Corresponding author: Robin Fernandez-Hilario (rfernandez@lamolina.edu.pe)
Academic editor: Eric Tepe
Fernandez-Hilario R, Smith SD (2017) A new species of
The genus
Despite its small size,
Years later,
Due to the type chosen for
The nomenclatural confusion was clarified by
Recent phylogenetic studies have clarified the evolutionary history of
During botanical collections carried out in the Department of Ayacucho as part of the “Inventario Nacional Forestal-Ecozona Sierra” in 2015, individuals were collected with clear affinities to the genus
The description was made through examination of herbarium specimens deposited in COLO, F, HSP, MO, MOL and USM (acronyms according to the Index Herbariorum,
For molecular phylogenetic analysis, genomic DNA was extracted from silica-dried plant material (
Shrub to 2.5 m tall, widely branched from the base; younger stems, petioles and flowers pubescent with unbranched trichomes; older stems cylindrical, to 5 cm in diameter, finely striated, ash-colored; younger stems circular in cross section, 3–4.5 mm in diameter, dark, densely pubescent; internode 3–8 mm long; spines 0.9–1.5 cm long, 0.5–ca. 1 mm in diameter at the base. Leaves simple, alternate and spirally arranged, rarely geminate; petiole 2–3 (–5) mm long, planoconvex and slightly grooved, light green, moderately pubescent, but more densely so in the basal part; leaf blades (1.2–) 1.6–2.3 (–2.7) cm long, 0.6–1.4 cm wide, coriaceous, shiny, oblong to broadly elliptic, sometimes oblong-obovate, the apex obtuse, the base acute-attenuate, the margin entire and slightly revolute when dry, the adaxial surface dark green and glabrous, the abaxial surface light green with dispersed unbranched trichomes on the midrib, leaf blades concolorous when dry, the venation brochidodromus, inconspicuous, with (4–) 5–6 secondary veins. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, fascicled, with 1–2 flowers; buds ellipsoid, green with purple spots, densely pubescent. Flowers pendulous, hermaphroditic, actinomorphic; pedicels moderately pubescent, 23–27 mm long, 1–1.5 mm in diameter, green to dark purple; calyx narrowly campanulate, green to dark purple, 8.5–9.5 mm long, 4–5 mm wide, the outer surface moderately pubescent, the inner surface glabrous to minutely puberulent, the lobes 5, acute, 2–2.5 mm long, 3–3.5 mm wide, tomentose at the apex; corolla tubular, yellow at anthesis, sometimes tinged blue or purple, 25–35 mm long, 8–10 mm in diameter, the base slightly narrowed, 4–6 mm in diameter, the inner surface pubescent at the base, the outer surface densely pubescent with uniformly dispersed unbranched trichomes, the lobes 5, acute, 2–2.4 mm long, 4–6 mm wide; stamens 5, equal, filaments, white, flattened, adnate to the base of the corolla, 25–28 mm long, densely pubescent at the base, becoming glabrous at the apex; anthers oblong, 4.5–5.5 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, basifixed, with longitudinal dehiscence, the connective 4–4.5 mm long; ovary conical and glabrous, 3–3.5 mm long, 2–2.5 mm in diameter at the base; style glabrous, 17.5–18 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm wide; stigma clavate, 0.5 mm long, ca. 0.7 mm wide. Fruit a berry, ovoid and apiculate, black at maturity, 10–13 mm long, 7–8 mm in diameter, the tip 1–1.5 mm long; fruiting calyx slightly accrescent, 5–7 mm long; fruiting pedicels puberulent to moderately pubescent. Seeds not seen.
Flowering and fruiting from June to September. Characteristics of the flower suggest pollination by hummingbirds (
In Pachaca (Dept. Ayacucho) it is commonly known as “checc-ches” in where the native people mention that strong and straight branches had been used for yarning wool (pers. comm.).
According to the IUCN Red List Categories (
Distribution map of
Maximum likelihood phylogeny of
1 | Corolla broadly campanulate, mainly yellow or yellow green, usually purple or brown spotted; leaves subcoriaceous, 20–150 mm long |
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– | Corolla tubular to tubular-infundibuliform, purple or yellow, sometimes with purple spots or tinges; leaves coriaceous, 10–90 mm long |
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2 | Inflorescences with 4–10 flowers; corolla tubular-infundibuliform, 12–26 mm long; leaves 10–90 mm long; fruits globose with glabrous pedicels |
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– | Inflorescences with 1–2 flowers; corolla tubular, 25–35 mm long; leaves 12–27 mm long; fruits ovoid with puberulent to pubescent pedicels |
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The maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis places
The first author thanks Carlos Reynel (MOL) for his valuable comments on the manuscript and Consultores Asociados en Naturaleza y Desarrollo (CANDES) for logistical support during the collection of the type material in Ayacucho region. We also thank Paul Gonzáles (USM) for advice and for photographs from his field collections, as well as Thomas Mione and Lynn Bohs for valuable feedback on the manuscript. This work was supported in part by NSF DEB-1355518 and 1553114 to S.D.S. We thank the Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre (SERFOR) - Ministerio de Agricultura y Riego of Peru for permission to collect and study this species (Nº 0259-2016-SERFOR-DGGSPFFS).