taxonID	type	description	language	source
EA9857B15EF0598E92CA8378040EB4BB.taxon	description	Figs 1, 2, 3	en	Cedeño-Fonseca, Marco, Cubero-Vásquez, Oscar, Ortiz, Orlando O., Rodríguez-Arias, Marilyn, Serna-Sánchez, Maria Alejandra, Trujillo-Trujillo, Edwin, Jiménez, José Esteban, Zuluaga, Alejandro, Hay, Alistair (2025): 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. PhytoKeys 260: 185-199, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.260.154762
EA9857B15EF0598E92CA8378040EB4BB.taxon	description	Description. Robust nomadic vine, appressed-climbing. Seedlings: unknown. Juvenile plants: terrestrial appressed; stem cylindrical, shiny and smooth, dark green or dark purple, with light green dots; internodes 3 – 7 cm long and 7 – 9 cm diam.; petiole smooth, 7 – 30 cm long, light green changing to bright pink at the base and near to the geniculum; petiole sheath persistent; geniculum bright pink with green dots; leaf blades 12 – 25 × 4.5 – 8.0 cm, lanceolate to elliptical, non-equilateral, acute to narrowly rounded at the base and long acuminate at the apex, reddish to pinkish when new, changing to shiny dark green in the upper surface and light green in lower surface, decurrent on geniculum; mid-rib sunken adaxially, convex abaxially and bright pink; primary lateral veins bright pink; margin with a reddish line on the edge. ADULT PLANTS: root climbers and branching, growing up to 7 m above ground; stem cylindrical or slightly flattened, shiny, smooth, dark green, light green sometimes and becoming salmon-coloured in some areas; internodes 1 – 7 cm long, 7 – 9 cm in diam.; anchor roots light green and sometimes green mixed with purple; feeder roots light green and sometimes green mixed with violet; petiole 24 – 71 cm long, smooth, dark green at the base and mostly becoming light green, with a conspicuous longitudinal bright pink band or line abaxially up to geniculum, sometimes with small salmon-coloured areas mainly in new leaves; sheathed to base of geniculum; petiole sheath persistent or sometimes becoming deciduous with fibrous remnants; geniculum 2 – 6 cm long, dark purple sometimes with green punctations, sunken adaxially, convex abaxially; leaf blades 33 – 82 × 12 – 30 cm, oblong or lanceolate to elliptical, non-equilateral, subcoriaceous, cuneate to attenuate at the base, acuminate at the apex, shiny dark green above and light green below with lilac and white punctations, decurrent at geniculum, drying blackish- or greenish-yellow with reddish-bright pink primary lateral veins; mid-rib bright pink, sunken adaxially, convex abaxially; primary lateral veins 24 – 29 per side, bright pink up to the middle and green from the middle to margin, sunken adaxially, prominent abaxially; interprimary veins prominent and parallel towards margin, in young blade primary and interprimary veins intense bright pink; collective vein not visible; margin undulate and sometimes reddish. INFLORESCENCES on ascending stems, several simultaneously in flowering season, arranged in leaf axils or within a green cataphyll; peduncle smooth, reddish, 19 – 25.5 cm long, 2 – 4 mm diam.; bracteole subtending spathe (not peduncle) 1.0 – 1.5 × 1.7 – 2.0 cm, reddish with constriction line near to margin; spathe acuminate to acuminate, 28 – 38.5 cm long, 6 – 9 cm wide, brownish-bright pink externally during development, bright pink externally and internally at anthesis, up to 15.3 cm longer than spadix, membranous, completely open, with overlapping margins at base, deciduous a few hours after opening; stipe bright red to bright pink up to 1.1 – 1.7 cm.; spadix 18.8 – 23.2 cm long, 4.4 – 5.3 cm in diam., cylindrical and weakly tapered to apex, pinkish during development and anthesis, with red sterile region at apex, with 19 – 21 flowers in principal spiral and 11 – 12 in secondary spiral, flowers 5 – 6 mm long; stamens 1.5 to 5.0 mm long, with pinkish laminar filaments; anthers 0.5 to 1.0 mm long; ovary quadrangular in longitudinal section, 2 – 3 × 1.3 – 2.0 mm, bilocular with up to 30 ovules per locule, borne on axillary placentas; style quadrangular or hexagonal, 2.0 – 2.5 × 1.8 – 2.0 mm; stigma linear with transparent stigmatic secretion; berries white and pinkish, seeds light brown, reniform.	en	Cedeño-Fonseca, Marco, Cubero-Vásquez, Oscar, Ortiz, Orlando O., Rodríguez-Arias, Marilyn, Serna-Sánchez, Maria Alejandra, Trujillo-Trujillo, Edwin, Jiménez, José Esteban, Zuluaga, Alejandro, Hay, Alistair (2025): 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. PhytoKeys 260: 185-199, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.260.154762
