Kohleria huilensis Arango-Gómez, Clavijo & Zuluaga, 2021

Arango-Gómez, Katherin, Clavijo, Laura & Zuluaga, Alejandro, 2021, A new species of Kohleria (Gesneriaceae) from Southwestern Colombia, Phytotaxa 520 (3), pp. 241-248 : 242-246

Kohleria huilensis Arango-Gómez, Clavijo & Zuluaga sp. nov. ( Figures 1 & 2 )

Type: — COLOMBIA. Huila: Municipio La Plata, vereda Candelaria, finca Meremberg-Agua Bonita , 2315 m, 2°13’10.0” N, 76°07’4.4” W, 20 April 2018 (fl), A . Zuluaga, A. Muñoz; M. E. Cardona; K. Arango & Curso Botánica Sistemática I-2018 2478 (holotype: CUVC!; isotypes: COL!, HUA!, MO!, SEL!, SURCO!)

Diagnosis: Kohleria huilensis is distinguished by the following combination of characters: white sericeous and sparse villous indumenta on vegetative structures; leaves strigose adaxially, with trichomes of different lengths; calyx lobes elongate with revolute margins; corolla magenta to fuchsia, ventral lobe orbicular with apex truncate; filaments hirsute with glandular trichomes distally; and staminode <2.8 mm long.

Herb or subshrub; terrestrial. Scaly rhizomes absent. Stem erect, less than 1 m tall, subwoody, terete in cross-section, 1.5–4.3 mm diameter, sericeous, trichomes whitish when live, brownish when dry, uniseriate with 2–6 cells, 0.7–1.9 mm long, combined with sparse villous indument; internodes 1.4–9.1 cm long. Leaves opposite, decussate, evenly spaced to slightly clustered at the apex of the branches, equal to subequal in a pair; petiole 1.4–6.5 cm long, terete in cross-section, sericeous, trichomes with 2–8 cells, 1.0– 2.4 mm long, combined with sparse villous indument; blade ovate to slightly lanceolate, 4.9–16.7 × 2.4–8.1 cm, chartaceous, apex acute to acuminate, base cuneate to slightly rounded, sometimes oblique, margin crenate to serrulate, strigose adaxially, with trichomes of different lengths, sparse villous abaxially, veins with a mixture of dense villous and sericeous indument, 7–9 pairs of main lateral veins, higher order venation only evident abaxially. Synflorescence frondose; partial florescence axillary, with 1–3 flowers on an erect peduncle, rarely absent; peduncle 2.3–58.9 mm long, sericeous, combined with sparse villous indument; bracts opposite, 1.6–10.2 × 0.4–1.0 mm, lanceolate, apex acuminate to acute, base rounded to truncate, margin entire, sericeous, combined with sparse villous indument on both surfaces. Pedicel erect, 15.9–53.1 mm long, 0.6–1.3 mm diameter, sericeous, combined with sparse villous indument. Calyx chartaceous, pale green with 1 or 3 longitudinal green veins, 10.1–15.7 mm long; calyx lobes 5, erect, equal, elongate with revolute margins (rolled backward), fused at base for 0.8–1.6 mm, lobes 7.5–11.6 × 1.4–3.1 mm, apex acuminate, rarely acute, margin entire, strigose adaxially, more abundant basally and with trichomes of different lengths, sericeous, combined with sparse villous indument abaxially. Corolla zygomorphic, tubular, ampliate toward the throat and sub-ventricose ventrally, oblique relative to the calyx, 21.4–25.3 mm long; tube 16.8–23.6 mm long, 6.6–13.2 mm wide, base 4.0– 6.6 mm wide, constriction above the base 3.5–5.2 mm wide, outside magenta to fuchsia, and villous with trichomes of different lengths, inside white-pink with magenta lines and spots, and hirsute basally; throat 4.7–5.8 mm diameter, with glandular trichomes; limb 19.6–24.7 mm diameter, lobes subequal, white-pink with magenta lines and spots, recurved, margin entire, orbicular (dorsal lobe sometimes oblate), villous abaxially, ventral and dorsal lobes glabrescent apically, with glandular trichomes basally and adaxially, ventral lobe 8.0–8.9 × 6.6–8.4 mm, apex truncate, lateral lobes 6.3–8.8 × 5.8–8.2 mm, apex rounded, dorsal lobes 5.3–7.2 × 6.2–7.5 mm, apex rounded. Androecium of 4 didynamous stamens; filaments 20.7–24.8 mm long, adnate to the base of the corolla tube for 0.6–1.1 mm, coiling after anthesis, hirsute, with glandular trichomes distally; staminode 2.2–2.8 mm long, scarcely hirsute; anthers 2.0–2.8 × 0.7–1.2 mm, oblong, coherent by the apex and lateral walls, dehiscence by longitudinal slits. Gynoecium with five free nectary glands, rarely with two of these placed closely together, 1.4–1.9 × 0.9–1.2 mm, oblong, apex retuse or truncate; ovary inferior, narrowly elliptic, 4.0–5.3 × 1.9–2.3 mm; style 13.9–22.2 mm long, hirsute proximally, with glandular trichomes distally, stigma bilobed with glandular trichomes. Fruit a dry capsule, narrowly elliptic, ca. 8.2 × 3.1 mm; seeds not observed.

