Gurania jeffreyi M. Nee & Gomes-Costa, 2015

Gomes-Costa, Géssica A., Nee, Michael H. & Barbosa, Maria Regina De V., 2015, Two new species of Gurania (Cucurbitaceae) from South America, Phytotaxa 208 (4), pp. 296-300 : 298-299

Gurania jeffreyi M. Nee & Gomes-Costa , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 H–L )

Type: — COLOMBIA. Nariño:nearRicuarte, 7May1939 (♂ fl), A.H.G.Alston 8437 (holotypeBM880844!;isotypesLL!, US 2471929!,WIS!).

Diagnosis:— Leaves 5- or 3-foliolate, the latter with lateral leaflets deeply lobed, the leaflets petiolulate. Hypanthium narrowly tubular-urceolate; sepals 1–2 mm long; anthers filling the entire hypanthium, oblong, shortly replicate at the base, ca. 8 mm long, the apical appendage oblong-acute, 2 mm long, glabrous.

Liana; stem sulcate, 2.5–5 mm in diameter, glabrous; internodes 6–29 cm long. Tendrils simple, robust, 90º to the leaf petiole. Leaves 5-foliolate or rarely 3-foliolate with the lateral leaflets deeply lobed, the margin with regularly spaced subulate teeth, membranaceous or chartaceous, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, greenish or brownish when dry, distinctly reticulate above; petiole 4.5–16 cm long; terminal petiolule 0.5–3 cm long; lateral petiolules 0.5–1.8 cm long, then dividing into individual petiolules 0–1.2 cm long; outer lateral leaflets asymmetrical and often falcate, ovate to elliptic, 7–16 × 3.5–9.5 cm, the acroscopic side inserted at about the same level as the basiscopic side, the basiscopic side usually prominently expanded near the base and rounded, the apex cuspidate, the base rounded to acute or attenuate; terminal leaflet symmetrical, broadly oblanceolate or obovate, 9.5–22 × 6–9.5 cm, the apex cuspidate to attenuate, the base acute to attenuate; intermediate lateral leaflets more similar in size and shape to the terminal one. Staminate inflorescence with flowers densely crowded at the apex of the flowering axis; flowering axis glabrous or puberulent, 7–30 cm long; flowers with short-puberulent pedicels, the pedicels 3–14 mm long, persistent after the flowers fall; hypanthium and sepals orange, the hypanthium narrowly tubular-urceolate, glabrous or rarely puberulent, 6–10 × 5 mm, the sepals erect, lance-subulate or triangular, glabrous, 1–2 (–5) × 0.5–1 mm; petals yellow, partially free, erect, triangular, papillose, 2–3 mm long; anthers oblong, shortly replicate below, ca. 8 mm long, the connective narrow, the apical appendage oblong-acute, 2 mm long, glabrous. Pistillate inflorescence not observed; fruiting pedicels glabrous; pistillate flowers glabrous, the hypanthium shortly wide-tubular, 1.5 × 0.8 cm; sepals short, triangular, the apex acute, 2 mm long; petals shortly wide-tubular, 1.5 × 0.8 cm; sepals short, triangular, the apex acute, 2 mm long; petals short-oblong, papillose, 0.5 × 0.3 cm; ovary ca. 3 × 0.7 mm; columnar style 1 cm long; stigmas 2, each bifid. Fruit an ellipsoid berry, smooth, 6 × 2.2 cm, glabrous; seeds numerous, horizontal, 7 mm long.

Distribution and habitat: — Colombia (Nariño), Ecuador (Carchi, Esmeraldas), in moist forests at 30–1800 m.

Etymology:—The new species honors Charles Jeffrey, British botanist, born in 1934, and author of several genera, species, and new combinations in Cucurbitaceae . Jeffrey produced a great contribution to the systematics of the family, publishing a series of studies (1966, 1971, 1978, 1980, 2005) that led to the current classification of Cucurbitaceae .

Vernacular name:—”guayanguillo” (Rubio et al. 1540), “hoja de vulle” (Kvist et al. 48981), “lagalto” (Barfod et al. 48868).

