l - CNCFlora

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Annals of the
Missouri Botanical Garden
appearing to be a double fruit, bright yellow to or- comm.). Dieffenbachia longispatha and D. nitidiange,
mesocarp ca. 2 mm thick, soft, sweet and petiolata do not occur together in Costa Rica since
tasty at maturity; seeds oblong, 7-8 mm diam., D. Iongispatha barely crosses west of the Panama
brown to black, smooth.
Canal. In eastern Panama D. Iongispatha is found
principally in areas of Tropical moist forest (T-mf)
Distribution and habitat. Dieffenbachia longis- near E1 Real.
patha ranges from central Panama to northern Co- Smaller plants of D. Iongispatha may also be
lombia, mostly from sea level to 180 m, but perhaps confused with D. crebripistillata. In addition to beto
250 m (owing to a collection at Rio Tuquesa with ing a plant of smaller stature (rarely to 1.3 m tall),
no elevation reported), occurring in Tropical moist it has more fully sheathed petioles (often to the
(T-mf), Prernontane wet (P-wf), and Tropical wet for- base of the blade and sometimes overlapping the
est (T-wf) life zones (Holdridge, 1967). In Panama blade) that usually have a whitish band abaxially
it occurs on both coasts, but it is relatively rare on and dry conspicuously yellow or orange-brown (vs.
the Pacific slope.
green for D. Iongispath(l). In addition, D. crebripis-
Phenology. While collections of D. Iongispatha tillata differs in having smaller spathes (to 28 cm)
have been ma(le in both flower and fruit year-round, with the pistils closely aggregated on the spadix,
flowering OcCUIs y)rincipally during the first half of with (57)80 to 100 pistils versus 10 to 26 for D.
the rainy season between June and August, while Iongispatha. Finally, though there may be a certain
fruits mature throughout much of the dry season overlap in their ranges in areas along the Atlantic
and the first liall' of the rainy season, especially coast in Colon Provine e! D. crebripistillata generally
from Februaly to September.
occurs at higher elevatiollst mostly 250 to 975 m.
Discussion. I)iegenbachia longispatha grows
most frequently .llong streams, in deposits of sedi- Additional specimens e.w-(l lr1itled. PANAMA. Bocas
ment along lak s in standing water, but also in del Toro: 1.5 km N ol Ll Cluta, Peterson 6405 (US).
Canal Area: Barro Co l ox tIdo I s l and, Armour Trail 2000,
deep soil in tl( lorest understory. Frequerltly it is
Croat 11321 (F, MO, US): Btlll)our Trail 225, Croat 6471
found solitary ol irl small clusters. While the spe- (MO); Barbour Trail 2()()* C/-eelt 7/36 (MO); Drayton Trail,
cies may colollize it is typically much less ( olonial near end, Croat 5767 (M()); Dlayton Trail 1610, Croat
than other sl)e( ies in Panama and Coloml)ia, such 5761 (MO); Lake Trail, Cro(lt 6276 (MO, SCZ); Oppenas
D. isthmia, 1). oerstedii7 or D. killipii.
heirner 67-1-3-1244 (M()); Miller Trail 300, Croat 4095
(MO); Miller trail 1400,
The species is; characterized by its usually tall
(Xlro(/t 17394A (MO); Miller Trail
1375, Croat 7455 (MO); I'(llson Trail 400, Croat 4134
((1)1.5-3.5 nl lligh) and robust stem (usually 6-12 (MO); Snyder-Molino Tltlil, (XOat 6192 (MO); Van Tyne
cm diam.), an(l ly the petiole being inconspicu- Trail, Stimson 5277 (DUKI,* STRI); Wheeler Trail 300,
ously sheathe(l and decurrent at the apex with a Croat 4125 (MO); Zetek 'I'ltlil 500, Fuertes Cove, Croat
long subterete Iree portion beneath the bla(le, this 5259 (MO), Croat 6409 (M()); ().6 mi. N of Gamboa near
Rio Frijol, Tyson 1438 (M()); vi(. Curundu Housing area
drying charae teristically olive-green or dark larown. of Albrook Air Force bas^, I'alque Metropolitano, Croat
Perhaps most ( haracteristic of D. Iongispatha are & Zhu 76203 (AAU, (E l{, M ( ), US); Gatun Locks-Fort
the widely scattered, moderately sparse and very Sherman, 1 mi. E of Foll fils^lman, Croat & Zhu 76266
(MO, US); Rio Grande-Pe (llo Vidal, rd. to Arraijan, large pistils all(l the usually long spathe. Dieffen-
Pittier
bachia longi.s/)atha is typically one of the tallest
2715 (US); near Fort l