Hook.f., Bot. Mag. 32, pl. 6261. 1876
Epiphyte; caudex short and thick, usually lessthan 10 cm long and 1.5 cm wide; internodes short, moderatelyslender-rooted; cataphylls ± thick, 3-5 cm long, soon reducedto coarse, brown, persistent fibers. Petioles 3-17 cm long, to 5 mmthick, broadly canaliculate and straight to moderately geniculatenear apex, broadened and shortly vaginate at base; bladeselliptic-lanceolate, broadest at or about middle, rather abruptlyacuminate at apex, acute at base and weakly decurrent onto marginsof petiole, 19-44 cm long, 2.8-9 cm wide, bicolorous, onlymoderately thick when fresh, thin on drying, held erectlargely by V-shaped construction of blade and bymidrib, the midrib thick, prominently raised on underside, thelower surface densely punctate; collecting vein 3-8 mm from margin,prominent on both surfaces, especially the lower, the lateral veinsobscure (moderately prominent on dried specimens). Inflorescencesheld ± erect; peduncles slender to moderately stout,8-29 cm long, shorter than leaves; spathe green, reflexed, 2-5.5 cmlong, 7-20 mm wide, acute and apiculate at apex, the margin oftenturned in, decurrent onto peduncle at base; spadix sessile toshortly stipitate, bluntly rounded at apex, 2-11 cm long and 5-7 mmwide in flower, to 15 cm long and 2.5 cm wide in fruit. Fruitsobovate, acute to rounded at apex, ca 6 mm long, bright red,emerging from tepals and pendent, suspended on 2 slender whitefibers; seeds 2, oblong, white, ca 3 mm long, somewhat flattened,embedded in a sticky, clear matrix. Croat 6627,10882.
Uncommon, in the forest, usually at lowelevations on reasonably small branches. Probably rare other placesas well, since the plant has seldom been collected despite itsprominently colored inflorescences and frequent flowering.Plants produce a continuing series of inflorescences throughout theyear, especially during the rainy season, and fruits mature in 3-6weeks.
Though possibly confused with A.littorale, which has thick leaves lacking a prominentcollecting vein, A. bakeri isrecognized by its thin, punctate blades, which are broadest at orabout the middle, by the short spadix, which is scarcely if at alltapered toward the apex, and by its bright red berries.
Guatemala to Panama (in Costa Rica on the Atlantic slope as wellas from the Osa Peninsula on the Pacific slope). In Panama, knownfrom tropical moist forest on BCI and at Summit Garden in the CanalZone and from premontane wet forest in Colón (Santa RitaRidge). See Fig. 81.
