Anthurium jimenae Croat

Epiphyte; stems 1.2–1.5 m long; internodes short, 3–5 cm diam.; cataphylls 20–33 cm long, subcoriaceous, reddish brown at apex, persistent semi-intact toward apex, eventually weathering to reddish brown fibers with patches of semiglossy epidermis; petioles (23) 48–150 cm long, equal to or longer than the blades, green, subterete, sharply and narrowly concave-sulcate and sometimes 4 to many-ribbed (ca. 15) circumferentially, brittle, sheathed 3–6 cm; geniculum 2–3 cm long, drying darker; blades subtriangular-cordate, (24)50–120 cm long, (12) 60–100 cm wide, pendent from the petiole, broadest at point of petiole insertion, anterior lobe prominently constricted about midway, lower half of the blade more or less reniform with rounded, prominently incurved posterior lobes, apical half oblong-triangular and acuminate to cuspidate at apex, broadly confluent with the basal portion, subcoriaceous, weakly bicolorous, dark green and semiglossy above, drying gray-green, slightly paler and semiglossy to matte below, drying yellow-brown to reddish brown, the margins broadly undulate; sinus broadly rounded to truncate at apex, ca. 30 cm wide, 12–20 cm deep; midrib bluntly acute above, almost acute below, (the two sides convex but with an acute rib); major veins moderately paler below; primary lateral veins to 14–16 pairs, arising at 35–50 degree angle, then curving toward margin, narrowly acute on both surfaces, drying brown below; interprimary veins 1–2 between each set of primary lateral veins; secondary veins in part sunken above, raised below; tertiary veins in part sunken above, raised below; basal veins 9–11 pairs, the 1st pair coalesced 1.5–4 cm, 8th–10th coalesced up to 17 cm; posterior rib naked along the sinus most of its length; collective veins arising from one of the lowermost basal veins, 3–5 mm from the margin. Inflorescence erect-spreading; peduncle 21–50 cm long, to 1 cm diam., variously striate and obtusely sulcate adaxially; spathe white to light green, sometimes tinged magenta, spreading, 17–20 cm long, 3–4.5 cm wide, subcoriaceous, narrowly acuminate and inrolled at apex, cordulate and somewhat decurrent at base; spadix erect, sessile, or stipitate 3 mm, reddish pink to magenta, weakly tapered to apex, 15–27 cm long, 1–2 cm diam.; flowers rhombic, 2.5 mm long, 2.4 mm wide, 10–15 visible per spiral, the sides straight on both sides; lateral tepals 1.8–2.4 mm wide, the inner margins rounded to straight, the sides with raphides present; stamens held at the level of the tepals; anthers yellow, 1.8–2 mm long, drying ca. 0.2 mm wide; infructescence red, more than 3 cm diam.; berries early-emergent, 4 mm long, red-violet to magenta at apex, whitish in lower 2/3; seeds 1 per locule, 2.5 mm long.

Anthurium jimenae is known only from the Pacific slope of Ecuador at 600 to 750 m elevation in premontane wet forest. At ENDESA it is found only infrequently in the primary forest and in areas of regrowth. It is characterized by its huge, much constricted blades, the sulcate, many﷓ribbed petioles, white to pale green spathe, reddish bluntly tapered spadix and reddish bicolored berries. At Reserve ENDESA it could be confused only with A. cupulispathum because of the size of that species but it has a deeply boat﷓shaped reddish spathe and a blade that is not constricted above the base. Madison et al. 4528 from Chical at 1,200 m in Carchí Province has a contracted anterior lobe and a rose-colored spathe is perhaps this species but it differs in having a more slender, pale green spadix (with a rose tinge) to ca. 43 cm long and 1 cm diam. Specimens from higher elevations near Maldonado (1,800–2,300 m) in Carchí (Besse et al. 2264 and 2296 as well as Madison 3989 and 4001) are also similar in having multi-ridged petioles, blades with the collective veins from near the base and in having rosy pink spadices, but they differ from A. jimenae in having the blades not at all contracted above the base. These collections probably represent a new species with affinities to A. jimenae.

Anthurium jimenae is a species of plant in the family Araceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.