Passiflora section Apodae A. Hernández ex M.A. Buitrago A. & Coca, 2018

Buitrago, María Alejandra, Macdougal, John M. & Coca, Luis Fernando, 2018, Passiflora kumandayi (Passifloraceae), a new species from the Colombian Andes in a new section within subgenus Decaloba, Phytotaxa 344 (1), pp. 13-23 : 17

Passiflora section Apodae A. Hernández ex M.A. Buitrago A. & Coca , sect. nov.

Type: — Passiflora apoda Harms

Semi-woody vines, with conspicuous paired petiolar glands, branched multiflorous inflorescences, flowers whitish, sepals corniculate at base, coronal filaments biseriate, operculum plicate, ovary sessile or on a very short gynophore except in one species, and fruits with persistent brown perianth.

Distribution: —This group of species grows in the west of Colombia and Central Cordilleras and the Andes of Ecuador, between 1650 and 3600 m, in humid to wet montane cloud forests, especially in sunny places.

Etymology:— The name of this section refers to the type species Passiflora apoda and makes notion to the absent or extremely short gynophores found in most species of this section. We acknowledge Alexandra Hernández’s field work which has greatly contributed to recognize this section and followed her suggestion to name it Apodae .