Burmeistera formosa (E.Wimm.) Jeppesen

González, Favio, 2023, Taxonomic revision of Burmeistera (Campanulaceae-Lobelioideae) in Colombia, Phytotaxa 615 (1), pp. 1-113 : 45

19. Burmeistera formosa (E.Wimm.) Jeppesen , Flora of Ecuador 14: 22. 1981.

Centropogon formosus E.Wimm., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 22: 200. 1926.

Type:— ECUADOR. “Sine loco”, without date, L. Mille 20 (holotype: W, not seen). Figs. 10H–K , 12 .

Upright, terrestrial herbs or shrubs up to 2 m tall. Stem sparsely puberulous. Petiole (0.5–)1.0–2.0 (–3.5) cm long, puberulous; blade elliptic to ovate, (6.0–)7.5–13.0(–20.0)× (3–)4–6(–8) cm, densely puberulous above, with ferruginous puberulous indumentum especially along the veins beneath, base cuneate, rarely obtuse, usually asymmetric, apex acute to shortly acuminate, acumen up to 5 mm, margin serrulate, with 18 to 22 extramarginal hydathodes per side, secondary veins 9 to 11 per side, higher order venation loosely reticulate, intramarginal vein lacking. Peduncle 7–9 cm long, sparsely puberulous, with two basal bracteoles, these club-shaped to obovate, 2–3 × ca 1 mm, sometimes early deciduous. Hypanthium subglobose to globose, 6–7 × 4–7 mm, glabrous to sparsely puberulous. Calyx lobes ovate, 2–3 × 1.5–2.0 mm, ascending, contiguous, glabrous to sparsely puberulous, margin slightly serrulate. Corolla green to green often suffused with red wine on the lobes, glabrous; tube 1.5–2.3 cm long, 2–3 mm diameter at its mid-level, not inflated; lobes ovate, falcate, apex acute; dorsal lobes 8–10 × 4.5–5.0 mm, lateral lobes 6–7 × 3.0– 3.5 mm, ventral lobe 3.5–4.5 × 1.8–2.2 mm. Synandrium 3.0– 3.7 cm long, exserted up to ca. 7 mm; filament tube suberect, 2.5–3.0 cm long, glabrous; anther tube 5–7 mm long, sparsely covered with minute trichomes, ventral anthers barbate with a white apical tuft of woolly trichomes. Berries oblate to urceolate, 2.4–2.8 × 3.0– 3.5 cm, not inflated, glabrescent, white.

Phenology: — Burmeistera formosa has been collected with flowers and fruits in April, July and August.

Distribution, ecology and conservation status: — Burmeistera formosa , originally described from Ecuador, is locally rare in Colombia, where it grows in cloud forests of the department of Cauca, at elevations between 2300 and 2650 m. Following the IUCN (2022) Guidelines, this species qualifies for the Near Threatened (NT) category.

Notes: — Burmeistera formosa is similar to B. bullatifolia , B. caldasensis and B. nigropilosa , all with bracteolate peduncles. It differs by the calyx lobes 2–3 mm long, and the berries glabrous, white (versus the calyx lobes> 4 mm long, and the berries densely villous or hirtellous, green, or yellow in the remaining three species).

Additional specimens examined:— Cauca. El Tambo, Parque Nacional Natural Munchique, km 44‒51 vía La Romelia a la Gallera, 2315‒2560 m, 11 Apr 1994 (fl, fr), J. Álvarez et al. 04 ( COL) ; El Tambo, PNN Munchique, vereda La Romelia, entre la quebrada Charco Azul y la Quebrada de El Tigrillo , 2500 m, 21 Jul 1993 (fl, fr), C. Barbosa et al. 8644 ( COL) ; El Tambo, PNN Munchique, carretera entre las cabañas de La Romelia y Charguayaco, 2°41´22.2´´N, 76°54´4.3´´W, 2450‒2650 m, 21 Jul 2001 (fl, fr), R. Bernal et al. 2858 ( COL, HUA) ; El Tambo, vereda La Romelia, PNN Munchique, camino que de la casa de visitantes que lleva a la Gallera, 2500 m, 22–24 Aug 2011 (fl, fr), J. Garzón et al. 590 ( COL), 597 ( COL) ; PNN Munchique, km 42‒43 NE of Uribe, 2350‒2560 m, 24 Apr 1979 (fl), J. L. Luteyn et al. 7426 ( NY ).

Figures

FIGURE 10. A–D. Burmeistera diazii (Luteyn et al. 11983, type), leaf (A), leaf margin (B), flower, sagittal section (C), and berry (D). E–G. B. fimbriata (Stein 3706, type), leaf (E), leaf margin (F) and flower at preanthesis (G). H–K. B. formosa (Luteyn et al. 7426), leaf (H), leaf margin (I), flower (J), and berry (K). L–O. B. glabrata (Bonpland s.n., type), leaf (L), leaf margin (M), flower (N), and berry (O). Scale bars: 1 cm in A, E, H, L; 2 mm in B, F, I, M, O; 5 mm in C, D, G, J, K, N.

FIGURE 12. Distribution of Burmeistera fistulosa, B. formosa, B. fuchsioides, B. fuscoapicata and B. glabrata.