No tag and the staff was not there to consult on weekends.....
I was reading the i.a.s.'s bot. description. I don't recall reading that the inflorescence was upright.
Since there's no photos of this in dg's plant files I'd like to add it there.
With the other cross in the eastern part of the display house actually being a hybrid I thought I'd consult the experts here.
The leaves are very much heart-shaped; I'll see if I have a decent shot of that.
leaf, I'm pretty sure this is the attached one.....
My take is that this is a normal inflorescence for this species.
LariAnn
There is a certain way to determine if the specimen is Anthurium watermaliense. There will always be a stipe between the spadix and the spathe on the inflorescence. A stipe is a stalk that supports some other structure. In this case, the stipe will separate the spathe and spadix. I have included two photos so you can clearly see one. In the juvenile form of the inflorescence the stipe will be white but it soon turns almost black. Both forms are shown. The spathe of Anthurium watermaliense also reflexes (turns back as it fully opens.
There is additional information here based on the scientific description of this species that can help you determine if your plant is the species.
http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Anthurium%20watermaliense%20pc.html
By the way, there has been a long running debate over whether or not this plant was in fact a species or a natural hybrid but Dr. Croat has ended the debate. It is in fact a species but the name originated as a horticultural name. "Watermaliense"comes from the name of the city Watermall, Belgium where Anthurium watermaliense was first taken after collection, reportedly in Colombia. You will note the name "watermaliense" is not Latinized (does not end with a Latin ending) and was originally described in a horticultural publication. Many old time botanists did not like the fact it was not published correctly to science but I've learned "who gives a rip?" I have reason to believe Dr. Croat at least somewhat agrees.
Steve
I've been coming back to the photos above often since I was having difficulty making out the stipe. I just made an enlargement and I now am relatively sure I can see a very short stipe right at the base of the spadix. Dr. Croat's notes indicate the stipe can be as short as .3 cm or longer so this is very likely the species.
Anthurium watermaliense is easily recognized by the following characteristics taken from a synopsis of the species by Dr. Croat. I copied a paragraph from his notes that may be useful the next time you see the plant, , "Anthurium watermaliense is an atypical member of section Pachyneurium and is not generally confused with any other species in Central America. It can be recognized by the ovate-triangular to sub-3-lobed leaf blades, the broad, frequently dark purple spathe, green to purple, stipitate spadix with long-exscrted stamens, and yellow to orange berries." "Stiputate spadix" refers to the relatively unusual stalk not seen in all Anthurium species known as the stipe. As stated earlier, the stipe separates the spathe and spadix and is helpful in recognizing the species since it is somewhat unusual.
Section Pachyneurium is the section of Anthurium that contains the bird's nest forms.
Both the leaves and spathe of the species are variable so it does appear that is the plant in the photo.
Steve
My thanks to all!
Hopefully I'll be able to check out the plant in closer detail very soon.
