Epiphyte; stems less than 20 cm long, ca. 2 cm diam.; roots dense, green, descending; cataphylls coriaceous, 4-5 cm long, acute at apex, drying dark brown (B & K Yellow 4/2.5), weathering to persistent fibers.

LEAVES spreading; petioles 10-22(-30) cm long, 4-5 mm diam., subterete, sharply and shallowly sulcate, faintly ribbed medially, the sides flattened and parallel to one another; geniculum 1-1.5 cm long; blades oblong-elliptic, moderately thick, acuminate at apex, obtuse to rounded at base, 10-33 cm long, 4.5-8.5 cm wide, broadest near middle; upper surface semiglossy, eglandular, lower surface much paler, matte, densely glandular-punctate; midrib convexly raised above and below, diminishing and sunken at apex above; primary lateral veins 10-16 per side, departing midrib at 30° angle, merely etched in surface of blade above, pro-minulous below, straight to collective vein; lesser veins obscure above, prominulous below; collective vein arising near the base, etched above, prominulous below, 3-6 mm from margin.

INFLORESCENCE spreading, sometimes shorter than leaves; peduncle 34-47 cm long, 4-5 mm wide, triangular, sometimes 2-5-ribbed or winged, often twisted, sometimes tinged red-violet, 2-5 times longer than petioles; spathe medium thick, green (B & K Yellow-green 8/10), sometimes faintly tinged red-violet, oblong-lanceolate, 4.3-4.5 cm long, ca. 1.8 cm wide, broadest at base, acuminate at apex, rounded to truncate at base, spreading at a 90° angle, twisted longitudinally and turned up near apex, inserted at 50° angle on the peduncle; spadix green or green tinged purplish (B & K. Yellow-green 4/10-5/10), 5.5-8.5 cm long, 5-8 mm diam. at base, 3-4 mm diam. at apex; flowers square, 3-4.5 mm long, 2.8-3.8 mm wide, the sides straight to gradually sigmoid, ca. 5 flowers visible in the principal spiral, ca. 7 flowers visible in the alternate spiral; tepals semiglossy, minutely papillate, lateral tepals 2.3-3 mm wide, the inner margin straight; pistil slightly raised, green becoming dark purple or green tinged dark purple; stigma linear, 0.4-0.5 mm long, green, minutely exsented, moist with minute droplets ca. 3 days before stamens emerge; stamens emerging in a regular sequence beginning at the base, laterals first quickly followed by alternates, the first lateral retracting below tepals as first alternate emerges; anthers pale green, completely retracting beneath tepals, leaving traces of white pollen.

INFRUCTESCENCE not seen; berries probably lavender. Figs. 29 and 30.
 
 

Anthurium cartiense is endemic to Panama and is known only from the El Llano-Carti Road in Panama and from the Santa Rita Ridge in Col—n Province east of the previous Canal Zone.

The species is a member of section Porphyrochitonium and is closely related to Anthurium crassiradix with which it shares somewhat oblong, glandular-punctate (lower surface only), subcoriaccous leaf blades and an elongate, three-sided, somewhat winged peduncle that usually greatly exceeds the petiole. Anthurium crassiradix differs in having a slender, much more elongate spadix and blades that are commonly broader below the middle, frequently with a well-developed secondary collective vein and the tendency to become subcordate in age. Anthurium cartiense diners from A..crassiradix in having a short, weakly tapered spadix and blades that are broadest in the middle.

An unusual feature that may be shared by both species is the much thickened coralloid mass of roots. I have seen this species only once in the field and did not make a note of this character on Anthurium cartiense, although it was present on specimens of A. crassiradix. However, one collection of A. cartiense (Nee 7916) notes the presence of such roots.

Map of Mesoamerican specimens with coordinates

Panama Col—n: 300-400 m, 9.24N 79.39W, 25 Sept. 1980, Sytsma 1322 (MO). Panama Panamá: 350 m,, 15 Feb. 1975, Mori et al. 4708 (MO). Panama Panamá: 200-500 m,, 20 Feb. 1973, Kennedy 2509 (MO). Panama Panamá: 330 m,, 28 Mar. 1976, Thomas B. Croat 33803 (MO).