Burmeistera orientalis Garzón & F.González, Caldasia, 2012

González, Favio, 2023, Taxonomic revision of Burmeistera (Campanulaceae-Lobelioideae) in Colombia, Phytotaxa 615 (1), pp. 1-113 : 72-74

38. Burmeistera orientalis Garzón & F.González, Caldasia 34: 317. 2012.

Type:— COLOMBIA. Santander: Límites entre los departamentos de Santander y Boyacá, corregimiento de Virolín, finca “La Sierra”, 2500‒2600 m, 12 May 1976 (fl, fr), G. Lozano, J. Torres & S. Díaz 2390 (holotype: COL!). Figs. 19E, F , 20 .

Upright, terrestrial herbs to shrubs up to 2 m tall. Stem sparsely puberulous with maroon trichomes. Petiole 1–5(–8) mm long; blade obovate, 4–9(–10.5) × 2–4.8 cm, glabrous above, sparsely puberulous beneath, base symmetric, cuneate, apex convex to rounded, margin revolute, subentire to slightly serrulate, teeth in one-size class, each <1 mm long, hydathodes 8 to 14 per side, marginal, secondary veins 5 to 7 per side, higher order venation reticulate, intramarginal vein present, discontinuous. Peduncles 5–6 cm long, sparsely puberulous, with two filiform bracteoles, 2–3 × 0.4–0.7 mm each. Hypanthium subglobose, 6–8 × 5–7 mm, sparsely puberulous. Calyx lobes narrowly ovate, 5–8 × 2–3 mm, patent, glabrescent, basally spaced by sinuses 1.0– 1.5 mm wide, margin subentire, with 2 or 3 inframarginal projections per side. Corolla pale green-yellow, occasionally suffused with maroon, glabrous to sparsely puberulous; tube 1.8–2.4 cm long, 3–4 mm in diameter at its mid-level, slightly inflated proximally and distally, lobes ovate, falcate, apex acute, dorsal lobes 10–12 × 3–5 mm, lateral lobes 5–7 × 4–5 mm, ventral lobe 6–7 × 4–5 mm. Synandrium 3.3–4.0 cm long, exserted up to 1.5 cm; filament tube 2.8–3.5 cm long, glabrous; anther tube 4–8 mm long, densely woolly, ventral anthers barbate, with an apical tuft of white woolly trichomes up to 3 mm long. Berries globose, 1.0–1.5 × 1.0– 1.4 cm, not inflated, sparsely puberulous, green suffused with maroon.

Phenology: —Flowering and fruiting specimens of Burmeistera orientalis have been collected in May and November.

Distribution, ecology and conservation status: — Burmeistera orientalis has been collected only in the type locality, a narrow area south of the department of Santander, in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. It occurs in the understory stratum of montane wet forests between 1980‒2600 m of elevation. Following the IUCN´s (2022) criteria [B1(EOO) and B2(AOO), conditions (a) and (b), and C2(a)(i)], this species qualifies as Critically Endangered.

Notes: — Burmeistera orientalis differs from its congeners by the obovate leaf blades with few (five to seven) secondary veins, the presence of two bracteoles on the peduncle, and the long (1.8‒2.4 cm) corolla tube. It is similar to B. variabilis , from which it differs by the petioles 1–5(–8) mm long; the leaf blades with convex to rounded apex, and revolute, subentire to slightly serrulate margin, with 8 to 14 teeth per side, teeth in one-size class, each <1 mm long; the berries 1.0– 1.5 cm in diameter; and the distribution restricted to the Eastern Cordillera (versus the petioles 1.0– 3.5 cm long; the leaf blades with acute to acuminate apex, and non-revolute, loosely and irregularly repandous margin, with teeth in two sizes, the large teeth 5–10 mm long each, intermingled with short teeth 10–20 mm long each; the berries 2.0– 2.5 cm in diameter; and the distribution in the Western and the Central cordilleras).

Additional specimens examined:— Santander. Charalá, vereda El Palmar, 1980 m, 13 Nov 1981 (fl, fr), C . Caro et al. 107 ( COL); vía Virolín , 2000 m, 14 Nov 1996 (fl, fr), Y . López et al. 96-30 ( COL); Charalá , vereda El Volcán, 2180 m, 8 May 1986 (fl, fr), L . Moreno et al. 93 (COL).

Figures

FIGURE 19. A–D. Burmeistera obtusifolia (Cuatrecasas 15329, type), leaf (A), leaf margin (B), flower (C), and berry (D). E, F. B. orientalis (Lozano et al. 2390, type), flowering branch (E), and flower (F). G–I. B. pennellii (Pennell 12119, type), leaf (G), leaf margin (H), and flower (I). J–M. B. pomifera (Idrobo 3917), leaf (J), leaf margin (K), flower (L), and berry (M). Scale bars: 5 mm in A, C, D, F, H–I, L, M; 2 mm in B, K; 1 cm in E, G, J.

FIGURE 20. Distribution of Burmeistera obtusifolia, B. orientalis, B. pennellii, B. pinnatisecta, B. pomifera, B. pteridioides, B. puberula and B. reclinata.