Monstera tuberculata Lundell, 1939

Croat, Thomas B., Cedeño-Fonseca, Marco & Ortiz, Orlando O., 2024, Revision of Monstera (Araceae: Monsteroideae) of Central America, Phytotaxa 656 (1), pp. 1-197 : 181-184

51. Monstera tuberculata Lundell , Lloydia 2: 78, t. 1. 1939. ( Figs. 88 , 89 )

Type: — BELIZE. El Cayo District, Valentin , June 1936, C.L. Lundell 6238 (holotype MICH-MICH1115586!, isotype GH!) .

Nomadic vine, pendent habit. SEEDLINGS: filiform. JUVENILE PLANTS: root climbers; stems light-green to dark, smooth, flattened; internodes 3–6 cm long, 3–5 mm diam.; petiole not visible, dark green, smooth, 3–6 cm long; blades obovate or orbicular, subcordate to truncate at base, acuminate at apex, coriaceous, variegated, 5–10 × 4–9 cm, appressed to the phorophyte; fenestrations absent. ADULT PLANTS: root climbers; stems dark-green to light-green, smooth, cylindrical or dorsoventrally compressed and slightly sulcate on one side, with caducous epidermis; internodes 5–15 cm long, 1–2 cm diam., 5.0–7.5 times longer than wide; anchor roots dark-brown; feeder roots corky; petiole light or dark-green, smooth, 2–6 cm long, sheathed to base of the geniculum, the sheath apically prolonged in a free ligule, 3–6 cm long; petiole sheath dry-persistent for several days, leaving fibrous residues; geniculum smooth, flattened adaxially, convex abaxially, 5–10 mm long; blades ovate, cordulate to cordate at base, obtuse to short-acuminate at apex, coriaceous, drying blackish, yellowish or grayish, 5.5–20.0 × 4–12 cm, 1.4–1.9 times longer than wide, not decurrent on the geniculum; midrib convex on both surfaces, drying blackish abaxially, primary lateral veins 4–7 per side, obscure adaxially, prominent abaxially, drying yellowish or blackish; secondary veins reticulate and prominent, wavy throughout its length when dry; collective veins slightly visible; fenestrations absent or rarely present; margins entire. INFLORESCENCES on pendent stems, 1–10 simultaneously at flowering time, arranged in the leaf axils; peduncle smooth, 2–5 cm long, 2–6 mm diam.; spathe acuminate to long-acuminate, green externally during development, yellowish green or creamy white externally and white internally at anthesis, marcescent or deciduous after anthesis, 7–10 × 6–8 cm, up to 3 cm longer than the spadix; spadix white during development, yellow at anthesis, 4–7 cm long, 1.5–3.5 cm diam.; basal sterile flowers 4–6 mm long, with a yellowish stigmatic secretion; fertile flowers 5–9 mm long; stamens 1–5 mm long, with laminar filaments; anthers 1.5–2.0 mm long; ovary acute at base, ribbed, 3–5 × 2–3 mm; style pentagonal or hexagonal, 5–6 × 3.5–5.0 mm; stigmaphore thickly conical and recurved, 3–6 mm long; stigma linear, with a rusty red stigmatic secretion; berries with a yellowish-green stylar cap during development, mature stylar cap dark-green; pulp white; seeds brown with white dots, oblong, 6–9 mm long.

Distribution and ecology: —From México (Oaxaca) to West of Panamá, at 0‒1100 m. It lives in Tropical moist forest and Tropical wet forest life zones; primary and secondary forest.

Phenology: —Flowering has been recorded in February, April, June-July and November. Fruit in May-August.

Discussion: —The species, a member of sect. Echinospadix , is characterized by its silvery blotched juvenile leaves, appressed-climbing high growing adult plants with the flowering branches pendent, elongated internodes, short petioles with a ligule that may extend beyond base of the blade, the broadly ovate, usually subcordate acuminate blades with a short peduncle, spathe about as broad as long and white cylindroid spadix.

The two areas have two distinct varieties: Monstera tuberculata var. tuberculata in Mexico and Guatemala is known from elevations of 50–150 m and M. tuberculata var. brevinoda in Nicaragua to Panama ranges from 0– 150 m. Monstera tuberculata var. tuberculata in Belize (Brewer 7635, MO), have adult leaf blades with abundant impressed glands on the underside, and in Mexico, in the region of Veracruz (Ceja et al. 1881, XAL) they present leaves with a few fenestrations, a characteristic never observed in the populations of Costa Rica and Panama ( Cedeño-Fonseca et al. 2022).

