ABSTRACT:

A realignment is made in the circumscription of Anthurium cuspidatum Mast. which has for many years been interpreted as being plants with reddish brown, moderately elongated blades with usually well-developed posterior lobes in contrast to typically green-drying blades which are more broadly ovate and have the basal veins more nearly free to the base. A study of the type specimen of Anthurium cuspidatum shows it to be a plant with broadly ovate green-drying blades with the basal veins nearly free to the base whereas the more narrowly ovate reddish browndrying plants long considered A. cuspidatum have proven to represent four different species: A. talamancae Engl. with leaves more than two times longer than wide and with up to five pairs of basal veins, A. intactum Croat & O. Ortiz sp. nov. with leaf blades less than two times longer than broad with six or more pairs of basal veins, A. christeliae Croat & O. Ortiz sp. nov. with leaf blades attenuated at base and A. palosecense Croat & O. Ortiz sp. nov. with leaf blades rounded to subcordate at base with few basal veins (1–2 pairs). Anthurium propinquum Sodiro var. albispadix Croat & J. Rodr., long considered to be a member of the A. cuspidatum complex and initially considered to be a variety of A. propinquum Sodiro (now a synonym of A. cuspidatum as treated here) is now considered to be distinct at the species level and is here elevated to the species level as Anthurium albispadix (Croat & J. Rodr.) Croat & O. Ortiz. Another close relative to Anthurium talamancae is A. monticola Engl. which is reported for the first time from Panama and included in the key.