NEWSLETTER VOL. 35 NO. 1

A Quarterly Publication for Members of the International Aroid Society

In October 2012, an expedition to western Ecuador's Esmeraldas and Carchi Provinces—funded by the National Geographic Society—was led by Tom Croat, with collaborators Geneviève Ferry, David Scherberich, and others. The team, based in Lita, conducted aroid plant collections in various forested areas, including near the Río Babosa. Despite challenging terrain, they successfully documented a rich diversity of species such as Anthurium membranaceum, Philodendron heleniae, Monstera cf. lechleriana, and Rhodospatha spp., among many others, including several potentially undescribed taxa. The expedition highlighted both the botanical richness and the environmental changes occurring in these remote habitats.