Valle de Antón, at forested flat area near Finca Macarenita at La Mesa , 08°36’N, 80°07’W, 800 m, 6 Jul 1994, T.B. Croat & G.H. Zhu 76665A ( MO!) . Parque Nacional General de División Omar Torrijos Herrera , Caño Sucio, camino hacia el Alto Tífe, bosque húmedo con suelos muy rocosos, 8°42’55”N, 80°38’12”W, 243 m, 18 Jul 2013, O. Ortiz et al. 1416 ( MO!, PMA!) ; Colón: East Santa Rita Ridge , 11 January 1968, M.D. Correa & R.L. Dressler 595 ( MO!) . Near Agua Clara rainfall station , Santa Rita Ridge , 9°20’N, 79°48’W, 23 Apr 1970, R.B. Foster 1752 ( PMA!) . Along ridge of Cerro Gaital , N slopes of mountains near La Mesa, N of El Valle, Premontane rainforest, 08°38’00”N, 80°08’30”W, 800–900 m, 28 Apr 1982, S. Knapp & R. J. Schmalzel 4880 ( MO!) . Flotation Molly , 8°51’12”N, 80°38’18”W, 139 m, 21 May 2014, S. Castillo 402 ( PMA!) . Distrito de Donoso, área de Concesión Minera Panamá , Pipeline Road , 8°53’46”N, 80°38’50”W, 127 m, 6 May 2013, O. Ortiz et al. 1310 ( MO!, PMA!) ; Panamá: Between 6–12 km north of El Llano on Cartí road , forest and roadside, 09°15’32”N, 078°57’42”W–09°16’32”N, 078°55’49”W, 365 m, 13 Jan 1978, B.E. Hammel 889 ( MO!) . Cerro Jefe , ca. 1000 m, J.D. Dwyer 9480 ( MO!) . El Llano-Cartí Road , 17.5 km from Inter-American Highway, wet forest, 09°17’45”N, 78°55’59”W, 350 m, 14 Feb 1975, S.A. Mori et al. 4605 ( MO!) . Altos de Pacora , northwest of Cerro Jefe, 09°16’30”N, 79°18’50”W, 650–750 m, 8 Nov 1979, T. Antonio 2502 ( MO!) . 16–18 km from Interamerican Highway on the El Llano-Cartí Road , 09°17’50”N, 78°56’03”W, 400 m, 28 Mar 1974, E. L. Tyson & M. H. Nee 7342 ( MO!) . 8.2 miles from the Pan-American Highway on the El Lano-Cartí Road , 09°14’N, 79°00”W, 6 Jul 1982, S. Knapp 5917 ( MO!) . Beyond Goofy Lake along road to Cerro Jefe , 9°14’N, 79°21’W, 4 Jan 1968, M.D. Correa et al. 567 ( MO!, PMA!) . Campo Tres , 3 miles NE of Altos de Pacora, 500–800 m, 10 Mar 1973, R.L. Liesner 523 ( MO!, PMA!) . Road to Cartí (San Blas), 15.5 kn north of El Llano , 09°21’30”N, 78°58’00”W, ca. 400 m, 13 Feb 1973, P. Busey 366 ( MO!) . La Eneida, región of Cerro Jefe , 9°14’N, 79°21’W, 650 m, 15 Jan 1973, R.L. Dressler 4253 ( PMA!) . El Llano-Cartí Rd. km. 17.4, Tropical wet forest, 9°19’N, 78°55’W, 350 m, 1 Jul 1985, G. de Nevers 5922 ( MO!, PMA!) . Altos de Cerro Azul , sendero el Cantar, 500 m, 16 Sept 2015, O. Ortiz et al. 2515 ( MO!, PMA!) ; Veraguas: Santa Fe, Río Piedra , bosque secundario maduro, camino cerca del río, 8°44’06”N, 80°46’21”W, 370 m, 16 Dec 2013, A. Morris & L. Martínez 2062 ( PMA!) . Santa Fe, Parque Nacional Santa Fe , área del Río Veraguas, bosque achaparrado, trocha sobre filo de un cerro, dosel con una altura aproximada de 25 m, con presencia de Colpothrinax, 8°41’21”N, 80°50’09”W, 539 m, 8 Feb 2014, L. Martínez et al. 1672 ( PMA!) .

Figures

FIGURE 8. Monstera alcirana From Cerro Azul, Panama. (A) Infructescence. (B) Fertile flower. (C) Sterile flower; in lateral view (left) and in longitudinal section (right). (D) Stylar plate, top view (left), and individual stamen (right). (E) Adult plant. (F) Juvenile plant. (G) Seedling. (H) Seeds. Image from Cedeño-Fonseca et al. (2020g).

FIGURE 9. Monstera alcirana. Adult plant growing in Cerro Jefe, Panama. Photo by M. Cedeño-Fonseca. (Not collected).