Anthurium purpureospathum Croat,
Selbyana 5: 328. 1981. TYPE: Panama. Bocas del Toro: Station Milla 7.5 on Changuinola-Almirante Railroad, less than 100 m above sea level, along slender ridge to WWII communications facility, ca. 2 km NW of ruins of U.S. Army military barracks, Croat 38094 (MO 2388335, holotype; B, CAS, CM, DUKE, F, GH, K, M, NY, PMA, RSA, S, SEL, US, VEN, isotypes; Live at MO).
Epiphytic or terrestrial at higher elevations; cataphylls drying dark tan, subpersistent. remaining intact as reticulate fibers; petioles 12-31 cm long, 4-10 mm diam., more or less quadrangular, flat to broadly and sharply sulcate, usually prominently 3-ribbed abaxially; blades ob-long-oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic, coriaceous, obtuse to acute or attenuate at base, 27-74 cm long, 7.5-40 cm wide. Inflorescence erect; peduncles 3-38 cm long, 0.8-2 cm diam., purplish or green, subterete; spathe medium thick, purple to purplish with green mottling especially near base at center or green mottled with purple at anthesis, oblong to narrowly ovate, 4.5-17.5 cm long, 1.5÷4 cm wide; spadix violet purple. (4-)5-22 cm long, 1-2.5 cm diam. at base; berries orange, red-orange to red, narrowly ovoid, acute at apex with a round, minute, mammilliform style; seeds 1 or 2. See Croat (1983: 358) for a more complete description.
The species is known only from Panama and occurs principally from near sea level to 200 m in Bocas del Toro Province in wetter parts of tropical moist and premontane wet forest. A population on Cerro Colorado, in tropical wet or premontane rain forest at 1,200 to 1,500 m appears to differ in no way from the populations at lower elevations except that it has thicker leaves and a consistently terrestrial habit. The terrestrial habit is not unusual for populations at higherelevations where a greater accumulation of debris exists and where the steeper slopes provide better drainage. The species should be expected at medium elevations as well.
Anthurium purpureospathum, a member of section Pachyneurium,
is distinguished by its ro-sulate habit, its more or less oblanceolate
leaf blades, its almost quadrangular petioles, often three-ribbed abaxially,
its generally short peduncles, its usually violet purple reflexed spathe,
its usually short violet purple spadix, its early emergent pistils, and
by its long, sharply pointed, orange to red-orange berries.
Map of Mesoamerican specimens with coordinates
Panama Bocas del Toro: 175 m, 8.46N 82.16W, 25 June 1987, Thomas B.
Croat 66820 (MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: Fortuna Dam Area, 310 m, 8.45N 82.10W, 9 March
1985, Croat & Grayum 60145 (B, MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: Isla Col—n, 0-120 m,, 16 May 1940, Wedel 125
(MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: Isla Col—n, 0-120 m,, 27 Aug. 1940, Wedel 569
(GH, MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: Water Valley,, 11 Sept. 1940, Wedel 708 (MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: Water Valley,, 14 Sept. 1940, Wedel 774 (GH,
MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: Chiriquí Lagoon,, 20 Sept. 1941, Wedel 2721
(GH, MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: Río Cricamola, 10-50 m,, 12-16 Aug. 1938,
Woodson et al. 1889 (MO, NY).
Panama Bocas del Toro: 300-500 m,, 13 Dec. 1979, António 3148 (MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: 190-220 m,, 4 Aug. 1976, Thomas B. Croat 38180
(MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: 30 m,, 27 July 1971, Croat & Porter 16416
(MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: Río Guarumo,, 5-7 June 1967, Lewis et
al. 1985 (MO, NY).
Panama Bocas del Toro: Río Changuinola,, 19 Apr. 1969, Lazor
& Tyson 2661 (MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: 100 m,, 3 Aug. 1976, Thomas B. Croat 38094 (B,
BM, CAS, C, CM, CR, DUKE, F, GH, IBE, K, LE, M, MISSA, MO, NY, P, PMA,
QCA, RSA, S, SEL, US, VEN, W).
Panama Bocas del Toro: 0-100 m,, 2 Apr 1977, D'Arcy 11207 (MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: 30-200 m,, 4 Aug. 1976, Thomas B. Croat 38214
(MO, PMA).
Panama Bocas del Toro: 190-220 m,, 4 Aug. 1976, Thomas B. Croat 38179
(MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: 120 m, 08.57N 08.56W, 29 March 1993, Thomas
B. Croat 74936 (MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: Isla Bastimentos, 30-100 m,, 14 Feb 1989, Peterson
& Annable 6855 (US).
Panama Bocas del Toro: Fortuna Dam Area, 120 m, 8.55N 82.10W, 5 March
1986, Gordon McPherson 8572 (MO).
Panama Bocas del Toro: < 100 m, 09.21.40N 82.31.40W, 25 June 1994,
Thomas B. Croat & Guanghua Zhu 76432 .
Panama Chiriquí: Fortuna Dam Area, 80 m, 8.50N 82.10W, 9 March 1985,
Croat & Grayum 60090 (MO).
Panama Chiriquí: Cerro Colorado, 1430-1500 m,, 22 Aug. 1979, Thomas
B. Croat 48483 (MO).
Panama Chiriquí: Cerro Colorado, 1200-1500 m,, 12 March 1976, Thomas
B. Croat 33139 (CM, MO, NY).
Panama Chiriquí: Cerro Colorado, 1500 m,, 17-18 Feb. 1977, Folsom &
Collins 1835 (MO).
Panama Chiriquí: Cerro Colorado, 1200-1500 m,, 13 March 1976, Thomas
B. Croat 33257 (MO, PMA).
Panama San Blas: 350 m, 9.19N 78.55W, 6 Nov. 1984, Gred de Nevers 4207
(MO).
