An overlooked morphological feature in the genus Rhodospatha (Araceae, Monsteroideae, Anepsiadeae) revealed through international collaboration, with the description of a new endemic species from Costa Rica

By

Cedeño Fonseca, Marco
Cubero-Vásquez, Oscar
Ortiz, Orlando
Rodríguez-Arias, Marilyn
Serna-Sánchez, Maria Alejandra
Trujillo, Edwin
Jiménez, José Esteban
Zuluaga Tróchez, Alejandro
Hay, Alistair

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-7-28

Original Publication

PhytoKeys

Volume

260

Pages

185--199

Subjects

Cloudbridge Nature Reserve , Monsteroideae , Pérez Zeledón , Talamanca , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers [2010]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.260.154762

 

Abstract

A recent floristic survey in the Pacific slope of the Talamanca Mountain (Costa Rica), has revealed a new species of Rhodospatha, characterised by a bracteolate inflorescence. We describe and fully illustrate Rhodospatha rubrinervis from the Cloudbridge Nature Reserve. A detailed taxonomic description, as well as its distribution, ecology, phenology and conservation assessment are provided, along with a comparative discussion of its morphological affinities with R. forgetii and R. wendlandii. In addition, we present a brief discussion on the presence of a bracteole in Rhodospatha, a morphological character that, although illustrated by H.W. Schott 160 years ago, has not previously been described in detail.