Burmeistera pomifera H. Karst. & Triana, Linnaea

González, Favio, 2023, Taxonomic revision of Burmeistera (Campanulaceae-Lobelioideae) in Colombia, Phytotaxa 615 (1), pp. 1-113 : 75-76

41. Burmeistera pomifera H. Karst. & Triana, Linnaea 28: 445. 1856.

Type :— COLOMBIA. Nariño: “Prov. de Túquerres, Páramo Cumbal”, 2800 m, Mar 1855 (fl, fr), J. J. Triana 3169.1/5 (holotype: BM! [ BM000947550 ]). Figs. 19J–M , 20 .

Burmeistera connivens Gleason, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 52: 100. 1925, syn. nov. Type:— COLOMBIA. Cauca: “Central Andes of Popayán,” 3000‒3300 m, 1917 (fl, fr), F. Lehmann 1186 (holotype: NY! [ NY00467991 ]; isotypes: GH! [ GH00033001 ], K! [ K000250855 , K000250856 ]).

Burmeistera luteola E.Wimm., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 29: 57. 1931, syn. nov. Type :— COLOMBIA. Without precise locality: F. Lehmann 153 (holotype: K! [ K000250859 ]) .

Burmeistera curviandra E.Wimm., Brittonia 8: 107. 1955, syn. nov. Type:— COLOMBIA. Caldas: Cordillera Central, Quebrada Romeral, Río Chinchiná, 3445 m, 26 Nov 1944 (fl), H. St. John 20868 (holotype: MICH! [ MICH1111451 ]; isotype: US! [US00146939]) .

Herbs to subshrubs up to 1.7 m tall. Stem grooved, glabrous except for the hirtellous longitudinal crests. Petiole 1.0– 2.6 cm long, sparsely puberulous; blade elliptic to sometimes narrowly ovate or narrowly obovate, 6–17 × 3–8 cm, glabrescent to densely puberulous especially along the veins above, glabrescent to tomentose especially along the veins beneath, base cuneate, asymmetric, apex obtuse to acuminate, margin regularly toothed, with 2 to 4 extramarginal hydathodes per cm, secondary veins 7 to 14 per side, intramarginal vein present, discontinuous. Distal (subtending) leaves often reduced to 2–3(–5) × 1.4–2.0(–3.0) cm. Peduncle 4–10 (–14) cm long, glabrescent to sparsely puberulous, ebracteolate. Hypanthium subglobose, 5–8 × 6–9 mm, glabrescent to sparsely puberulous. Calyx lobes ovate to oblong (length:width ratio 2:1 to 3:1), 9–14 × 3–6 mm, patent to ascending, glabrescent, basally spaced by sinuses 0.8–1.0 mm wide, margin entire to crenate, with 4 or 5 projection per side, apex obtuse. Corolla green often with purple veins, glabrescent or sparsely hirtellous, 2–3 cm long; tube 9–15 mm long, 2.0– 2.5 mm mid-level diameter, slightly inflated proximally and distally up to 3.2 mm diameter; lobes falcate, narrowly ovate to ovate, forming a right angle with respect to the tube, dorsal lobes 11–14 × 3.0– 4.5 mm, lateral lobes 7–11 × 2.5–4.0 mm, ventral lobe 5–8 × 2.0– 2.5 mm. Synandrium 2.5–3.4 cm long, exserted up to 1.5 cm; filament tube 2.0– 2.6 cm long, glabrescent to puberulous; anther tube 5–8 mm long, glabrous except for the barbate ventral anthers that have an apical tuft of villous trichomes during preanthesis, but later become ebarbate. Berries globose to oblate, 1.0–3.3 × 1.0– 3.5 mm, inflated, light green, glabrescent, greenish-white.

Phenology: — Burmeistera pomifera sets flowers and fruits throughout most of the year.

Distribution, ecology and conservation status: — Burmeistera pomifera is restricted to Colombia. It occurs in cloud forests and páramos of the Central and the Western cordilleras, in the departments of Caldas and Valle del Cauca, respectively, and reaches the southern Andean Massif of Colombia, in the departments of Cauca, Huila, Nariño and Putumayo, at elevations between 400 and 3510 m. Following the IUCN (2022) Guidelines, this species qualifies for the Near Threatened (NT) category.

Notes: — Burmeistera pomifera is closely related to B. tomentosula , from which it differs by the stems glabrous except for the hirtellous longitudinal crests; the petiole 1.0– 2.6 cm long; the peduncle 4–10 (–14) cm long, the calyx lobes glabrescent; the corolla glabrescent or sparsely hirtellous; the ventral anthers barbate at preanthesis; and the berries glabrescent (versus the stems puberulous; the petiole (1.5–)2.0–6.0 cm long; the peduncle 3.0– 5.5 cm long; the calyx lobes puberulous; the corolla densely puberulous; the ventral anthers ebarbate at preanthesis; and the berries puberulous in B. tomentosula ).

After a detailed study of the protologues and the original material of Burmeistera connivens , B. luteola and B. curviandra , no differential traits were found that allow treating these entities as different from B. pomifera . Rather, it is evident the concurrence of their descriptions, their characters and the geographical proximity of their type localities. Thus, they are here reduced to the synonymy of B. pomifera .

Vernacular name: —“Yuyo” (Nariño).

