Anthurium Caldasii: a New Species of Araceae from Colombia and Its Phylogenetic Relationships with Other Black-Spathed Anthurium Species

The neotropical genus Anthurium has approximately 1500 species with a wide range of inflorescence variation, including spathe coloration. The morphological character of “black spathes” is found in several Anthurium, including some species occurring in the forests of Manizales and Villamaría, Caldas Department, Colombia, whose taxonomic identity is uncertain. In this study, the taxonomic status of the black-spathed anthuriums from the Manizales and Villamaría forests was evaluated using a combination of macro- and micro-morphological characters and genomics, to determine if there are differences between the morphotypes. Twelve macro-morphological characters were useful to distinguish the species, including the size (length / width) and shape of the leaf blade and the spathe, the length and diameter of the peduncle, and the length of the spadix. Among micro-morphological characters, it was found that stomata size could be informative to separate the studied species. Based on the molecular and morphological evidence, it was concluded that the two species of black-spathed Anthurium distributed in the forests of Manizales and Villamaría are: A. caramantae and A. caldasii, the latter of which is newly described. The description of this new species has direct implications for conservation.