Additional specimens examined: — MEXICO. Campeche: Calakmul. A 86 km al S de Ejido Constitución, 17°51’00”N 090°05’26”W, 218 m, 28 mayo 1998, E.M. Martínez et al. 30976 (MO!); Chiapas: Tropical rain forest remnant along Rio Pichucalco, richly hanging with lianas and epipytic bromeliads and orchids, 3 km NE of Pichucalco on road to Villahermosa, 17°32’N 093°04’W, 200 m, 2 Jul 1969, B. Marcks & C. Marcks 906 (MO!); Ocosingo. Límite entre la comunidad Lacandona y el monumento Bonampak, 16°43’32”N 091°04’38”W, 326 m, 10 agosto 2002, G. Águilar et al. 2036 (MEXU!, MO!); Zona urbana a 1.46 km del centro de Frontera Corozal al SO, 16°48’12”N 090°53’27”W, 123 m, 02 junio 2004, G. Águilar et al. 10390 (MEXU!, MO!); Entrada de Velasco Viejo a 4 km de la carretera, 16°58’12”N 091°13’48”W, 449–461 m, 30 marzo 2002, G. Águilar et al. 399 (MEXU!, MO!); Rapids on Río Santo Domingo at Santo Domingo. Forested river bank, 17°01’58”N 091°24’53”W, 490 m, 13 May 1982, G. Davidse et al. 20456 (MO!); Ostuacán. Two mi S of Chiapas border along highway 195. Disturbed area beside stream, 17°33’03”N 092°59’47”W, 80 m, 3 Jul 1977, T.B. Croat 40085 (MO!); Pichucalco. Along stream 10 km NE of Pichucalco, 17°32’56”N 093°03’39”W, 150 m, 10 May 1973, D.E. Breedlove 35047 (MO!); Along stream 11 km ENE of Pichucalco, 17°33’36”N 093°03’00”W, 100 m, 5 Oct 1980, D.E. Breedlove 45904 (CAS); Oaxaca: Mpio. Sta María Chimalapa: cafetales cerca de Sta. María; cefetales con Vochysia, Andira galeottiana, Termninalia, Enterolobium schomburgkii, Cassia moschata, Hymeneae,Apeiba, Guazuma, Didymopanax, Inga, Mosquitoxylum; suelos profundos, pendientes ligeras o fuertes, 16°55’N 094°40’W, 300 m, 6 May 1985, H. Hernández 1156 (MO!); Uxpanapa Region, along gravel road E of Sarabia on road to Uxpanapa, 4.2 mi NE of Río Corte. On and around karst limestone formations along road. Veg. type: ”selva alta perennifolia”, 17°09’N 095°49’W, 90 m, 18 Jan 1987, T.B. Croat & D.P. Hannon 63189 (MO!); Tabasco: Tacotalpa. Cerro del Madrigal, Km 7 (4.2 mi) de la estación Tacotalpa hacia Tapijulapa, 17°30’00”N 092°48’36”W, 90 m, 17 Jun 1983, C.P. Cowan et al. 3950 (MO!); Veracruz: Veracruz: San Andrés Tuxtla, EBT, camino a Laguna escondida, 18°35’02”N 095°04’38”W, 78 m, 06 March 2020, P. Díaz-Jiménez et al. 1456 (HEM!); Playa Escondida, 28 km NE of Catemaco, 18°34’12”N 095°03’36”W, 50 m, Aug 1972, M. Madison 631 (SEL!); 4 km NE of Minatitlan, 18°01’12”N 094°32’24”W, 50 m, Aug 1958, R. King 1114 (MICH, US); Estacion de biologia tropical Los Tuxtlas; selva alta perennifolia; bejuce Herbaceo, sobre Coussapoa purpusii. Inflorescencia verdosa. ”Telefono”, 18°34’N 095°44’W - 18°36’N 095°09’W, 450 m, 18 July 1985, S. Sinaca 143 (MO!, UMO); Entrance road to Playa Escondida near jct. with road between Santecomapan and Montepio, 18°33’36”N 095°03’36”W, 10–15 m, 25 Jul 1978, T. Cochrane et al. 8626 (MO!); Along road between Catemaco and Montepio, 15 km E of junction to Tebanca, Coyame and Nanciyaga, 18°29’50”N 095°02’31”W, 133 m, 6 Mar 2008, T.B. Croat & P. Díaz Jiménez 100323 (MO!); Catemaco. Vic. of Playa Escondida, 10 km N of Sontecomapan. Selva Alta Perennifolia. Evergreen tropical forest, some cleared for pastures, on slopes around and above Hotel Playa Escondida and the beach on the Gulf of Mexico, 18°35’24”N 095°03’00”W, 0–150 m, 30 Jun 1982, M. Nee 24740 (F!, MO!, XAL!); Minatitlán. 