Heteropsis vasquezii Croat & M. L. Soares, 2013

Soares, M. Lourdes, Mayo, Simon J. & Gribel, Rogério, 2013, A Preliminary Taxonomic Revision of Heteropsis (Araceae), Systematic Botany (Basel, Switzerland) 38 (4), pp. 925-974 : 971-973

18. Heteropsis vasquezii Croat & M. L. Soares sp. nov.

— TYPE: PERU. Loreto: Requena, Sapuena , Jenaro Herrera , bosque primário, 04 50 ' S, 73 45 ' W, 170 m, 13 Sep 1987, R. Vásquez & N. Jaramillo 9551 (holotype: MO!; isotype: INPA! fr).

Planta hemiepiphytica; internodia 1.7–8 cm longa, 5– 9 mm diam; folia ramulorum plagiotropium petiolo 2–2.3 cm longo, 4–5 mm diam (in sicco), lamina elliptica, 35–55 cm longa, 14–24 cm lata, nervis primariis lateralibus utroque 14–25, venis tenuibus reticulatis obscuris instructa; spadix 9.5 cm longus, 1.2–1.8 cm diam.

Plant a scandent hemi-epiphyte; stem thick, internodes 1.7–8 cm long, 5–9 mm diam, subcylindric, widely sulcate on one side, slightly striate longitudinally, dark brown, semi-glossy when dried; axillary buds 8–10 mm long, straight with rounded apex. Petiole 2–2.3 cm long, 4–5 mm diam, strongly canaliculate, dark brown, margin smooth; geniculum ca. 1.5 cm long, black when dried; leaf blade 35–55 cm long, 14–24 cm wide, elliptic, conspicuously coriaceous, dark brown adaxially, matte brown abaxially, margin revolute, slightly sinuate, 0.87–0.95 mm thick, apex slightly acuminate, base acute to obtuse, midrib adaxially sulcate and the same color as the blade, abaxially prominent, rounded, darker brown than the blade, primary lateral veins 14–25 on each side, obscured adaxially, prominent abaxially, similar in color to blade, finer reticulated veins obscured, infra-marginal collective vein prominent, ca. 2 mm distant from margin, external marginal vein lacking. Inflorescence terminal and axillary, flowering shoot 2–9 cm long, internodes 0.5–2.5 cm long, 7–8 mm diam, dark brown when dried, subcylindric, widely sulcate on one side, axillary bud present on second internode; peduncle ca. 0.5 mm long, cylindric, thick; spathe not seen; spadix ca. 9.5 cm long, 1.2–1.8 cm diam, ellipsoid, apex obtuse, dark matte brown, shortly stipitate. Gynoecium 4–5 mm diam, irregularly angular to truncate. Infructescence ca. 12 cm long, 3.3 cm diam; berry 4–8 mm diam, green when immature, truncate, dark brown when dried with pale brown apex. Figures 3 , 29 .

Habitat and Distribution— Heteropsis vasquezii was collected in dense ombrophilous terra firme forest and is known only from the type locality in Loreto department in Peru, occurring at 150 m alt.

Phenology— The single known specimen is in young fruiting stage and was collected in September.

Conservation Status— Using guidance from the Geocat (2012) online tool, the preliminary conservation assessment of H. vasquezii is data deficient (DD), since this species is currently known only from a single locality.

Etymology— The specific epithet honors the collector of the type specimen, Rodolfo Vásquez, who has contributed greatly to the collections of Araceae from tropical South America and thus improved scientific knowledge of the family.

Notes— This species is recognized by its extremely wide, elliptic leaf blade which dries to a dark brown color adaxially and matte brown abaxially, with the primary lateral veins conspicuously more prominent than the interprimaries. Heteropsis vasquezii is easily distinguished from other species by the width of the leaf blade.

Figures

FIG. 3. Geographical distribution of Heteropsis steyermarkii, H.tenuispadix, H. vasquezii, and H. reticulata. Drawn by Francisca D. A. Matos.

FIG. 29. Heteropsis vasquezii. A. Habit. B. Venation of left abaxial surface of leaf blade. (A and B prepared from Vásquez & Jaramillo 9551 (INPA). Drawn by Felipe França.