Anthurium oxyphyllum Sodiro

Epiphytic; stem short, (1)1.5–2 cm diam.; roots dense, numerous, ascending to spreading, green, smooth when young, soon becoming tomentose, slender and elongate, to 13 cm long, 2–6 mm diam.; cataphylls membranous, 7–10 cm long, narrowly rounded at apex with subapical apiculum ca. 8 mm long, drying tan (B & K yellow 9/2.5), persisting as fine linear fibers. Leaves spreading; petioles 6–25(30) cm long, 4–7 mm diam., D-shaped, flattened to convex to weakly sulcate or occasionally with a medial rib adaxially, the margins sharply raised, rounded abaxially; geniculum thicker and paler than petiole, (0.7)1–2 cm long; blades coriaceous, narrowly elliptic to sometimes narrowly oblanceolate, long-acuminate at apex (the acumen flat), long-attenuate at base, 45–70 cm long, (4)6–11 cm wide, broadest at or near the middle, the margins broadly undulate; upper surface matte, dark to bright green, lower surface glossy to semiglossy, paler; both surfaces drying matte, greenish to yellowish brown; midrib flat to convexly raised above, prominently and acutely raised and paler than surface below; primary lateral veins 25–35 per side, departing midrib at 30–60 degree angle, more or less straight to the collective vein, scarcely raised to flat or weakly sunken above, weakly raised to more or less obscure below, drying slightly raised above and below; interprimary veins numerous, almost as conspicuous as primary lateral veins, obscure when fresh, weakly raised when dried; tertiary veins visible when dried; collective vein arising from near the base, equally as prominent as primary lateral veins, raised when dried, 3–6 mm from margin. Inflorescences pendent to erect-spreading, shorter than leaves; peduncle (21)24–46 cm long, (3)4–5 mm diam., 1.2–6 times as long as petiole, light green tinged with purple or maroon at least at base, terete to subterete and flattened adaxially; spathe deflexed to reflexed, held at 130–160 degree angle to peduncle, often weakly twisted, subcoriaceous, green to green tinged with purple or red (B & K yellow-green 7/10), lanceolate to oblanceolate, (5)7.2–10.5 cm long, (1.8)2.3–3 cm wide, broadest near the base, inserted at 30–90 degree angle on peduncle, abruptly acuminate at apex (the acumen inrolled), obtuse to rounded at base, the margins meeting at 100–140 degree angle; stipe 3–7 mm long or absent; spadix green to yellow-green (B & K yellow-green 6/10), cylindroid, semi-erect to nodding, usually slightly curved, held at (150)130–60 degree angle from peduncle, 5.8–11 cm long, 3–7 mm diam., near base, 3–5 mm diam. near apex; flowers more or less rhombic to 4-lobed, 3–4.5 mm long, 3.7–4.3 mm wide, the sides straight to smoothly or sometimes jaggedly sigmoid; 5–7 flowers visible in principal spiral, 6–8 in alternate spiral; tepals brown, matte to semiglossy, minutely papillate, with abundant droplets present; lateral tepals 1.3–2.5 mm wide, the inner margins broadly convex to straight, scarcely turned up against the pistil, the outer margins 2-sided; pistils prominently emergent, exserted and papillate, the exposed portion squarish, green becoming dark purple; stigma linear to ellipsoid, ca. 0.4 mm long, weakly raised, copious droplets appearing before the stamens emerge; stamens emerging in a regular sequence throughout, held well above the tepals, lateral stamens emerging almost to apex before alternates begin to emerge, arranged in a circle around the pistil; filaments transparent, prominently exserted, yhin and flattened, 1.5–1.7 mm long; anthers orange, becoming pinkish or reddish brown, ca. 0.8 mm long, 0.9 mm wide; thecae oblong-ellipsoid, scarcely divaricate; pollen orange, fading to white or tan. Infructescence with spathe persisting; spadix 9.5–11.5 cm long, 1–1.5 cm diam., with berries scattered throughout; berries orange, ellipsoid, acute and with radial ridges at apex, 6.8–7 mm long, 3.2–3.7 mm diam.; mesocarp mealy; seeds 1 per berry, yellow-brown when dried, more or less ovoid, truncate at both ends, 3.5–5 mm long, 2.2–3 mm diam., 1.5–1.6 mm thick, enveloped by gelatinous, translucent, amber substance.

A member of series Multinervii, Anthurium oxyphyllum is endemic to the Pacific slope in Ecuador from Carchi to Cotopaxi at 300 to 1,300 m. This species is ecologically variable, with specimens collected both in a lower montane dry forest life zone (Esmeraldas) and a montane rain forest life zone (Carchi). Despite occurring in different life zones, the specimens themselves do not differ significantly in any aspect. However, the type collection is somewhat unusual in having leaf blades with apices cuspidate﷓acuminate rather than long﷓acuminate. This species is characterized by its epiphytic habit, generally oblong﷓elliptic, coriaceous, greenish﷓drying blades with numerous primary lateral and interprimary veins, long peduncles (1.2--6 times longer than the petioles) and flowers with prominently exserted stamens. However, the best distinguishing character is the nodding inflorescence with the spathe and spadix abruptly bent downward at the base. Anthurium oxyphyllum bears some resemblance to A. carchiense and A. obscurinervium, both of which have less coriaceous leaf blades and erect inflorescences. Sodiro (1902) asserts that the leaf blades are not punctate, but rather "pellucid﷓punctate under a lens." This agrees with living material, in which the leaf blades cast a semi﷓`velvety' sheen when held at arm's length. This effect results from modified epidermal cells ("pellucid punctations") which scatter light in different directions. Most of Sodiro's descriptions were based on living material, and this observation was probably made on a living plant.

Anthurium oxyphyllum is a species of plant in the family Araceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.