Monstera momoi Zuluaga & M.Cedeño, 2021

Zuluaga, Alejandro, Cedeño-Fonseca, Marco & Mittermeier, Michael, 2021, Two new species of Monstera (Araceae: Monsteroideae) from the Pacific slope of the Andes in Colombia, Phytotaxa 527 (2), pp. 134-142 : 138-141

Monstera momoi Zuluaga & M.Cedeño sp. nov. ( Fig. 4 )

Monstera momoi is characterized by having light green petioles, petiole sheaths deciduous, the unsheated portion 3–4 cm long below the geniculum, leaf blades pinnatifid, at least one side with a few fenestrations, and inflorescences with a cymbiform spathe at anthesis.

Type: — COLOMBIA. Departamento Valle del Cauca: municipio Buenaventura, carretera antigua Cali-Buenaventura , cerca a Zabaletas , 3°43’28.4”N, 76°57’41.6”W, 80 m asl, 28 July 2018, A. Zuluaga, J. Betancur, C. Castro & Lauren Raz 2752a (holotype CUVC!, isotype COL!) .

Robust nomadic vines, growing as appressed-climbers, fertile 2–4 m above the ground. JUVENILE PLANTS: root climbers, foliose, not appressed against the phorophyte. ADULT PLANTS: root climbers; stem yellowish green, light or gray, round, smooth, internodes 2–15 cm long, 1.5–4.0 cm in diam.; support and feeder roots black or reddish; leaf spreading to almost erect; petiole light green, with small white dots, smooth, 45–105 cm long, petiole sheath deciduous, unsheathed portion 3–4 cm below the geniculum; geniculum slightly ribbed or smooth, adaxially, convex abaxially, 3–9 cm long; blade ovate to elliptic, coriaceous to sub-coriaceous, decurrent, truncate to subcordate at the base, acuminate at the apex, 45–56 × 30–40 cm; midrib slightly flat and striate above, convex below; primary lateral veins 15–27 per side, impressed above, prominently raised below; secondary veins parallel; collecting vein slightly visible on margin; margin pinnatifid from the fenestrations reaching the margin, less often entire, 2–7 lobes per side, sometimes with few fenestrations not reaching the margins, lobes rounded proximally, acuminate distally. INFLORESCENCES born on ascending stems; peduncle smooth, 12–23 cm long; spathe cymbiform at anthesis, long acuminate, the apex remaining convolute, initially light green, turning yellowish green externally and white internally at anthesis,, 27–30 × 9–10 cm, up to 12 cm longer than the spadix; spadix initially white, turning, yellowish cream at anthesis, 14–22 cm long, 2–4 cm diameter; basal sterile fowers 3–5 mm long; fertile flowers 6–8 mm long; stamens with laminar filament, 1.5–7.0 mm long; anthers 2–3 mm long; ovary rectangular in longitudinal section and ridged, 3– 6 mm long, 2.5–3.0 mm diameter; style hexagonal, 1.5–2.5 mm long, 4–6 mm diameter; stigma linear, stigmatophore laterally flattened; berries with the post-anthesis stylar layer cream, ripe infructescence unknown; seeds unknown.

Etymology: —The epithet “ momoi ” refers to Momo Woods, the son of Jonas Woods and Shio Kusaka, two influential artists and conservationists who are using their artwork to support projects protecting the delicate cloud forest ecosystems of the Chocó region.

Distribution and habitat: — Monstera momoi is an endemic species from the Biogeographic Chocó region in Colombia, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. It has been found so far in the Valle del Cauca Department, inhabiting humid forests in the Tropical Rain Forest life zone on the Pacific slopes of the Andes between 0–100 m above sea level ( Fig. 2 ).

Phenology: —Flowering has been recorded in July and fruiting in January and July.

Preliminary conservation assessment: — Monstera momoi has only been recorded in three close localities where it is frequent. This region is part of the Reserva Forestal Protectora Nacional de Anchicayá, a national protected area adjacent to The Farallones de Cali National Natural Park. Although the EOO is less than 100 km 2 and it is known from three localities, we considered there is not adequate information to make an assessment according to the IUCN criteria ( IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee, 2014). Several Monstera species are widely distributed, but they are generally poorly collected due to their large size and that nomadic vine habit. Hence, it is probable that with more exploration M. momoi will be found in other localities of the Chocó Biogeographic hotspot. We therefore categorized M. momoi as Data Deficient (DD).

Notes: — Monstera momoi differs from all other species of the genus in Colombia in having light green and smooth petioles with an unsheathed portion 3–4 cm in length, deciduous petiole sheaths, leaf blades pinnatifid with few fenestrations, and cymbiform spathes, yellowish green adaxially. This species has been confused Monstera dissecta ( Schott 1858: 179) Croat & Grayum (1987: 659) from Costa Rica. However, it differs from the later by having the petiole sheath deciduous (vs. persistent), pinnatifid leaves with few fenestrations (vs. pinnatifid leaves without fenestrations), stigmatophore laterally flattened (vs. stigmatophore conical) ( Table 1, Fig. 3 ).

Paratypes: — COLOMBIA. Departamento Valle del Cauca: municipio Buenaventura, carretera Buenaventura hacia el Anchicayá, 3°46’39.77’’N, 76°58’47.01’’W, 65 m asl, 8 November 2018, M. Cedeño & A. Hay 1356 (CUVC!); antigua carretera Cali-Buenaventura, entre Agua Clara y Zabaletas 3°42.08’ N, 76°57.38 W, 70-80 m asl, 4 January 2010, A. Zuluaga, J. Betancur & M.F. Gonzalez 562 (COL!, CUVC!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Distribution map for Monstera momoi. (circles) and Monstera kikiae. (triangles). National Natural Parks are shown in green from top to bottom Las Orquídeas, Tatamá and Farallones de Cali.

FIGURE 3. Comparison of Monstera momoi, Monstera kikiae and similar species. A-B, Monstera momoi. C-D, M. dissecta. E-F, M. kikiae. G-H, M. oreophila. A, Leaf blade. B, Petiole apex showing the sheath and geniculum. C, Petiole apex showing the sheath and geniculum. D, Leaf blade. E, Leaf blade. F, Inflorescence in post-anthesis. G, Inflorescence in anthesis. H, Leaf blade. Photographs A-D by Marco Cedeño; F-H by Alejandro Zuluaga.

FIGURE 4. Monstera momoi sp. nov. A, Undeveloped inflorescence. B, Partially-opened inflorescence, frontal view. C, Part-opened inflorescence, dorsal view. D, Infructescence. E, Fertile flower in lateral view (left) and in longitudinal section (right). F, Sterile flower in lateral view (left) and in longitudinal section (right). G, Adult plant. H, Stylar cap, dorsal view (left), and individual stamen (right). Photographs by Marco Cedeño.