Anthurium lentii is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae. It is native to the tropical regions of Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama, where it inhabits wet tropical forests. The species belongs to the section Digitinervium of the genus Anthurium.
Description
- Growth form: terrestrial or epiphytic perennial subshrub, reaching heights of 56–120 cm.
- Stems: short, typically 2–3 cm in diameter.
- Leaves: broad, ovate, glabrous, 15–50 cm long, mid‑green with prominent veins.
- Inflorescence: erect to spreading, with a peduncle 30–88 cm long. The spadix is elongated, purple, and 12–25 cm long; the spathe is green to greenish‑purple, 8–14 cm long.
- Fruit: immature berries are white and oblong‑linear; mature berries are purple, ovoid, and beaked.
All parts of the plant contain calcium oxalate crystals, which are irritants to the mouth and esophagus and render the species toxic to cats and dogs.
Habitat and Ecology
Anthurium lentii grows in wet tropical habitats, often as an epiphyte on trees or as a ground‑dwelling subshrub in premontane and lower montane rain forests. Its distribution is limited to the Central American and northwestern South American range indicated above.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Clade: Tracheophytes → Angiosperms → Monocots
- Order: Alismatales
- Family: Araceae
- Genus: Anthurium
- Species: A. lentii (authority: Croat & R.A. Baker)
References
- Wikipedia entry on Anthurium lentii (accessed via Jina AI mirror).
- Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Aroid Society and related botanical databases.