2 km N of Uxpanapa on road (Pob. 12) en camino al Pob. 13; arroyo pedregoso en selva de Dialium, Terminalia, Brosimum, Cynometra, Lonchocarpus spp , 17°12’36”N 094°12’36”W, 150 m, 7 Jul 1985, T. Wendt et al. 4886 (MO!); San Andrés Tuxtla. Estación de Biología Tropical ”Los Tuxtlas, Cerro Vigía 5, Lote 67. Selva alta perennifolia, 18°34’N 095°04’W, 450 m, 12Apr 2005, Thorsten Krömer 1921 (MO!); Balzapote, Parcela Escolar, Ejido Balzapote. Plantación de citricos, 18°36’N 095°04’W, 60 m, 4 Aug 2005, T. Krömer et al. 2461 (MO!); Soteapan. Mirador Pilapa, M. Vázquez T. 3448. BELIZE. Cayo: Valentin, 16°45’59”N 089°09’45”W, 2 Jul 1936, C.L. Lundell 6337 (LL!); Valentin, British Honduras, 16°45’59”N 089°09’45”W, June 1936 - August 1936, C.L. Lundell 6238 (MO!); Stann Creek: Watershed of the Cocoa Branch of the Sittee River. Sittee River Forest Reserve, 16°50’57”N 088°34’14”W, 300 m, 10 March 2016, S.W. Brewer & M. Paredes 7635 (BRH, MEXU, MO); Toledo: Vicinity of San Antonio, 16°14’N 088°59’W, 14 Jan 1946, P.H. Gentle 5484 (LL!). GUATEMALA. Alta Verapaz: Sebol, 15°48’22”N 089°56’44”W, 21 Apr 1964, E. Contreras 4453 (LL!); Izabal: Collected 2.5 mi. N. of Río Dulce on gravel road to Petén, 15°40’39”N 089°02’20”W, 100 ft, 08 August 1975, D.B. Dunn & D.G. LeDoux 22029 (MO!, UMO); El Estor. La Llorona, 15°39’18”N 089°10’37”W, 500 m, 23 Aug 1998, M. Véliz 98.6655 (MO!); Petén: Remate Road, 36 km from Tikal, 16°54’10”N 089°46’10”W, 25 Feb 1961, E. Contreras 1998 (LL!); Ca. 5 miles south of entrance to Tikal National Park, mature forest, 17°02’13”N 089°41’10”W, 19 Jun 1973, T.B. Croat 24747 (MO!); Dolores. Dolores, 16°30’45”N 089°24’57”W, 5 Sep 1961, E. Contreras 2855 (LL!); San Luis. San Luis, Km 51 of road, 16°11’59”N 089°26’31”W, 400 m, 10 Jul 1959, C.L. Lundell 16280 (LL!). NICARAGUA. Atlántico Sur: Municipio de Nueva Guinea, Reserva Indio-Maiz, Río Pijibaye entre el Caño Bijagua y el Cerro Chiripa, 11°22’N 084°01’W, 200–350 m, 15 enero 1999, R.M. Rueda et al. 10227 (MO!); Río San Juan: La Lupe, ca. 25 km ENE of Boca de Sabalo; primary forest lightly logged with silvicultural treatment, clay soils, hilly, 11°08’N 084°21’W, 80–120 m, 28 June 1997 – 2 July 1997, J. Salick & E. Stijfhoorn 8358 (MO!); La Palma, Río Santa Cruz, 11°02’N 084°25’W, 50 m, 21 marzo 1985, P.P. Moreno 25492 (MO!); Municipio de el Castillo, Reserva Indio-Maíz, zona de amortiguamiento, estación biológica La Lupe, 11°08’N 084°21’W, 100–200 m, 15 Marzo 1999, R.M. Rueda et al. 10371 (HULE, MO); Reserva Indio-Maíz, Municipio de el Castillo, en los alrededores de la desembocadura del Río Bartola, 10°58’N 084°20’W, 30–50 m, 13 Enero 1997, R.M. Rueda et al. 5667 (MO!, WU!); Municipio de San Carlos, Reserva Esperanza verde, 11°04’N 084°44’W, 60 m, 16 Septiembre 2001, R.M. Rueda et al. 16548 (HULE, MO); Between Río Santa Cruz and Caño Santa Crucita, La Palma; tall evergreen forest, 11°02’N 084°24’W - 11°04’N 084°26’W, 