Distribution and habitat: — Kohleria huilensis is endemic to Colombia in the departments of Huila and Cauca (near the Huila-Cauca border). It has been collected on the eastern slopes of the Central Cordillera and the western slopes of the Eastern Cordillera, above 1850 m of elevation. Most of the collections are from the Merenberg Natural Reserve (La Plata, Huila), with some populations from the Popayán-La Plata Road, near Moscopan (Santa Leticia, Puracé, Cauca), El Dorado Regional Natural Park in Oporapa (Huila) and the western slopes of the Eastern Cordillera, near the border between Huila and Caquetá ( Fig. 3 ). This species grows in shaded areas inside Tropical Montane Forest.

Phenology: — Kohleria huilensis has been recorded with flowers in March, April, June through September and December; and with fruits from March to April.

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the Huila department in Colombia, the type locality and where the majority of the populations are located.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — COLOMBIA. Cauca: Carretera a La Plata, región de Moscopán, Santa Leticia, 2230 m, 21 July 1948 (fl), H . Garcia-Barriga & J. G . Hawkes 12870 ( COL!, US!) . Huila: Nebelwald am Pass Gabinete bei Resina, Ostcordillere, 2100 m, 12 June 1956 (fl), St. Vogel 205 ( US!); east slope of Cordillera Central, finca Meherenberg, Km 101 of La Plata-Popayan road, 13 km E of Sta. Leticia , 2300 m, ca. 2°15’ N, 76°12’ W, 24 March 1986 (bud), B. A . Stein 3734 ( COL!); finca Merenberg E . of Volcán Puracé, near Cauca border, mature forest remnants, 2300 m, 2°16’ N, 76°12’ W, 4 April 1986 (fl), A. H . Gentry 53986 ( CUVC!, US!); Belén , finca Merenberg, en bosque de Quercus sp., 2400 m , September 1980 (bud), O . Rangel 2446 ( COL!); bosque frente a la finca Merenberg , 2400 m, September 1980 (fl), O . Rangel 2475 ( COL!); Municipio de La Argentina, Vda. El Progreso, finca Buenavista , 20 m abajo de la casa de don Constantino Gómez, 1850 m, 2°12’44’’ N, 76°56’23.1’’ W, 9 March 2005 (fr), G. A . Silva et al. GAS0106 ( COL!); Municipio La Plata, vereda Agua Bonita , finca Merenberg, 2300 m, 21 July 1975 (fl), S . Díaz P.; G . Lozano C. & J. H . Torres R . 794 ( COL!); vereda Agua Bonita, finca Meremberg , 2300 m, 31 December 1977 (fl), Polania 27 ( COL!) .

Discussion: —Collections of Kohleria huilensis had been misidentified as K. inaequalis var. inaequalis and K. inaequalis var. ocellata , which is not surprising considering that throughout the history of the genus, K. inaequalis has had a broad range of taxonomic circumscriptions given its wide morphological variation and the apparent high rates of hybridization ( Kvist & Skog 1992). This has led to the inclusion of many morphotypes into the K. inaequalis complex that are not conspecific with the original description of the species. The broad circumscription of this taxon by Kvist & Skog (1992) is exemplified by five heterotypic synonyms that are under current revision (Arango et al. 2019).

Kohleria huilensis is often confused with the Kohleria inaequalis complex due to the following similarities: herbs to subshrubs, shorter than 1 m tall, blades lanceolate to ovate with crenate margin, and corolla limb wide with a conspicuous pattern of dark lines and spots. However, Kohleria huilensis differs by the mixture of white sericeous and sparse villous indumenta on the vegetative structures (vs. the combination of usually reddish villous and scabrid indumenta), the calyx lobes elongate with revolute margins (vs. lanceolate-ovate), the corolla magenta to fuchsia outside (vs. red), with the ventral lobe with truncate apex (vs. rounded), the filaments with glandular trichomes (vs. without glandular trichomes), and a staminode 2.2–2.8 mm long (vs.> 2.8 mm long).

Kohleria inaequalis var. lindenii ( Hanstein, 1859: 516-17, 557) L.P.Kvist & L.E.Skog (1992: 54) is readily differentiated from Kohleria huilensis by the ovate calyx lobes, 12.0–16.7 × 5.6–7.3 mm (vs. elongate with revolute margins, 7.5–11.6 × 1.4–3.1 mm) and the larger corolla tube (31.4–39.5 mm long vs. 16.8–23.6 mm long). In addition, although K. inaequalis var. lindenii and K. huilensis are distributed in Colombia, their geographical ranges do not overlap; the former is found in the departments of Antioquia and Tolima, while the latter is distributed in Huila and Cauca.

