Begonia kalbreyeri var. orquidensis Jara, 2021

Jara-Muñoz, Orlando Adolfo, Richardson, James E. & Zabala-Rivera, Juan Carlos, 2021, Five new species and three new varieties of Begonia section Casparya endemic to Colombia, Phytotaxa 525 (4), pp. 258-280 : 265-267

Begonia kalbreyeri var. orquidensis Jara , var. nov. Figs. 3 & 5

Type:— COLOMBIA. Antioquia: near to the top of Cordillera Occidental on trail from Encarnación to Parque Las Orquídeas , 1900–2100 m, 27 January 1979, A . Gentry 24640 (holotype COL!, isotypes HUA!, MO!) .

Diagnosis:—Differs from Begonia kalbreyeri var. kalbreyeri because the young stems are pubescent or glabrous (vs. papilose-hirsute). Differs from Begonia kalbreyeri var. glabra by the ovate or oblong (vs. long-elliptic) leaves, and the indumentum with intermingled long and tuberculate hairs (vs. with only one type of hairs).

Description:—Caulescent herb, to 40 cm high. Stem erect, glabrous or pubescent; internodes to 3.4 cm long, to 3.4 mm thick, puberulous. Stipules early deciduous, glabrous, hyaline or pale green, ovate, 9.6–17.1 × 4.5–8.3 mm, margin entire, apex acute. Petiole velutinous, 1.3–13.5 cm long; Lamina of the leaf straight to the petiole, membranous, asymmetric, ovate or oblong, 3.1–10.5 × 1.4–4.1cm, base rounded on one side, lobulate on the other side, margin crenate-serrulate, ciliate, apex short acuminate, lower surface usually reddish-green, glabrous, upper surface green, glabrous to pilose, venation pinnate. Inflorescence bisexual, or bearing only staminate flowers, axillary, an umbel-like contracted cincinnus, with up to 3 staminate and 1 pistillate flowers, protandrous; peduncle glabrous, to 10–32 mm long, bracts sub-persistent, 2–6, glabrous, hyaline or pale green, lanceolate, 5.5–11.0 × 1.5–4.4 mm, margin entire, apex obtuse. staminate flowers: pedicels glabrous, to 3.1–10.88 mm long; perianth with two series, the outer one glabrous, orange-red, campanulate and compressed, 5.4–12.5 × 5.7–12.2 mm, apex 4-lobulate, the inner one with 2 free tepals, glabrous, orange, each tepal oblongs, 2.3–4.1 × ca. 3 mm, margin entire, apex truncate; stamens 4, projecting, whitish, filaments 0.1–0.6 mm long, connate at the base on a torus of ca. 0.7 mm, anthers slightly broadened above, 1.8–2.5 mm long, connective shortly projecting. Pistillate flowers: pedicels to 5.2 mm long; bracteoles 3, glabrous, reddish-green or hyaline, elliptic, to 10 mm long, margin entire, apex acute; ovary turbinate, light green, glabrous, horns falcate; placentation entire, bearing ovules on both surfaces; perianth glabrous, red-orange, with two series, the outer one campanulate, but not compressed as in the staminate one, 8.9–9.4 mm long, apex 6-lobate, the inner series with 3 tepals, similar in size and form to the inner tepals in the staminate flowers; styles 3, red, to 3 mm long, multifid, stigmatic papillae restricted to the apex. Fruiting pedicel 7.2–33 mm long; capsule body and horns like those of the ovary, to 13.8 × 23.7 mm, drying maroon, column 5.6–8 mm long.

Distribution and habitat:—This variety occurs in the Las Orquideas National Park and surrounding areas, in the north-west of the Colombian Western Cordillera, between 960 and 2300 m. It grows in the understory of well conserved forest, usually on the banks of streams.

Notes:—This is the second variety apart from the type variety of B. kalbreyeri , a Colombian endemic species, common in the well conserved forest of the north of the central and western basin of the central cordillera. The type variety is only known from the type collection in the Paramillo region (ca. 2100 to 2400 m), in Antioquia, at the extreme north of the Colombian Cordillera Occidental, close to the current “Paramillo” National Park. Populations from about 50 km to the south of the type locality are morphologically distinctive, growing in the Orquideas National Park, these show variation in hair density being in general less pubescent than the type specimen and are described here as a new variety. According to Smith & Schubert (1955), Begonia kalbreyeri var. glabra differs from the type variety in being completely glabrous, however the type specimen is clearly not glabrous, having hairs mainly on veins of the leaves, stems and inflorescence.

