Epiphytic creeper; stems green, 10 cm or more long; internodes 1.5-11 cm long; roots pale green, 2-4 mm diam.; cataphylls subcoriaceous, 3.5-10 cm long, rounded at apex, with thick sub-apical apiculum ca. 4 mm long, drying reddish brown, weathering into longitudinal fibers, persisting at nodes.

LEAVES with petioles spreading, 14.5-56 cm long, 3-7 mm diam., terete, sometimes sharply and narrowly sulcate; geniculum 1.5-3 cm long, obscurely sulcate, blades ovate-deltoid, short-acuminate at apex, broadly lobed to arcuate at base, 16-48 cm long, 11-52 cm wide, broadest at base; the anterior lobe 13.5-38 cm long, the margins ± straight to convex; posterior lobes 4-21 cm long; sinus arcuate to parabolic, obtuse to rounded at apex; upper surface matte to semiglossy, lower surface semiglossy; the midrib convexly to ± acutely raised above, diminished and sunken at apex, acutely raised below; basal veins 3-5 pairs, the first usually free, the remaining coalesced 2-5 cm; posterior rib naked, weakly turned up; primary lateral veins 4-9 per side, weakly sunken above, prominulous below, loop-connecting; lesser veins less conspicuous; collective vein usually arising from the first basal vein, rarely from one of the lowermost primary lateral veins, sunken above, prominulous below, 3-5 mm from margin.

INFLORESCENCE erect, shorter than leaves; the peduncle 7.5-28 cm long, 3-6 mm diam.; spathe moderately thin, yellow-green, oblong-lanceolate, 5-25 cm long, 1.3-4 cm wide, long-acuminate at apex, truncate at base, inserted at 45° angle on peduncle; spadix yellow to yellow-green, 5.5-26 cm long, 6-9 mm diam. at base, 3-5 mm diam. at apex; flowers 4-lobed, ca. 2 mm long, 2.2 mm wide, the sides jaggedly sigmoid; 4-7 flowers visible in the principal spiral, ca. 9 flowers visible in the alternate spiral; tepals glossy, lateral tepals ca. 1 mm wide, the inner margin convex: pistil minutely emergent, while, glossy; stigma ca. 2 mm long, brushlike, with very small droplets for 5-6 days about 7-8 days before first stamens emerge, dry, white to tan when stamens emerge; stamens emerging from base in moderately rapid sequence, the second lateral stamen emerging 1 or 2 days after first stamen; anthers yellow-orange; pollen pale yellow-orange.

INFRUCTESCENCE with spadix to 30 cm long; berries obovoid, violet-purple at apex, white at base, acute at apex, ca. 5 mm long; seeds 1-2, while, 1.5 mm long. Figs. 193 and 194.

Anthurium subsignatum is endemic to northern Costa Rica at sea level to 200 m elevation in tropical wet and premontane wet forest life zones. This species is a member of section Semaeophyllium and was mistakenly included as a synonym of A. trilobum Andre in "Anthurium in Costa Rica" (Croat & Baker, 1979). It is closely related to A. garagaranum Standl. of Panama and Colombia, which has a similar bright yellow spadix at anthesis. The latter species differs in having more deeply lobed leaf blades. Madison (1978) included A. garagaranum as a synonym of A. trilobum with admitted misgivings, but additional field work is needed in South America to make an analysis of this complex.

