Costus pitalito C.D.Specht & H.Maas, 2023
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publication ID |
https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.222.87779 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C7973658-9BB9-5B08-846B-F3556F31AB88 |
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treatment provided by |
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scientific name |
Costus pitalito C.D.Specht & H.Maas |
| status |
sp. nov. |
Costus pitalito C.D.Specht & H.Maas sp. nov.
Diagnosis.
Costus pitalito sp. nov. (Fig. 16 View Figure 16 ) looks superficially like C. leucanthus Maas based on the shared light-coloured flowers and a very long ligule, but it differs from C. leucanthus by markedly obtuse ligule lobes and bracts with densely brownish villose margins.
Type.
Colombia, Cauca: forested roadside from San Juan de Villalobos to Pitalito, 1590 m, 19 Jul 2018, Maas, Maas-van de Kamer , Valderrama, Specht, Erkens & Rodriguez 10733 (holotype L, 2 sheets) .
Description.
Herb 1.7- 2.5 m tall. Leaves sheaths ca. 35 mm diam; ligule deeply 2-lobed, 45-70 mm long, lobes rounded, obtuse; petiole 10-20 mm long; sheaths, ligule and petiole densely, brownish villose; lamina narrowly elliptic, 30-45 × 12.5-14 cm, adaxially glabrous but sparsely brownish villose when young, abaxially densely brownish villose, base acute, apex acuminate (acumen ca. 10 mm long). Inflorescence suglobose, 11-12 × 9-11 cm, terminating a leafy shoot; bracts rather densely villose, appendages of bracts sparsely villose to glabrous, its margins densely brownish villose, bracteole and calyx sparsely puberulous, ovary and capsule rather densely sericeous. Flowers abaxially oriented to erect; bracts red, coriaceous, broadly ovate, 3-4 × 2-3 cm; appendages green, foliaceous, cup-shaped, erect to patent, broadly ovate-triangular, 1-1.5 × 1-1.5 cm, apex obtuse to acute; bracteole 1- to 2-keeled, 30-32 mm long; calyx red, apex green, 20-22 mm long, lobes ovate-triangular, 10-12 mm long; corolla pale yellow to hyaline, base pinkish, 55-60 mm long, glabrous, lobes narrowly elliptic, 35-40 mm long, with filiform apex; labellum light yellow to cream, darker yellow in throat, distal edge horizontally spreading, broadly obovate, ca. 70 × 70-80 mm, margin irregularly dentate to crenate; stamen cream, ca. 50 × 15 mm, apex reflexed, irregularly dentate, not exceeding the labellum, anther ca. 13 mm long. Capsule ellipsoid, ca. 25 mm long.
Distribution.
Colombia (Cauca, Putumayo) (Fig. 22E View Figure 22 ).
Habitat and ecology.
Along forested roadsides, at an elevation of ca. 1600 m. Flowering and fruiting: May and July.
Etymology.
This species is named “pitalito” after its type locality near Pitalito, in the Colombian department of Cauca.
Paratypes.
Colombia. Putumayo: Mun. Villagarzón, carretera a Puerto Asis, 4 May 1994, Fernández-Alonso et al. 11440 (COL).
Notes.
Costus pitalito looks superficially like C. leucanthus Maas by its white flowers and a very long ligule, but it differs by obtuse ligule lobes and bracts with densely brownish villose margins.
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