Additional specimens examined:— Cauca. Macizo Colombiano, Valle de Las Papas , alrededores de Valencia, 2910 m, 11 Nov–1 Dec 1958 (fl, fr), J. Idrobo et al. 3835 ( COL) ; Macizo Colombiano , páramo de Las Papas, entre El Boquerón y La Hoyola, 3200‒3510 m, 7–27 Sep 1958 (fl, fr), J. Idrobo et al. 3917 ( COL) ; road to and just inside Parque Nacional Munchique , kms 60‒65 along El Tambo-20 de Julio road, 2500‒2560 m, 26 Apr 1979 (fl, fr), J. L. Luteyn et al. 7494 ( NY) ; Silvia , ca. 42 km E of Piendamó, 2900 m, ca. 2°35´N, 76°20´W, 5 May 1984 (fr), J. L. Luteyn et al. 10092 ( NY) ; Almaguer , vereda Guambial , 2800‒3200 m, 2 Aug 2003 (fl, fr), D. Macías et al. 3175 ( COL) ; Puracé, vereda San Antonio, 2500 m, 11 Oct 1992 (fl, fr), C. Orozco et al. 2542 ( COL). Huila. “Balsillas” on río Balsillas, 3–5 Aug 1917 (fr), H. Rusby et al. 228 ( NY) ; east slope of Cordillera Central , cascada de San Nichola, Parque Nacional Puracé, km 138 of La Plata-Popayán road, ca. 2º19´N, 76º17´W, 3000 m, 25 Mar 1986 (fl), B. Stein 3747 ( NY) ; Nariño. Tangua , vereda Las Piedras, páramo Lass Piedras, 3100‒3200 m, 9 Jun 2006 (fl, fr), A. Baca et al. 247 ( PSO) ; Pasto , corregimiento El Encano, Isla La Corota, 2600 m, 4 Sep 1983 (st), O. de Benavides 3484 ( PSO) ; Pasto , bosque de Botana, 3100 m, 22 Feb 1984 (fr), O. de Benavides et al. 4323 ( PSO) ; Pasto , corregimiento El Encano, Isla La Corota, alt. 2800 m, 13 Oct 1984 (fl, fr), O. de Benavides et al. 4969 ( PSO) ; Pasto , corregimiento El Encano, Isla La Corota, 2800 m, 3 Mar 1985 (fl, fr), O. de Benavides 5087 ( PSO) ; La Cruz, Tajumbina , 2630 m, 22 Nov 1986 (fl, fr), O. de Benavides 7389 ( PSO) ; Barbacoas , corregimiento Junín, 1200 m, 5 Dec 1986 (fl). O. de Benavides 7588 ( PSO) ; Pasto , corregimiento El Encano, Isla La Corota, 2800 m, 6 May 1988 (fl, fr), O. de Benavides 9824 ( PSO) ; a lo largo de la carretera Pasto a Sibundoy, km 14, 3000‒3200 m, 5 Jan 1952 (fl, fr), A. Fernández 1003 ( COL) ; Pasto , entre El Encano y Santiago, km 29, 3200 m, 5 Jan 1965 (fr), L. Mora 3457 ( PSO) ; Pasto , corregimiento El Encano, km 26 Pasto-Sibundoy, 3200 m, 2 Mar 1991 (fl, fr), B. Ramírez 3166 ( PSO) ; Pasto , parte alta del bosque de Daza, km 12 Pasto-Buesaco, 3000 m, 8 Aug 1991 (fl), B. Ramírez et al. 4018 ( NY, PSO) ; Pasto , corregimiento Santa Bárbara , parte alta del río Bobo, 3200 m, 16 Apr 1992 (fr), B. Ramírez et al. 4894 ( PSO) ; Barbacoas , Resguardo El Sábalo, río Cangapi, 1°17´N, 78°14´W, 580 m, 17 Aug 1995 (fl), B. Ramírez et al. 8050 ( PSO) ; Tumaco , La Guayacana, 24 Jun 1951 (fl, fr), R. Romero 2866 ( COL, MEDEL) ; Tumaco , km 86 del ferrocarril Tumaco-El Diviso, 29 Jun 1952 (fl, fr), R. Romero 3353 ( COL). Putumayo. San Francisco , páramo de San Francisco, 3200 m, 22 Nov 1979 (fr), O. de Benavides 2143 ( PSO) ; San Francisco , margen derecha del río a la salida de San Francisco, 2600 m, 23 Jun 1966 (fr), R. Guarín 351 ( PSO) ; Valle del Sibundoy , 3 km N de San Pedro, 2600 m, 9 Aug 1963 (fl), P. Juajibioy 186 ( COL, GH). Valle del Cauca. Cordillera Occidental , Cerro del Inglés, Serranía de Los Paraguas, a 1 hora en jeep de El Cairo, cerca de carretera El Cairo-Las Amarillas, 2075‒2100 m, 6 Jan 1987 (fl, fr), P. Silverstone et al. 3015 ( CUVC, NY).

Figures

FIGURE 19. A–D. Burmeistera obtusifolia (Cuatrecasas 15329, type), leaf (A), leaf margin (B), flower (C), and berry (D). E, F. B. orientalis (Lozano et al. 2390, type), flowering branch (E), and flower (F). G–I. B. pennellii (Pennell 12119, type), leaf (G), leaf margin (H), and flower (I). J–M. B. pomifera (Idrobo 3917), leaf (J), leaf margin (K), flower (L), and berry (M). Scale bars: 5 mm in A, C, D, F, H–I, L, M; 2 mm in B, K; 1 cm in E, G, J.

FIGURE 20. Distribution of Burmeistera obtusifolia, B. orientalis, B. pennellii, B. pinnatisecta, B. pomifera, B. pteridioides, B. puberula and B. reclinata.