Peperomia vivipara Pino, Samain & L.E. Alomia, 2023

Pino Infante, Guillermo Eloy, Samain, Marie-Stephanie, Alban Castillo, Joaquina Adelaida & Alomia Collazos, Luis Enrique Aaron, 2023, Species of Peperomia (Piperaceae) from the Sana River Valley, Peru, PhytoKeys 225, pp. 1-40 : 1

16. Peperomia vivipara Pino, Samain & L.E. Alomia sp. nov.

Fig. 11A-F

Type.

Peru, dept. Cajamarca, prov. Santa Cruz, dist. Catache: Monteseco Forest . 1500 m, [06°50'58.6"S, 79°05'53.7"W], 19 Dec 1984, A. Sagástegui et al. 12396 (holotype: HUT [19867]!; isotype: F [2038843]!) .

Diagnosis.

Perennial, semi-succulent, caespitose herb similar to P. alata , but more succulent, with thicker and more stout branches, leaves are shorter, elliptic, acute based, instead of lanceolate and long acuminate. Leaf bases are obtuse or subtruncate instead of cuneate. After flowering, propagules are developed at the apex of old branches that readily wither to assure vegetative propagation.

Description.

Perennial, semi-succulent, caespitose herb, growing terrestrial, epiphytic, or saxicolous in the shade of other plants, 30-45 cm tall. Roots fibrous, emerging from the base of plants, 0.7-1 mm diam., light brown. Stem stoloniferous at the base, from which 3-10 deciduous branches emerge, straight erect, sometimes in zig-zag towards the apex, terete at the base, then prominently winged towards the apex with a triangular section, dark olive green, slightly puberulous at the base, then glabrescent towards the apex, 0.7-1 cm diam. At the base, gradually tapering to 0.3-0.5 mm at the apex, rarely branched close to the base, internodes 2.5-5 cm at the base gradually descending to 0.5-0.7 cm towards the apex, wings prominent at the distal half of the stems, from below the node towards the node after the next, semitransparent, 1-2 mm tall. Leaves alternate, distichous, glabrous, elliptic to elliptic ovate; petiole short, decurrent to next opposite node, reniform in section, channeled above, reddish green-pinkish, 0.2-0.4 (-1) cm long, 1.5-2 mm wide; lamina 3-6.5 cm long, 0.5-1.5 mm thick, 1.8-3.2 cm wide, apex acute to very slightly acuminate, slightly recurvate, base sub truncate; adaxially bright glossy green in young leaves, then very dark army green and even bluish, flat to slightly canaliculate, 3-5-palmatinerved, nerves depressed; margin entire; abaxially very light green with a pink blush, 3-palmatinerved, nerves elevated. Inflorescence simple terminal or up to 3 individually from upper leaf nodes opposite to the leaves; peduncle terete to infundibuliform, bright green, 2-9 mm long, 1.4-1.5 mm diam.; rachis 3-6 cm long, 2-3 mm diam., light green. Floral bracts rotundate, light green, flat, almost inconspicuous, only darker green than rachis, 0.4-0.5 mm diam. Stamens, filaments transparent, 0.2 mm diam., 1.5-3 mm long, anthers white ovoid, 0.4-0.5 mm long, 0.3-0.4 mm wide. Fruit not seen. Propagule developing at the apex of the branch, 1-5 cm tall, persistent until the whole stem dries.

Distribution and habitat.

Plants grow from 1500 to 1800 m of the middle course of the Saña River valley, in the remnants of montane forest, epiphytic or on rocks, always in shaded places.

Phenology.

Inflorescences appear from December to March; fruits ripen from February to April.

Etymology.

The epithet stands for the most striking feature of this plant, the production of offsets directly from the mother plant, bypassing germination, as a method of survival in extreme weather conditions, from the Latin viviparus (that brings forth its young alive).

Notes.

The closest species to P. vivipara is P. alata Ruiz & Pav., a species of wide distribution in Mexico, Central America, and all countries of South America except Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, in tropical forests at lower elevations. Plants are similar in habit and size, they share the zig-zag winged internodes, although P. vivipara is stouter, with thicker and more erect branches with longer internodes. The main difference is in leaves, which are shorter, elliptic with an acute short apex and an obtuse or almost truncate base in P. vivipara compared to the lanceolate, long acuminate, and acute-based leaves of P. alata . A further difference is that P. alata does not produce propagules at the distal stems. (Table 6 ) These plantlets, that drop readily and root close to the mother plant propagating the plants vegetatively, have not been seen in any other species of Peperomia and give the name to the epithet of the species.

This species belongs to Peperomia subg. Micropiper (Miq.) Miq. ( Frenzke et al. 2015).

Specimens examined.

Peru, dept. Cajamarca, prov. Santa Cruz, dist. Catache: Monteseco, 5 km above, on the path to Chorro Blanco , 1500 m, [06°50'58.6"S, 79°05'53.7"W], 16 Mar 1986, M.O. Dillon & A. Sagástegui 4366 (F 1993688); Same place, on the path below the campsite, 1450 m, [06°51'10.8"S, 79°06'09.4"W], 19 Mar 1986, M.O. Dillon & A. Sagástegui 4432 (F 1993348); Monteseco , 3 km NE, 1750 m, 06°50'51.6"S, 79°06'14.7"W, 13 May 1987, J. Santisteban C. & J. Guevara B. 044 ( HUT 24730 , F1995346). Prov. San Miguel, dist. Niepos: Road from La Florida to Monte Seco (Naranjo), 14.5 km from La Florida, 1643 m, 06°54'04.8"S, 79°07'33.5"W, 1 Mar 2009, G. Mathieu & L. Symmank 165 (USM 258839); Road from Naranjo to La Florida, 1632 m, 06°54'00.2"S, 79°07'59.0"W, Jul 26 2020, G. Pino & L.E. Alomía 3214; Same road, 1613 m, 06°54'03.3"S, 79°07'33.5"W, 26 Jul 2020, G. Pino & L.E. Alomía 3215 (USM 330866); Idem, 1612 m, 06°54'03.3"S, 79°07'33.5"W, Feb 2 2023, G. Pino & L.E. Alomía 3833 (USM 333271); Idem, 1393 m, 06°53'25.3"S, 79°06'57.7"W, 26 Jul 2020, G. Pino & L.E. Alomía 3216 (USM 330867); Road from La Florida to Niepos, 1393 m, 06°53'25"S, 79°06'57"W, 28 Aug 2022, G. Pino et al. 3643 (USM 330886); Same road, 1613 m, 06°54'03.3"S, 79°07'33.5"W, 28 Aug 2022, G. Pino et al. 3645 (USM 330887) .

Figures

Figure 11. Peperomia vivipara Pino, Samain & L. E. Alomia, sp. nov. A young plant in habitat B mature plant in habitat showing offsets C plant ex situ showing offsets D propagules of different sizes just detached from mother plant E detail of leaves F detail of a branch: adaxial side (left), abaxial side (right) G branch with terminal spadix H spadix in anthesis. (Detail: Above, before; and below, after development of stamens).