Distinguishing Kohleria huilensis ( Fig. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1F ) from the other two varieties, K. inaequalis var. inaequalis ( Fig. 1E, 1H, 1K ) and K. inaequalis var. ocellata ( Fig. 1D, 1G ), is summarized in Table 1 and Figure 2 . Kohleria huilensis differs from K. inaequalis var. inaequalis by the trichomes on the stems shorter than 1.9 mm long (vs. up to 5.2 mm long), the calyx lobes elongate, 7.5–11.6 × 1.4–3.1 mm (vs. lanceolate, 5.3–13.5 × 1.6–6.3 mm), the corolla 21.4–25.3 mm long (vs. 25.7–42.3 mm long) and the limb 19.6–24.7 mm diameter (vs. 15.5–42.5 mm diameter). Kohleria huilensis differs from K. inaequalis var. ocellata by the larger corolla (21.4–25.3 mm long vs. 19.6–22.1 mm long), the larger limb (19.6–24.7 mm diam. vs. 14.4–18.3 mm diam.) and the presence of five free nectary glands (vs. three free and two basally fused nectary glands). Geographically, Kohleria huilensis is restricted to southwestern Colombia (Cauca and Huila departments), K. inaequalis var. ocellata is distributed toward the northern edge of the Cauca River valley (Antioquia, Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda departments), and K. inaequalis var. inaequalis is widely distributed in the Western Cordillera, the western slope of the Central Cordillera and the Cauca River valley in Colombia, and northern Ecuador ( Fig. 3 ).

Kohleria huilensis could also be confused with a fourth morphotype within the K. inaequalis complex ( Fig. 1I, 1J ), that is only known from the Natural Reserve Cerro El Inglés, located in the Western Cordillera, in the border between Valle del Cauca and Choco departments. This morphotype was misidentified as K. inaequalis var. lindenii , but after examining and comparing it with the type collections of this variety, we conclude that although it is similar to K. inaequalis , it does not fit any of the three described varieties. Currently available information is not enough to describe it as a separate taxon. Kohleria huilensis and this morphotype have similar calyx lobes shape and size (7.5–11.6 × 1.4–3.1 mm in K. huilensis vs. 8.5–11.9 × 1.2–3.3 mm). However, Kohleria huilensis differs by the shorter corolla tube (16.8–23.6 mm long vs. 28.5–35.1 mm long), corolla lobes that are white-pink with magenta lines and spots (vs. uniformly red), and the ventral lobe 8.0–8.9 × 6.6–8.3 mm, with truncate apex (vs. 4.0–4.3 × 3.9–4.0 mm, with rounded apex).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Kohleria huilensis Arango-Gómez, Clavijo & Zuluaga, sp. nov. (A, B, C, F), K. inaequalis var. inaequalis (E, H, K), K. inaequalis var. ocellata (D, G), and the morphotype from Cerro El Inglés (I, J). A. Habit, B. Flowers, C. Lateral view of flower (K. huilensis), D. Lateral view of flower (K. inaequalis var. ocellata), E. Lateral view of flower (K. inaequalis var. inaequalis), F. Front view of flower (K. huilensis), G. Front view of flower (K. inaequalis var. ocellata), H. Front view of flower (K. inaequalis var. inaequalis), I. Lateral view of flower (Cerro El Inglés morphotype), J. Front view of flower (Cerro El Inglés morphotype), K. Lateral view of K. inaequalis var. inaequalis showing the reddish pilose indument. (A–C, F from the holotype; D and G from J.L. Clark 13327; E from J.L. Clark 13161; H and K from A. Zuluaga 2136; I and J from L. Clavijo 1703; scale bar in C–K = 1 cm. Photos:A–C, F, I and J by A. Zuluaga; D, E and G by J.L. Clark; H and K by L. Clavijo).

FIGURE 2. Indument of Kohleria huilensis Arango-Gómez, Clavijo & Zuluaga, sp. nov. (A-C, E, G) and K. inaequalis var. inaequalis (D, F, H) from dried specimens. A. Lower leaf surface scarcely villous, showing the veins with a mixture of dense villous and sericeous indumenta, B. Upper leaf surface with strigose indument composed by trichomes of different lengths, C. Stem, petiole and peduncle with a mixture of sericeous brownish and scarce villous indumenta, D. Stem, petiole and peduncle with reddish pilose indument (note the long trichomes), E. Filaments of Kohleria huilensis showing the hirsute indument with glandular trichomes on the apical half, F. Filaments of Kohleria inaequalis showing the lack of glandular trichomes, G. Apical half of the filaments showing the glandular trichomes in Kohleria huilensis, H. Basal half of the filaments showing the hirsute indument and the lacking of glandular trichomes in Kohleria inaequalis. Scale bar in A–F = 5 mm, G–H = 1 mm. (A–C, E and G from the holotype; D, F and H from A. Zuluaga 2313; Photos by A. Zuluaga).

FIGURE 3. Distribution of Kohleria huilensis (cyan triangles) and the two more similar varieties of K. inaequalis, K. inaequalis var. inaequalis (black circles) and K. inaequalis var. ocellata (red rhombuses).