Land of giants: two new pachycaul Monstera (Araceae, Monsteroideae, Monstereae) from Panama
Authors/Creators
- 1. Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica|Universidad de Costa Rica, Cartago, Costa Rica|Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- 2. Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany|Universidad de Panamá, Panama City, Panama|Coiba Scientific Station (COIBA AIP), Panama City, Panama
- 3. Jardín Botánico de la Paz y Flora, Bitaco, Colombia|Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- 4. Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
Description
The genus Monstera is a diverse group of nomadic vines endemic to the Neotropics, with its greatest diversity concentrated in the montane forests of southern Central America. The Cordillera de Talamanca, spanning southern Costa Rica and western Panama, has emerged as a hotspot for pachycaul Monstera species which exhibit large leaf and inflorescence sizes. This study presents the discovery and description of two new giant Monstera species from Panama: M. corana and M. colossica. Both species occur relatively close to M. gigas in the cloud forests of the southern Talamanca range, an area characterised by high humidity, persistent cloud cover and heterogeneous volcanic soils. We provide detailed morphological descriptions, field observations, distribution maps and comparisons with morphologically related taxa.
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References
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