40–60 m, 30 Nov 1984 – 2 Dec 1984, W.D. Stevens et al. 23435 (MO!); Municipio El Castillo, Comunidad Las Maravillas 2 km al Oeste, 11°07’15”N 084°21’04”W, 100 m, 25 Abril 2005, W. Garrido 3917 (HULE, MO). COSTA RICA. Alajuela: San Carlos, Pocosol, Azucena, Concho de Cutris, 80 m, 4 April 1991, (Fl., Fr.), Q. Jiménez et al. 962 (CR!, MO!); Upala, Aguas Claras, P.N. Rincón de la Vieja, Cordillera de Guanacaste, Colonia Blanca, Finca Los Moras, junto a Quebrada Mora, 770 m, 13 June 1991, (Fr.), G. Rivera 1393 (CR!, MO!); Upala, San José o Pizote, San José, 4 km al Noroeste del pueblo, Laguna Las Camelias, 20 m, 19 April 1988, (Fl.), G. Herrera 1848 (CR!, MO!); Upala, Aguas Claras, Sector de Rio Aguas Verdes, 2 Km aguas arriba del puente, falda NE del volcan Santa Maria, 600 m, 12 February 1991, (Fl.), G. Rivera 1052 (CR!); Upala, Prov, Guanacaste-Alajuela, lower montane rainforest, 1500 m, 1 November 1982, (Infer.), L. Gómez 19175 (MO!); Cartago: Turrialba, Along road from Río Pacuare to Grano de Oro on road from Turrialba to Moravia, 600–1200 m, 30 June 1976, (Fr.), T.B. Croat 36574 (MO!); Heredia: Sarapiquí, Las Horquetas, Along Starkey Road”, 50 m, 7 August 1979, (Fr.), W. Stevens 13475 (CR!, MO!); Sarapiquí, La Virgen, S base of Cerros Sardinal, Chilamate de Sarapiquí (N side of Río Sarapiquí), 90 m, 4 July 1985, (Fr.), M.H. Grayum & B.E. Hammel 5544 (CR!, MO!); Sarapiquí, La Virgen, E.B. La Selva, Estación Biológico, La Selva, Along road leading to the reserve, 100 m, 16 August 1987, (Fr.), J.F. Smith 475 (CR!); Sarapiquí, Las Horquetas, La Esperanza, orillas de río San José, Finca propiedad de José Rufino Chaves, 168 m, 31 July 2010, (Fr.), A. Estrada 4624 (CR!); Sarapiquí, La Virgen, P.N. Braulio Carrillo, Estación Biológica Magsasay, Bosque primario y orillas de potreros, Sotobosque, 200 m, 23 June 1990, (Fr.), E. Alcázar 102 (CR!); Sarapiquí, La Virgen, Estacion Magsasay, Bosque primario y orillas de potreros, 200 m, 23 June 1990, (Fr.), E. Alcázar 118 (CR!, MO!); Sarapiquí, Puerto Viejo, Sendero Tres ríos y lindero el Peje, 0 m, 11 July 2003, (Fl., Fr.), R. Kriebel 3618 (CR!); Sarapiquí, Horquetas, Estación Biológica La Selva, 50 m, 24 Junio 2016, (Fr.), M. Cedeño & M. Blanco 907 (USJ!); Sarapiquí, La Virgen, Reserva Biológica La Tirimbina, 150 m, 16 April 2016, (Fr.), M. Cedeño & J. Ley 874 (USJ!); Limón: Talamanca, Cocles, 12 June 1981, (Infer.), R. Alfaro & R. Ocampo 27 (CR!); Pococí, Rita, Cariari de Pococí, Palmitas, El Triángulo, Las Brisas, finca de Guillemo Acosta , 30 m, 18 April 1997, (Fl.), A. Estrada et al. 743 (CR!); Talamanca, Cahuita, Punta de Riel, 4 June 1985, (Infer.), R. Soto 2128 (CR!); NW 0982, 5 km rd Cahuita Bribri, Sea level, flat land periodically flooded, pasture with shade tres, 1 February 1984, (Infer.), T. Pennington 11459 (CR!); Talamanca; R.V.S. Gandoca-Manzanillo, Trail between the town of Manzanillo and Punta Mona, Old secondary growth with old cocoa crops by the coast, 10 m, 3 August 1994, (Fr.), W. Alverson & V. Stilio 2580 (CR!); Siquirres, Pacuarito, Carretera a Siquirres, Entre Siquirres y río Pacuarito, 100 m, 17 November 1994, (Fl.), V. Nilsson et al. 572 (CR!); Talamanca, Cocles, 12 June 1981, (Fl.), R. Alfaro & R. Ocampo 26 (CR!); Limón, Río Blanco, Camino a Veragua Rainforest, entre Río Quito y las Brisas, Árboles en potreros, finca de Sr. Antonio Calderón, 118 m, 26 May 2011, (Fr.), A. Cascante et al. 2295 (CR!); Talamanca, Cahuita, R.V.S. Gandoca-Manzanillo, Sendero entre Manzanillo y Gandoca, Aprox. 