Phenology: —Staminate flowers were found in March, May, June, July and November; pistillate flowers in May and fruits in May and June.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — COLOMBIA. Nariño: costa del Pacífico, Cuenca del rio Telembí , Barbacoas , 30 m, 6–10 May 1953 (♂ fl), J. M. Idrobo & H. Weber 1476 ( NY, US) . ECUADOR. Carchi: San Marcos valley , 1°07’N, 78°22’W, 20–24 November 1983 (♂ fl), A. S. Barfod et al. 48868 ( AAU, QCNE) ; San Marcos valley , 1°07’N, 78°20’W, 600 m, 24 November 1983 (♂ fl), L. P. Kvist et al. 48981 ( AAU) ; Cantón Tulcán, Reserva Étnica Awá, comunidade Gualpi Medio , 1°01’N, 78°16’W, 900 m, 21 May 1992 (fr), C. Quelal et al. 666 ( QCNE) ; Cantón Tulcán, Reserva Indígena Awá, comunidade Gualpi Alto , parroquia Chical , 1°02’N, 78°14’W, 1800 m, 25–28 June 1991 (fr), D. Rubio et al. 1540 ( QCNE). Esmeraldas: Cantón San Lorenzo , Reserva Etnica Awá , Centro Guadualito , 1°15’N, 78°40’W, 80 m, 20–29 July 1992 (♂ fl), C. Aulestia et al. 112 ( QCNE) ; San Lorenzo, Reserva Étnica Awá, Parroquia Alto Tambo , Centro de la Unión , Cañón del Río Mira , 0°52’N, 78°26’W, 250 m, 22 March 1993 (♂ fl), C. Aulestia & M. Aulestia 1441 ( QCNE) ; San José, km 321 along railroad from Ibarra to San Lorenzo , 1°N, 78°W, 350 m, 4 May 1982 (♂ fl), B. M. Boom 1358 ( QCA, QCNE) ; Lita-San Lorenzo road, 30 km NW of Lita, 1°05’N, 78°40’W, 300–500 m, 12 May 1991 (♂ fl), A. Gentry et al. 70011 ( QCNE) ; vic. Lita , Ibarra-San Lorenzo R. R, 550–650 m, 9 June 1978 (♂ fl), M. T. Madison et al. 5102 ( AAU) ; Cantón San Lorenzo, Reserva Indígena Awá, Cañón del Río Mira , 10 km W de Alto Tambo, comunidad “La Unión”, 1°02’N, 78°26’W, 250 m, 16–26 March 1991 (♂ fl), D. Rubio et al. 1289 ( QCNE) .

The species is restricted to Colombia and northwestern Ecuador, well defined by the 5-foliolate leaves. This feature is rare in the genus and other than G. jeffreyi , only G. pedata Sprague (1905: 433) presents 5-foliolate leaves. The latter, occurring in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, is distinguished from G. jeffreyi by being a delicate plant, with fragile leaves, sessile leaflets up to 0.5 cm long, inflorescences with long-pedicellate flowers (1–3.5 cm long) and hypanthium characteristically urceolate and tapered at the base.

The inflorescence of G. jeffreyi is similar to that of G. brevisepala Cuatrecasas (1942:22) , a sympatric species, apparently restricted to Colombia and Ecuador. Gurania brevisepala , however, presents lobed leaves and there is no indication that the leaves can be compound. The leaflets in G. jeffreyi are quite characteristic and well defined.

Jeffrey in schedule noted as “sp. nov.” St. John 20660, Fosberg 21856 and Alston 8437, and listed them, together with other exsiccate as “sp. A” in his list of Cucurbitaceae of the New World ( Jeffrey 1978). We noted, however, that the collections St. John 20660 and Fosberg 21856, restricted to the Colombian Andean region may not belong to the new species here described. Until their identity is clarified, those specimens should not be included in G. jeffreyi .

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–G: Gurania calathina M. Nee & Gomes-Costa (Holotype:—J. Betancur et al. 773). A. habit; B. branch cross-section showing papyraceous bark; C. leaf, adaxial surface; D. leaf, abaxial surface; E. staminate flower; F. anther, front view; G. anther, dorsal view. H–L: Gurania jeffreyi M. Nee & Gomes-Costa (Holotype:—A. H. G. Alston 8437). H. habit; I. leaf, abaxial surface with prominent veins; J. staminate flower; K. anther, dorsal view; L. anther, front view. Illustrations by Regina Carvalho.