Epiphyte; stems 1-5 cm long, less than 1 cm diam.; roots dense, often drying flattened; cataphylls ca. 2 cm long, drying brown, weathering into fibers, ultimately deciduous.

LEAVES erect-spreading; petioles 1-3.5 cm long, 2-3 mm diam., sulcate; geniculum 1-2 cm long, scarcely thicker than petioles; blades oblanceolate, acuminate to abruptly acuminate at apex, attenuate at base, 7-17 cm long, 2-3.7 cm wide, broadest above middle; both surfaces semiglossy, the lower surface only slightly paler; midrib raised above and below (dry); primary lateral veins 6-8 per side, departing midrib at ca. 45° angle, scarcely raised above and below (dry); straight to collective vein; interprimary veins usually obscure, sometimes more or less as prominent as primary lateral veins; collective vein arising from the lowermost primary lateral vein, 2-5 mm from margin, drying obscure above, prominulous below, weakly to prominently loop-connecting primary lateral veins.

INFLORESCENCE erect; peduncle 2.5-6.5 cm long, 2-3 mm diam., weakly 1-ribbed, much longer than petioles; spathe pale green, lanceolate, 2.5-3.5 cm long, 7-9 mm wide, broadest near base, acute at apex and base, decurrent to ca. 1 cm, inserted at 70° angle on peduncle; stipe 3-6 cm long; spadix green, 2-3 cm long, 3-4 mm diam. near base, 2-3 mm diam. at apex; flowers rhombic, 2.5-3.2 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, the sides straight to slightly sigmoid, 2-4 flowers visible in either spiral; lateral tepals ca. 2 mm wide, the inner margin more or less straight; pistils weakly raised; stamens emerging from the base, held at edge of tepals; anthers held inward over pistil, ca. 0.3 mm long, 0.5 mm wide; thecae ovoid, slightly divaricate.

INFRUCTESCENCE pendent; spathe persistent; spadix to 4 cm long, 2-2.5 cm diam. (with berries exserted); berries obovoid-ellipsoid, rounded at apex, green becoming black-purple, somewhat paler toward base, 9-10 mm long, 6-7 mm diam.; pericarp moderately thick; seeds 1 or 2, tan, discoid lo ellipsoid, 6-7.5 mm long, 4.5-5 mm wide, 1.2 mm thick. Fig. 46.

Anthurium correae is endemic to Central Panama on both sides of the canal in tropical wet forest at 300 to 450 m.

The species is distinguished by its generally small, oblanceolate, acuminate blades that usually dry blackened, its prominently decurrent, lanceolate, green spathe, its cylindroid, slightly tapered, green spadix, and its dark purple berries. Its sectional placement is uncertain, and it is provisionally placed in section Urospadix. The species is most similar to small specimens of Anthurium michelii that have similar green, lanceolate spathes, long-stipitate, greenish spadices, and purple berries. The latter species has larger leaves with typically conspicuous tertiary veins on drying. Collections of A. michelii west of the isthmus have blades usually broadest at the middle whereas collections east of the isthmus more frequently have blades broadest above the middle like those of A correae. However, A. correae is also similar to A. llanense which also has purple berries and leave but that species has blades that dry green, a typically ovate spathe, and a dark green subglobular spadix.

Anthurium correae is named in honor of Lic. Wireya Correa A., curator of the herbarium at the University of Panama, who, with Bob Dresller, made the first collection of the species in 1968.

Map of Mesoamerican specimens with coordinates

Panama Col—n: 700-800 m, 9.27N 79.36W, 3 May 1981, Sytsma et al. 4307 (MO).
Panama Darien: 600 m, 7.58N 77.42W, 9 Aug 1986, McDonagh et al. 588 (BM).
Panama San Blas: 400 m, 9.20N 76.56W, 22 July 1986, McDonagh et al. 283 (BM).
Panama San Blas: 350 m, 9.15N 79.00W, 27 Jan. 1986, Gordon McPherson & M. Merello 8177 (MO).
Panama San Blas: 325 m, 9.18N 78.59W, 1 July 1984, H.W. Churchill 5670 (MO).
Panama San Blas: 350 m, 9.19N 78.55W, 27 Sept. 1984, Greg de Nevers, H. Herrera & B. González 3927 (MO).
Panama San Blas: 100-300 m, 9.23N 78.48W, 24 June 1986, Greg de Nevers, H. Herrera & Ernesto Gernado 7985 (MO).