Map of Mesoamerican specimens with coordinates

Costa Rica :, , Bogner s.n. (MO). Costa Rica Alajuela:, 6 July 1976, Smith & Kress 76-533 (DUKE).
Costa Rica Alajuela: 200 m,, 26 June 1976, Thomas B. Croat 36485 (MO).
Costa Rica Alajuela: 100-150 m,, 26 June 1976, Thomas B. Croat 36455 (MO).
Costa Rica Alajuela: 100-150 m,, 26 June 1976, Thomas B. Croat 36429 (MO).
Costa Rica Cartago: 450-525 m, 9.58N 83.34W, 10 May 1983, Liesner et al. 15352 (MO).
Costa Rica Heredia: La Selva, 100 m,, 11 July 1983, Chacon 1076 (DUKE).
Costa Rica Heredia: 110 m, 10.18.00N 83.52.30W, 6 July 1985, Michael H. Grayum & Barry Hammel 5571 (MO).
Costa Rica Heredia: 10.26N 84.01W, 15 April 1986, Thomas B. Croat 61221 (MO).
Costa Rica Heredia: 100 m, 10.27N 84.05W, 1 Oct. 1987, Thomas B. Croat 68375 (MO).
Costa Rica Heredia: P.N. Braulio Carrillo, 200 m, 10.23.03N 84.03.00W, 18 July 1990, Hammel et al. 17823 (MO).
Costa Rica Heredia: Puerto Viejo, 20 m,, 27 May 1976, Thomas B. Croat 35748 (MO).
Costa Rica Heredia: Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, 100 m,, 3 Jan 1978, Thomas B. Croat 44234 (MO).
Costa Rica Heredia:, , Leon 1784 (US).
Costa Rica Heredia: Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí,, Aug 1979, Grove 34 (MO).
Costa Rica Heredia: La Selva,, 22 Mar 1980, Hammel 8228 (DUKE).
Costa Rica Heredia: La Selva, 100 m,, 23 Apr 1981, Folsom 9840 (DUKE).
Costa Rica Heredia: La Selva, 100 m,, 27 July 1980, Grayum 3032 (DUKE).
Costa Rica Heredia: La Selva, 100 m,, 22 Feb 1981, Folsom 9101 (DUKE).
Costa Rica Heredia: La Selva, 100 m,, 2 Apr 1981, Folsom 9612A (DUKE).
Costa Rica Heredia: La Selva, 100 m,, 13 Mar 1983, Chacon G. 425 (DUKE).
Costa Rica Heredia: Río Puerto Viejo, 100 m,, , Cooper Smith & Kress 76-533 (DUKE).
Costa Rica Heredia: Río Puerto Viejo, 100 m,, 20 Mar 1980, Hammel 8165 (DUKE).
Costa Rica Heredia: Río Puerto Viejo, 100 m,, 24 Mar 1980, Hammel 8263 (DUKE).
Costa Rica Heredia: Río Puerto Viejo, 100 m,, 23 Mar 1982, Hammel 11440 (DUKE, MO).
Costa Rica Heredia: Río Puerto Viejo, 100 m,, 17 July 1979, Grayum & Bien 1848 (DUKE).
Costa Rica Heredia: Río Puerto Viejo, 100 m,, 4 Aug 1979, Grayum 2229 (DUKE).
Costa Rica Heredia: 220 m,, 22 Nov 1990, Hunter 813 (WIS).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 10-100 m, 10.40N 83.40W, 24 Jan 1986, Warren Douglas Stevens 23963 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 10-40 m, 10.40N 83.40W, 13-14 Sep 1986, Warren Douglas Stevens 24285 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 20-170 m, 10.41N 83.38W, 16-23 Jan 1986, Warren Douglas Stevens 23675 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 5 m, 09.38N 82.39W, 2 Nov 1984, Michael Grayum & Willie Burton 4328 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 20-25 m, 09.34N 82.39W, 17 Nov 1984, Michael Grayum, Gerardo Herrera & Felipe Chavarría 4446 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 12 m, 10.38N 83.45W, 21 April 1990, Michael Grayum 9803 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 100 m, 09.38.00N 82.46.10W, 8 March 1990, Quírico Jiménez, R. Ocampo & E. Castillo 805 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 350 m, 9.24.30N 82.58.10W, 7 July 1989, Gerardo Herrera 3175 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 100-250 m,, 4 May 1983, Gomez et al. 20354 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 40 m, 10.31N 83.47W, , Davidson & Donahue 8654 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 40 m, 10.30N 83.47W, 16 Aug 1979, Davidson & Donahue 8366 (MO, RSA).
Costa Rica Lim—n:, , Standley 37458 (US).
Costa Rica Lim—n:, , Wendland 919 (GOET).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 10-20 m, 10.40N 83.40W, 13-14 Sep 1986, Gerrit Davidse & Gerardo Herrera 31135 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 6 m, 10.32N 83.30W, 7 July 1988, Rafael Robles 1927 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 40 m, 10.25N 83.34W, 27 October 1987, Rafael Robles 1163 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: Parque Tortuguero, 40 m, 10.25N 83.34W, 5 November 1987, Rafael Robles 1264 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: R.N.F.S. Barra del Colorado; Llanura de Tortuguero, 15-20 m, 10.38.38N 83.44.10W, 20 April 1993, Flor Araya, N. Zamora & J. Corrales 238 (CR).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 40 m,, 22 Aug. 1979, Davidson & Donahue 8654 (MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: Parque Nacional Tortuguero, 119 m,, 16 Sep 1990, Solano 148 (CR, MO).
Costa Rica Lim—n: 10 m, 09.37.00N 082.38.00W, 31 Mar. 1995, Herrera, G. 7652 (MO).
Costa Rica Puntarenas: Las Cruces Botanical Garden, 1200 m, 8.49N 82.58W, 6-7 March 1984, Thomas B. Croat 57255 (CR, K, MO).
Costa Rica San José: 600-700 m, 10.09.50N 83.57.10W, 30 August 1996, Thomas B. Croat 78774 (MO).
Nicaragua Río San Juan: 50-200 m, 10.44.00N 83.26.00W, 9 Julio 1994, Ricardo Rueda, Blas Hernández y Edith Palma 1889 (MO).
Nicaragua Río San Juan: Municipio San Juan del Norte, 10.46N 83.46W, 8 Julio 1995, Ricardo Rueda, Blas Hernández y Edith Palma 2711 .
Nicaragua Río San Juan: 10.47N 084.12W, 11 Febrero 1996, Ricardo Rueda, Alfredo Grijlava, Rolando Dolmus y Milton Castrillo 4048 (MO).
Nicaragua Río San Juan: 10.51N 083.46W, 2 Agosto 1996, Ricardo Rueda, Indiana Coronado y Norlan Tercero 4874 (MO).
Nicaragua Río San Juan: 11.09N 084.10W, 10 Junio 1997, Ricardo Rueda, Indiana Coronado, Oscar Aráuz & Franklin Flores 6165 .
Nicaragua Zelaya: Cano Monte Cristo, 40-60 m, 11.36N 83.51W, 5 febrero 1982, P.P.Moreno 14820 (MO).
Nicaragua Zelaya: 10 m, 11.33N 83.48W, 4 febrero 1982, P.P. Moreno & J.C. Sandino 14672 (MO).
Panama CoclŽ: 800-900 m, 8.38N 80.09W, 12 July 1987, Thomas B. Croat 67194 (MO).
Panama CoclŽ: 800 m, 08.36N 80.07W, 6 July 1994, Thomas B. Croat & Guanghua Zhu 76697 (CM, MO).
Panama Darien: 200-450 m, 07.58N 77.43W, 27 July 1994, Thomas B. Croat & Guanghua Zhu 77129 (MO).
Panama San Blas: Río Cangandi, 30 m,, 16 June 1987, Herrera, H. 208 (MO).

South American Specimens

Brazil Río de Janeiro:, 5 August 1986, Thomas B. Croat 61952 (MO).