Anthurium bakeri Hook.f.

Description

Tom Croat

Epiphyte, stems less than 10 cm long, 1.5 cm diam.; roots moderately slender; leaf scars ca. 1.7 cm wide; cataphylls coriaceous, 3-6 cm long, acuminate at apex (the acumen apiculate to 2 mm), drying brown, persisting as fibers. Leaves erect to spreading; petioles (3)11-17 cm long, to 5 mm diam., subterete to sharply sulcate; ge-niculum 1-1.5 cm long; blades narrowly elliptic-lanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 19-55 cm long, 2.8-9 cm wide, broadest at middle, acuminate at apex, narrowly rounded at base; upper surface matte, lower surface paler and matte with reddish-brown glandular punctations; midrib convexly raised below; primary lateral veins nearly obscure, flat, departing midrib at 45° angle, straight to collective vein; collective vein arising from base, sunken, significantly more prominent than the primary lateral veins, continuous to apex of leaf, 2-4 mm from margin. Inflorescence erect-spreading, much shorter than leaves; peduncle 5.5-30 cm long, 3-5 mm diam., half as long or as long as petioles; spathe coriaceous, pale yellow-green (B & K Yellow-green 9/10), the edges sometimes tinged with purple, 2-5.5 cm long, 7-28 mm wide, oblong-lanceolate, inserted at ca. 60° angle on peduncle, obtuse at apex and base; stipe 3 mm long, 2 mm diam.; spadix creamy white (B & K Yellow-red 9/5), 2-11 cm long, 5-15 mm diam. at base, 4.5-12 mm diam. at apex; flowers square to 4-lobed, 1.6-3.5 mm long, 1.7-3.2 mm wide, the sides jaggedly sigmoid, 7-8 flowers visible in the principal spiral, 5-6 flowers visible in the alternate spiral; tepals glossy, minutely papillate, lateral tepals 1.5 mm wide, the inner margin convex; pistils not emergent; stigma minute, slillike, ca. 0.1 mm long, droplets apparent before stamens emerge; stamens emerging in an irregular pattern, usually lateral stamens first followed by alternates, anthers scarcely exposed, pushing pollen out around pistil, white, ca. 0.2 mm long, 0.3 mm wide; pollen white. Infructescence erect, spathe reflexed against peduncle; spadix 7.5-8.5 cm long, 1.2-1.4 cm diam.; berries red, pointed at apex, obovoid ca. 6 mm long; mesocarp juicy, pulpy, transparent with numerous oblong raphide cells; seeds 2, ovoid, cream-colored, flattened, 3.2 mm long, 2 mm wide, 1.2 mm thick, enveloped by a gelatinous substance extending below the base.

Belize and Guatemala to Colombia and Venezuela from sea level to 1000(-1200) m.

In wetter parts of moist and wet forests.

Anthurium bakeri can be distinguished by its moderately thin, elliptic-lanceolate blades that are reddish-brown punctate on the lower surface and have many weak primary lateral veins and conspicuously sunken collective veins. The lower leaf surface usually dries much paler than upper surface, sometimes yellowish, contrasting sharply with the green upper surface. Other distinguishing features include the creamy while, almost cylindrical spadix and bright red berries. The species is a member of section Porphyrochitonium.

This species sometimes is cultivated as an ornamental.

Map Distribution

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Objects

Images

Anthurium bakeri. Photo by R. Aguilar. (image/jpeg)

Anthurium bakeri. Photo by R. Aguilar. (image/jpeg)

Anthurium bakeri. Photo by R. Aguilar. (image/jpeg)

Anthurium bakeri. Photo by R. Aguilar. (image/jpeg)

Anthurium bakeri. Photo by R. Aguilar. (image/jpeg)

Anthurium bakeri. Photo by R. Aguilar. (image/jpeg)

Anthurium bakeri. Photo by R. Aguilar. (image/jpeg)

Anthurium bakeri. Photo by R. Aguilar. (image/jpeg)

Anthurium bakeri. Photo by R. Aguilar. (image/jpeg)

Anthurium bakeri. Photo by R. Aguilar. (image/jpeg)

Anthurium bakeri. Photo by R. Aguilar. (image/jpeg)

Anthurium bakeri. Photo by R. Aguilar. (image/jpeg)

Anthurium bakeri. Photo by R. Aguilar. (image/jpeg)