26. Justicia cajamarcensis R. Villanueva & J. R. I. Wood sp. nov.

Type.

Peru • Cajamarca: Prov. San Ignacio, Dist. Huarango, Entre Puerto Tabalozo and Nueva Esperanza, 5°21'S, 78°44'W, 550–700, 18 Jan. 1996, J. Campos & O. Diaz 2005 (holotype US-3387858, isotypes F-2235744, MO-5297090, USM) .

Diagnosis.

Resembling Justicia reginaldii and Justicia baguensis in the short, stout, glabrous 2 - seeded capsule and white flowers but differing in the densely imbricate (not lax and somewhat distant) flowers of the axillary spikes; from the former by the smaller corolla and from the latter by the relatively broad, oblong-ovate leaves (1–3.5 cm long), and the larger bracts, 6–9 mm long (not <7 mm) and calyx lobes 4–5 mm long (not 2–2.5 mm long).

Description.

Subshrub 0.5–1.3 (– 2.8) m in height; stems grey-green, bifariously pubescent when young, soon glabrescent. Leaves petiolate, lamina 3–10 × 1–3.5 cm, broadly to narrowly oblong-ovate, shortly acuminate to a very obtuse apex, base narrowly to broadly cuneate, margin undulate, both surfaces with numerous very small cystoliths, glabrous, adaxially dark green, abaxially paler, lateral veins 3–4 pairs; petioles 4–9 mm, puberulent, glabrescent. Inflorescence of shortly pedunculate axillary and terminal spikes 1–6 cm long; flowers imbricate; peduncles 3–20 mm, shortly pubescent, sometimes with gland-tipped hairs; bracts sessile, 6–9 × 1.3–2 mm, diminishing in size upwards, narrowly oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, acute, ciliate; bracteoles linear 4–6 × 0.5–1 mm, ciliate; calyx subequally 5 - lobed to 1.5 mm above base, lobes 4–5 × 1.25 mm, narrowly oblong-elliptic, acute to cuspidate, ciliolate; corolla 15 mm long, white, pubescent, basal cylindrical tube very short, c. 2 × 2 mm, upper lip hooded, notched, c. 12 mm long, lower lip 3 - lobed, lobes narrowly ovate, 4–5 × 3 mm, rounded; filaments glabrous, anther thecae oblong with short basal appendage, 1.5 × 0.5 mm, parallel, superposed, glabrous; pollen subprolate, 39 × 35 μm, 3 - aperturate, porate, grain covered in verrucae (Fig. 50 E); ovary and style glabrous. Capsule 8–9 × 2.75–3 mm, obovoid with broad sterile base, apiculate, glabrous, 2–4 - seeded; seeds c. 3 mm diam., brown, smooth.

Illustration.

Fig. 24.

Etymology.

This species is named after the region of Cajamarca, to which it is endemic.

Phenology.

Flowering from December (to April).

Habitat.

Xerophytic scrub / woodland in northern Cajamarca, 550– 900 m.

Distribution.

Endemic to Cajamarca in northern Peru. Fig. 61.

Material examined.

Peru • Cajamarca: Prov. San Ignacio, Dist. Huarango, entre Puerto Tabalozo and Nueva Esperanza, 5°21'S, 78°44'W, 550–700, 18 Jan. 1996, J. Campos & O. Diaz 2005 (F, MO, US, USM) ; • ibid., Dist. San Ignacio, entre Puerto Huaquillo y Casa Quemada, 5°15'S, 78°50'W, 600–800 m, 29 Jan. 1976, J. Campos & O. Diaz 2262 (F, HUT, MO, MOL, US, USM) ; • ibid., Dist. Chirinos, Las Juntas, 5°20'30"S, 78°46'00"W, 600–650 m, 6 Jan. 1997, J. Campos & O. Diaz 3263 (F, MO, MOL, USM) . Prov. Jaén, Dist. Jaén sector El Huito, 5°41'17"S, 78°48'59"W, 780 m, 22 Dec. 2012, J. L. Marcelo Peña & R. Gutiérrez 2253 (MOL) ; • ibid., Dist. Pucará [6°02'S, 79°07'W], 900 m, 12 April 1960, F. Woytkowski 5671 (US) .

Note.

No open corollas were present on the specimens available to us.