EA9857B15EF0598E92CA8378040EB4BB.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The species epithet “ rubrinervis ” refers to the distinctive reddish colouration of the mid-rib and primary lateral veins. This striking venation not only serves as a key diagnostic character in the field, but also highlights the aesthetic appeal and uniqueness of the species within the genus Rhodospatha.	en	Cedeño-Fonseca, Marco, Cubero-Vásquez, Oscar, Ortiz, Orlando O., Rodríguez-Arias, Marilyn, Serna-Sánchez, Maria Alejandra, Trujillo-Trujillo, Edwin, Jiménez, José Esteban, Zuluaga, Alejandro, Hay, Alistair (2025): 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. PhytoKeys 260: 185-199, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.260.154762
EA9857B15EF0598E92CA8378040EB4BB.taxon	distribution	Distribution and ecology. This species is endemic to Costa Rica, occurring in the region of Pérez Zeledón on the Pacific slope of the Cordillera de Talamanca, and in Bosque Tropical Nuboso Palo Verde on the Caribbean slope. It grows in cloud forests and premontane rain forest life zones, in mature secondary forest, at around 1800 m elevation.	en	Cedeño-Fonseca, Marco, Cubero-Vásquez, Oscar, Ortiz, Orlando O., Rodríguez-Arias, Marilyn, Serna-Sánchez, Maria Alejandra, Trujillo-Trujillo, Edwin, Jiménez, José Esteban, Zuluaga, Alejandro, Hay, Alistair (2025): 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. PhytoKeys 260: 185-199, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.260.154762
EA9857B15EF0598E92CA8378040EB4BB.taxon	discussion	Discussion. Rhodospatha rubrinervis is characterised as follows: juvenile plants with internodes dark purple with light green dots; petiole sheath persistent, light green and bright pink at base; adult plants with internodes bright green, sometimes displaying small salmon-coloured areas; petiole sheath persistent; geniculum dark purple or bright pink; mid-rib bright pink; primary lateral veins bright pink up to the middle, becoming more intense in new emerging leaves; peduncles and bracteoles bright pink; spathes brownish-bright pink during development and bright pink both externally and internally at anthesis, up to 15.3 cm longer than spadix; stipe bright pink; spadix lilac with strongly pigmented pink sterile region at apex; 19 – 21 flowers arranged in main spiral and 11 – 12 in alternate spiral; stamens with pinkish laminar filaments; berries white to pinkish, seeds and reniform, light brown. In addition to the differences cited in the diagnosis, another important feature distinguishing Rhodospatha rubrinervis and R. forgetii lies in their growth pattern: R. rubrinervis has a greater abundance of leaves and shows the ability to branch and spread more widely on the host tree than R. forgetii, which rarely branches. Additionally, juveniles of R. rubrinervis are more frequently found on the forest floor than those of R. forgetii. Rhodospatha rubrinervis could be also confused with Rhodospatha wendlandii Schott, but differs in having oblong or lanceolate to elliptical blades with 24 – 29 primary lateral veins that are bright pink up to the mid-point (vs. oblong-oblanceolate blades with 28 – 52 primary lateral veins, all green), bright pink mid-rib up to the apex (vs. entirely green mid-rib), reddish bracteole with a constriction line near the margin (vs. cream or white bracteole without constriction line); brownish-bright pink spathes externally during development, bright pink externally and internally at anthesis (vs. white to creamy throughout development and anthesis) and bright red to bright pink stipes (vs. white or cream). Juveniles of Rhodospatha rubrinervis may also be confused with those of R. bogneri Croat; however, R. rubrinervis can be distinguished by having a membranaceous leaf blade (vs. coriaceous), with undulate, reddish margins (vs. entire margins), a long-acuminate apex (vs. short-acuminate), and the base acute to narrowly rounded (vs. rounded).	en	Cedeño-Fonseca, Marco, Cubero-Vásquez, Oscar, Ortiz, Orlando O., Rodríguez-Arias, Marilyn, Serna-Sánchez, Maria Alejandra, Trujillo-Trujillo, Edwin, Jiménez, José Esteban, Zuluaga, Alejandro, Hay, Alistair (2025): 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. PhytoKeys 260: 185-199, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.260.154762