1, 4 km de la entrada al sendero por el sector de Manzanillo, 10 m, 10 April 2012, (Fl.), A. Estrada et al. 5324 (CR!); Pococí, Rita, Finca La Suerte, 50 m, 10 July 1995, (Fl.), R. Aguilar 4206 (CR!, MO!); Talamanca, Sixaola, Cerro Manzanillo, sobre la fila, 100 m, 5 December 1992, (Infer.), A. Fernandez 477 (CR!); Talamanca, Sixaola, Punta Uva, peñón innominado adyacente a la Quebrada Ernesto, 0 m, 4 May 2001, (Fr.), J. Morales 7972 (CR!); Talamanca, Sixaola, Sendero a Punta Mona, 74 m, 4 April 2011, (Fr.), L. Vargas 4350 (CR!); Talamanca, Along the road S of Limón from the corner at the road to Bomba, 0–50 m, 26 February 1985, (Fr.), C. Taylor 4442 (MO!); Region between Hone Creek and ca. 4–5 km NW on a trail roughly paralleling the Río Carbon (Río Hone), Collection from Cacao and second growth, 60–100 m, 17 January 1974, (Fr.), J. Utley 659 (MO!); Talamanca, Road between Cahuita and Punto [Puerto] Vargas, 0–5 m, 7 July 1980, (Fr.), B.E. Hammel 9152 (MO!); Talamanca, Puerto Viejo, 500 m del cruce de Bribri, 40 m, 5 December 2012, (Fl., Fr.), J. Gómez et al. 15783 (USJ!); Talamanca, Cahuita, Camino detrás de la carretera, Finca La Montaña , 10 m, 11 July 1999, (Fl.), M. Blanco et al. 997 (USJ!); Talamanca, Cahuita, Bosques de Manzanillo, 50 m, 9 January 2017, (Fl.), M. Cedeño et al. 1104 (USJ!); Limón, Talamanca, Bribri, Proyecto ARA, 4 m, 30 September 2018, (Fl.), M. Cedeño et al. 1480 (USJ!). PANAMA. Bocas del Toro: 5 km S of Tiger Key on the mainland near Cacao Boquete just N of Enseñada de Bosquete, 09°10’12”N 082°10’24”W – 09°10’24”N 082°14’48”W, 5–110 m, 24 February 1989, Paul M. Peterson & Carol R. Annable 7064 (MO!); Distrito de Changuinola. File de la Sierpe, cerca de Quebrada Bonyic, 09°20’01”N 082°35’24”W, 111 m, 27 septiembre 2007, R. Carranza et al. 208 (MO, PMA, SCZ); Station Milla 7.5 on Changuinola-Almirante Railroad, along a slender ridge to World War II communications facility, ca. 2 km NW of ruins of U.S. Army Military barracks, 09°21’54”N 082°27’12”W, 0 – 100 m, 03 August 1976, T.B. Croat 38117 (MO!).

Figures

FIGURE 88. Monstera tuberculata from Sarapiquí, Costa Rica. (A) Developing inflorescence. (B) Inflorescence with open spathe, front view. (C) Mature infructescence, stylar plates detaching. (D) Fertile flower; in lateral view (left), and longitudinal section (right). (E) Sterile flower; in lateral view (left) and in longitudinal section (right). (F) Stylar plate with stigma (right) and one stamen (left). (G) Juvenile plant. (H) Seedling. (I) Seeds. (J) Adult plant. M. Cedeño et al. 874 (USJ). Image from Cedeño-Fonseca et al. (2022).

FIGURE 89. Monstera tuberculata from Veracruz, Mexico. Monstera tuberculata var. tuberculata in Mexico with fenestrations in the blade. P. Diaz-Jiménez et al. 1456 (HEM).