Preliminary notes on Justicia (Acanthaceae) in Peru Author Villanueva-Espinoza, Rosa 0000-0003-2989-8160 State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China & Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, Guangzhou, 510650, China & University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China & División de Ecología Vegetal – CORBIDI, Calle Santa Rita 105 Of. 2, Urb. Huertos de San Antonio Monterrico, Surco, Lima, Peru Author Deng, Yunfei 0000-0002-0876-3286 State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China & Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, Guangzhou, 510650, China Author Scotland, Robert 0000-0002-6371-2238 Department of Biology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX 1 3 RB, UK Author Wood, John R. I. 0000-0001-5102-3729 Department of Biology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX 1 3 RB, UK & Honorary Research Associate, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, TW 9 3 AB, UK text PhytoKeys 2025 2025-06-16 258 1 123 journal article 310585 10.3897/phytokeys.258.144435 ef23ae6b-548a-43d5-bf0f-d250437c5b46 25. Justicia baguensis J. R. I. Wood & R. Villanueva sp. nov. Type. Peru • Amazonas , Prov. Bagua , Bagua Grande – Pedro Ruiz Road , 500–1000 m , 10 March 1998 , H. van der Werff 14604 ( holotype MO-5763982 , isotypes F-2236803 , MOL , USM ) . Diagnosis. Resembling Justicia reginaldii in the short, stout, glabrous, usually 2 - seeded capsule, white flowers in a spicate inflorescence and small, somewhat glaucous leaves but differing in the well-developed axillary spikes up to 7 cm long, (not spikes essentially terminal), much smaller corolla c. 10 mm long (not 22–25 mm ), the bracts all c. 7 mm long, distinct from leaves (not foliose below) and very small, near glabrous calyx < 2.5 mm long (not 4–5 mm long). Description. Erect subshrub 30–50 cm ; stems somewhat woody, branched, quadrangular, nearly glabrous, obscurely bifariously scurfy. Leaves shortly petiolate, lamina (1 –) 2–5.5 (– 7.5) × (0.2 –) 0.4–1 cm , diminishing in size upwards oblong, tapered to an obtuse apex, base cuneate, glabrous except for a few hairs towards the base, glaucous, cystoliths prominent adaxially; pet i oles 2–4 mm . Inflorescence of shortly pedunculate, terminal and axillary spikes, 2–7 cm long, glabrous, flowers in opposite pairs with distinct internodes; peduncles 0–10 mm ; bracts 6–7 × 1.25 mm , oblanceolate, attenuate basally; bracteoles 4–5 × 0.75 mm , linear, acute; calyx subequally 5 - lobed, lobes 2–2.5 × 0.5 mm , linear-lanceolate, apiculate, glabrous but puberulent apically; corolla 9–11 mm long, white with violet “ herring bone ” patterning, glabrous except a few hairs on lips, tube 4 mm long, upper lip 4–5 mm long, notched, lower lip 5–6 mm long, 3 - lobed, the lobes ovate, rounded, c. 2 × 2 mm ; anther thecae oblong, c. 1 × 0.5 mm , oblong, glabrous, weakly superposed, maroon; pollen sub, 42 × 25 μm, 3 - aperturate, colporate, 1 row of c. 6–8 distinct insulae on either side of aperture (Fig. 50 D ); style 7.5 mm , glabrous; ovary glabrous. Capsule 7 × 3 mm , obovoid-clavate, apiculate, glabrous; 2 (– 4) - seeded; seeds c. 2.5 mm diam., smooth. Illustration. Fig. 23 . Figure 23. Justicia baguensis A habit B leaf C detail showing cystoliths on adaxial surface of leaf D bract E bracteole F calyx G corolla opened out to show stamens H anther thecae J exterior of capsule valve K interior of capsule valve L seed. A, H drawn from Van der Werff 14633, J, L from Van der Werff 1460 by Margaret Tebbs. Etymology. This species is named Justicia baguensis as it grows mostly in Bagua Province in Amazonas region in Peru . Phenology. Flowering mainly from January to May and sporadically later. Habitat. Xerophytic, deciduous scrub / woodland with cacti at 350–600 m approximately. Distribution. Endemic to the Río Marañón valley system and restricted to Amazonas and neighbouring parts of northern Cajamarca in the north of Peru . Fig. 61 . Material examined. Peru • Amazonas : Prov. Bagua , Bagua Chica to Limonyacu [ 5°33'S , 78°29'W ], 400–450 m , 27 June 1959 , R. Ferreyra 13646 ( USM ) ; • ibid., 10 km from Bagua Grande , 24 May 1990 , F. Borchsenius 2617 ( USM ) ; • ibid., Bagua Chica a Bagua Grande , 700 m , 7 Aug. 1978 , J. Sánchez Vega et al. 2288 ( CPUN ) ; • ibid., Bagua Grande – Pedro Ruiz road , 500–1000 m , 10 March 1998 , H. van der Werff 14633 ( MO , US , USM ) ; • ibid., the type, H. van der Werff 14604 ( F , MO , MOL , USM ) ; • ibid. H. van der Werff 14611 ( F , MO , MOL , USM , US ) ; • ibid., 2 km W of Bagua Chica [ 5°38'S , 78°31'W ], 550 m , 19 Jan. 1964 , P. C. Hutchison & J. K. Wright 3631 ( F , K , MO , US ) . Prov. Utcubamba Dist. El Milagro , El Valor , 5°38'S , 78°40'W , 350 m , 3 Feb. 1999 , R. Vásquez 25904 ( HUT , MO , US ) . • Cajamarca : Prov. San Ignacio , Dist. Huarango , Puerto Ciruelo – camino a Huarango , 5°17'S , 78°46'W , 550–650 m , 26 April 1996 , J. Campos & P. Diaz 2675 ( F , HUT , MO , US , USM ) ; • ibid., Dist. Tabaconas , Tamborapa , Las Juntas , 5°22'34"S , 78°46'51"W , 600 m . , 9 Dec. 2001 , R. Vásquez et al . 27235 ( HUT , MO , USM ) . Prov. Jaén , cerca de Jaén [ 5°42'S , 78°48'W ], 650–700 m , April 1950 , H. Augusto 11 ( USM ) . Note. The capsules usually contain only two seeds, but this is not constant; some specimens develop 3 or 4 apparently viable seeds.