Columnea floribunda Tobar & J.L. Clark, 2021

Clark, John L., Tobar, Francisco, Clavijo, Laura, Perret, Mathieu & Graham, Catherine Helen, 2021, Three new species of Columnea (Gesneriaceae) from the western Andean slopes of Ecuador and Colombia, PhytoKeys 182, pp. 67-82 : 67

Columnea floribunda Tobar & J.L. Clark sp. nov.

Figs 4 , 5

Diagnosis.

Differs from Columnea picta by a nearly tubular corolla (vs. deeply bilabiate corolla). Differs from Columnea angulata by the straight corolla relative to the calyx (vs. oblique to perpendicular corolla relative to the calyx). Differs from Columnea tecta by corollas that exceed the length of the calyx lobes (vs. corollas that are equal to or less than the length of the calyx lobes).

Type.

Ecuador Pichincha: cantón Pichincha, parroquia Pacto, Bosque Protector Mashpi, sendero Mashpi Capuchin , 5 km al norte de Lodge, 0°09'N, 78°52'W, 900-1200 m, 18 Jan 2020, F. Tobar, C.H. Graham, T. Santander & E. Guevara 3527 (holotype: QCA; isotypes: QCNE, US).

Description.

Facultative epiphyte with dorsiventral shoots to 2-3 m long, subwoody, suffrutescent, glabrescent below, sparsely pilose above; internodes 3-16 cm near base, then clustered at branch apex. Leaves opposite, strongly anisophyllous, papyraceous when dry; larger leaf nearly sessile, petioles 0.1-0.2 cm long, pilose; blade asymmetric, oblanceolate to oblong, 1-28 × 4.8-6.2 cm, base oblique, apex acuminate, margin serrate, adaxially uniformly dark green with bright red, glabrous, abaxially light green with bright red apex, sparsely pilose, lateral veins 7-12; smaller leaf sessile, blade asymmetric, lanceolate 1.4-2.5 × 0.3-0.5 cm, base oblique, apex acuminate, margin serrate, green with red apex on both surfaces, adaxially glabrous, abaxially sparsely pilose. Inflorescence reduced to axillary clusters of 3-5 flowers; peduncles absent or highly reduced (<0.2 cm long); bracts 1-2, light green, oblong, 0.5-1.2 × 0.2-0.3 cm, glabrous on both sides. Flowers subtended by elongate pedicels, 2.2-3.3 cm long, sparsely pilose; calyx lobes 5, nearly free, mostly equal in size and shape, dorsal lobe elongate and slender, 1.7-2.1 × 0.7-1.3 cm, ovate, apex acute, margin serrate, mostly yellow with red splotches in the center, inner and outer surfaces pilose; corolla tubular, 0.6-2.1 cm long, mostly yellow with whitish base, outer and inner surfaces pilose, limb shallowly bilabiate, corolla lobes 0.3-0.5 × 0.2-0.4 cm, lateral and lower lobes red, upper lobes yellow. Androecium of 4 stamens, filaments connate at the base and forming a filament curtain for 0.2-0.3 cm, free portion of filaments 1.5-1.9 cm long, minutely pubescent; anthers longer than broad, ca. 0.3 × 0.2 mm, dehiscing by longitudinal slits; staminode absent; nectary a trilobed dorsal gland, glabrous; ovary superior, densely pilose, 0.2-0.4 × 0.2 cm, style 1.5-1.8 cm long, minutely pubescent, stigma included and shallowly bifid. Fruit an indehiscent globose white berry. Seeds not observed.

Phenology.

Collections of Columnea floribunda are documented with flowers between January and April and between June and October. Fruits have been recorded during March.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to axillary clusters of several flowers (3-5).

Distribution and preliminary assessment of conservation status.

Columnea floribunda is locally abundant in the Mashpi Rainforest Biodiversity Reserve (900-1340 m) and the surrounding roads, a Chocó biogeographic forest relict in northern Ecuador. It is likely that additional populations are located in the adjacent provinces of Imbabura and Esmeraldas. Future research expeditions to unexplored areas of the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve will hopefully result in additional documented populations of C. floribunda . According to the IUCN Red List criteria ( IUCN 2001) for limited geographic range (B2a, less than five locations) and considering the uncertain future of habitat conservation, Columnea floribunda should be listed in the category Endangered (EN).

Comments.

Columnea floribunda is readily distinguished from all other congeners by the elongate corolla tubes that exceed the length of the calyx lobes (Fig. 4A ), in contrast to the corolla tubes of C. tecta that are equal to or less than the length of the calyx lobes (Fig. 7C ); the corolla posture relative to the calyx that is straight (Fig. 4A ), in contrast to the oblique to perpendicular corolla relative to the calyx of C. angulata (Fig. 2A ); and the axillary clusters of three or more flowers (Fig. 4D ).

Specimens examined.

Ecuador Pichincha: cantón Pacto, Mashpi Lodge, transecto Mashpi Laguna , a 500 m de la entrada del transecto, 0°09'N, 78°52'W, 880 m, 21 Sep 2017, F. Tobar & A. Nieto 2903 (QCA); cantón Pacto, transecto Mashpi Capuchin, entrada del transecto, 0°10'N, 78°52'W, 800 m, 20 Mar 2018, F. Tobar, A. Marcayata & K. Cortez 3161 (QCA); cantón Pacto, km 20, carretero entre La Delicia y el pueblo de Mashpi, 0°09'N, 78°51'W, 1200 m, 18 Dec 2019, F. Tobar & M. Gavilanes 3509 (QCA) ; cantón Pichincha, Amagusa Reserve, 1200 m dentro del sendero principal hacia el rio, 0°09'N, 78°51'W, 1213 m, 18 Mar 2018, F. Tobar, C. Poveda, S. Basantes & M. Gavilanes 3465 (HPUCESI, QCNE); cantón Pacto, Mashpi reserve , road to lodge, 0°09'38"N, 78°50'58"W, 1338 m, 7 Feb 2019, M. Perret & F. Tobar 258 (QCNE) .

Figures

Figure 2. Columnea angulata J. L. Clark & F. Tobar A mature flower B front view of flower C ventral view of flower showing laterally compressed corolla tube D dorsiventral habit (A, D from J. L. Clark et al. 12198 B from J. L. Clark 10968 C from J. L. Clark et al. 7413). Photos by J. L. Clark.

Figure 4. Columnea floribunda F. Tobar & J. L. Clark A mature flower B front view of flower during anthesis C mature fruit D dorsiventral habit A-D from F. Tobar et al. 3527 (A-D from F. Tobar et al. 3527, holotype). Photos by F. Tobar.

Figure 5. Columnea floribunda F. Tobar & J. L. Clark A mature flower B Lateral view of corolla C dorsiventral habit D lateral view of calyx and style, showing shallowly bifid stigma E corolla dissected showing filaments and ventral view of anthers F lateral view of ovary and nectary gland G dorsal view of nectary gland. Illustrated by M. J. Gavilanes, based on F. Tobar et al. 3527, holotype.

Figure 7. Columnea tecta J. L. Clark & Clavijo A mature flower with lateral calyx lobe pulled back B Oblong white berry C mature flower D dorsiventral habit (A-D from J. L. Clark et al. 13433). Photos by J. L. Clark.