Additional specimens examined:— COLOMBIA. Antioquia: Antioquia: entre los municipios de Urrao y Frontino, Parque de Las Orquideas INDERENA, finca La Lola, al frente de la cabaña del INDERENA, 1410 m, 16 June 1981, L. Albert et al. 1771 ( HUA); Urrao, corregimiento La Encarnación, camino de herradura entre el páramo de San Pedro y el río Calles , 1700–1900 m, 22 June 1982, R . Bernal & G . Galeano 370 ( COL); Frontino, corregimiento Nutibara-La Blanquita, 4-7.1 km, entre el alto de Cuevas y La Blanquita , 6°45′05″ N, 76°17′56″ W, 1610- 1420 m, 26 January 1995, J . Betancur et al. 5969 ( COL); Frontino, corregimiento Nutibara , región de Murrí, 15 km SO de Nutibara a La Blanquita, 1700–1850 m, 19 April 1988, R . Callejas 6416 ( HUA); Parque Nacional Natural Las Orquideas, Sector Calles, margen derecha del río Calles , 6º32′N, 76º19′W, 1420 m, 25 March 1988, A . Cogollo et al. 2586 ( JAUM); Urrao, Parque Nacional Natural “Las Orquideas”. Sector cabaña de Calles. Quebrada La Agudelo. Parcela permanente, bp-PM., 1300−1400 m, 1 April 1992, D. Cardenas 3200 ( JAUM, MO); Urrao, Parque Nacional Natural “Las Orquideas”. Sector Calles. Margen derecha del Río Calles , 1420 m, 25 March 1988, A . Cogollo 2586 ( JAUM, MO); Frontino, corregimiento Murrí, carretera Nutibara-La Blanquita , ca. 9 km abajo de la cima, 1700-1900 m, 5 January 1982, G . Galeano & R . Bernal 472 ( HUA); Las Orquideas, trail from Encarnación o Parque Nacional Natural Las Orquídeas , western slope of Cordillera Occidental , 06°30’N, 076°14’W, 1600–1800 m, 27 January 1979, A . Gentry 24555 ( MO); Urrao , 2320 m, 6 December 1984, C . I . Orozco et al. 1392 ( COL); Las Orquídeas: Vereda Calles; Parque Nacional Natural Las Orquídeas ; Quebrada Honda , 06°29’N, 076°14’W, 1300 m, 8 December 1992, J . J . Pipoly III et al. 16753 ( MO); Parque Nacional Natural Las Orquídeas. Vereda Calles, 1450–1500 m, 29 November 1993, J . J . Pipoly III et al. 17309 ( MO); Parque Nacional Natural Las Orquídeas. Vereda Calles, margen derecha del río Calles , 1350–1450 m, 6 December 1993, J . J . Pipoly III et al. 17792 ( MO); Urrao, Parque Nacional Natural Las Orquideas, sector Calles , quebrada “La Agudelo”, 6º31′N, 76º19′W, 1300 m, 26 March 1991, J . G . Ramirez et al. 4021 ( JAUM); Urrao, Parque Orquídeas , 2780 m, 13 April 1985, E . Renteria 3896 ( HUA, JAUM); Frontino, corregimiento Nutibara, cuenca alta del río Cuevas , 1600 m, 12 April 1987, D. Sanchez et al. 1076 ( COL); Frontino, km 27 por la vía a Nutibara-Murrí, 960 m, 21 October 1987, J . L . Zarucchi et al. 5536 ( COL, HUA, MO); Mpio. de Frontino; Km 14 of road Nutibara-Murrí , 1870 m, 23 September 1987, J . L . Zarucchi et al. 5677 ( MO); Frontino , km 17 of road Nutibara-La Blanquita, regi ón de Murrí, 6°45′N, 76°24′W, 1860 m, 3 November 1988, J . L. Zarucchi et al. 7074 ( COL) .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Begonia kalbreyeri var. orquidensis. A) Branch, B) Outer series of the perianth in the staminate flower, C) Inner series of the perianth in the staminate flower, D) Pistillate flower from above, E) Pistillate flower in side view, without part of the outer series of the perianth. Based on A. Gentry 24640, and J. Betancur 5969, by O. Bernal.

FIGURE 5. Distribution of Begonia diegoi, Begonia galenoi, Begonia kalbreyeri var. oquidensis, and Begonia mamapachensis.