Lupinus luisanae Contreras-Ortiz & Jara, 2018

Contreras-Ortiz, N., Jara-Muñoz, O. A. & Hughes, C. E., 2018, The acaulescent rosette species of Lupinus L. (Fabaceae) of Colombia and Ecuador including a new species from Colombia, Phytotaxa 364 (1), pp. 61-70 : 62-64

Lupinus luisanae Contreras-Ortiz & Jara sp. nov. Figs. 2 & 3

Type:— COLOMBIA. Boyacá: Mpio. Socotá, vereda El Cardo, páramo Fray Luis, 6°1′23.9″N, 72°32′57.8″W, 3700 m, 8 January 2015, N. Contreras-Ortiz, A. Ortiz & L. Contreras 59 (holotype ANDES!, isotype Z!).

Lupinus luisanae is distinguished from L. alopecuroides , L. triananus and L. carrikeri by its narrowly elliptic to very narrowly elliptic leaflets, bracts upcurved only when the flowers are in bud, and a sparse silky indumentum on leaves, stems and inflorescences.

Acaulescent rosettes, forming clumps of basally tufted and densely packed long-petioled leaves, ca. 70–130 cm tall including the inflorescences at full development. Tap root thick and woody in mature plants, the caudex turning soft and pithy and gradually becoming fistulose towards the apical stem and inflorescence. Bases of plants clothed in marcescent leaves; horizontal secondary branches usually prostrate on the ground and forming independent secondary plants. Leaves compound; petioles hollow, flattened at the base, round toward the apex, pale green sometimes tinged red to maroon-red, 12.6–35.1 cm long, 2.21–6.2 cm wide at the base; stipules adnate to the flattened petiole base for 2.1–5.2 (–7.1) cm, the free stipule tips lanceolate and flexuose, 20–33 × 1.4–4.4 mm, or triangular and flexuose, 7–20 mm × 2–5.1 mm; leaflets 13–18 per leaf, chartaceous, flexible or brittle when dry, narrowly elliptic to very narrowly elliptic, the base cuneate, the apex acute, with sparse-silky trichomes covering the entire lamina increasing in density towards the midvein, of different sizes gradually ranging from (4.6–) 5–21.4 (–26.8) cm × 1–2.7 (–4.8) cm. Inflorescences terminal, 1-per branch, composed of erect racemes with 27–45 crowded whorls of 8–14 flowers per whorl; peduncles fleshy, fistulose, slightly ribbed, light green turning mid-brown when dry, the scape 10–20 cm long, the racemes themselves 50–85 cm long and 3–6.5 cm in diameter when fully developed; bracts light green, tinged red on the exposed tips, linear, flexuose, 17.2–24.5 mm × 1.1–2.5 mm wide at the base, covered with silky hairs, upcurved and exserted when flowers are in bud, withering to expose the flowers at anthesis and often caducous at fruiting; flowers opening acropetally, with basal fruits forming before the terminal flowers open; pedicels 2–8.7 mm long; calyx obliquely campanulate, with the upper lobe bifid, each lobe to 6.8–9.4 × 2.2–4.9 mm, the lower lobe entire, 8.7–12.2 × 3.4–4 mm, covered with silky pubescence; corolla with the standard petal sub-orbicular, the lateral margins reflexed, purple-blue and ribbed, the standard 12.8–17 × 9–13.5 mm, partly concealed by the prominent purple-blue and ribbed wing petals, 10.2–13.5 mm × 7.1–9.8 mm, the claw 3.7–4.4 mm, the keel petals dark purple-blue at apex, 9.9–15.4 × 2.9–4.4 mm, largely concealed by the wing petals; stamens 10, monadelphous, partially free filaments of two different alternating lengths, the staminal tube 5.9–9.7 mm, the free filaments either 2.5–7.6 or 2.1–5.2 mm long; gynoecium with the ovary 4.1–6.5 mm long, with 4–5 ovules, silky pubescent; style 7.3–12 mm, glabrous, upcurved. Pods 2.2–3.6 × 0.7–1 cm, usually with 2–5 seeds per pod, with densely woolly white indumentum on valves, the stigma semi-persistent at pod maturity, the flower parts often marcescent at base of developing fruits, the valves mid-green or olive-green when unripe, elastically dehiscent along both sutures, twisting tightly and persistent after dehiscence; seeds oblong, 3.6–5 × 3–4 mm, the testa smooth, slightly glossy, brown, speckled darker brown.

Distribution and habitat: —Endemic to Colombia, L. luisanae is known only from the northern zone of the Eastern Cordillera, extending towards the Tota-Bijagual-Mamapacha páramo complex, in the Páramo de Ocetá, and the Cocuy-Pisba páramo complexes (sensu Morales et al. 2007) ( Fig. 1 ). Lupinus luisanae grows between (3300–) 3600–4200 m elevation, in grass páramo with occasional water runoff, usually in association with Senecio niveoaureus Cuatrecasas (1940a: 6) .

Phenology:— Lupinus luisanae has been recorded flowering in July, August, September, October, November, December and January.

Etymology: —The specific epithet honours Luis Contreras Ruiz and Ana Ortiz Posso, parents of the first author. The names Luis and Ana are combined to form the specific epithet using the respective genitive singular termination, -is for Luis (third declension) and -ae for Ana (first declension) ( Stearn, 1985).

The recognition of L. luisanae as a distinct species is supported by the combined evidence presented by Contreras-Ortiz et al. (2018). This species differs from L. alopecuroides , L. triananus and L. carrikeri by the combination of markedly narrow elliptic leaflets, sparse silky indumentum and often caducous or withering bracts that expose the flowers during anthesis.A variety of L. luisanae is here described based on a combination of genetic and morphological differences and geographical separation (see below).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map of the distributionof the acaulescentrosette species ofLupinus fromColombia and Ecuador.Data pointsare georeferenced herbarium specimen records.

FIGURE 2. Lupinus luisanae Contreras-Ortiz & Jara var. luisanae. A. Detail of inflorescence. B. Habit, Páramo de Pisba. C. Habit, Sierra Nevada del Cocuy. Lupinus luisanae var. ocentesis Contreras-Ortiz & Jara. D. Detail of inflorescence. E. Habit, Páramo de Ocetá.F. Detail of leaf, scale bar 3 cm. Photographs A and B, Astrid Caro; C–F, Natalia Contreras.

FIGURE 3. Lupinus luisanae Contreras-Ortiz & Jara. A. Habit. B. Leaf. C. Inflorescence. D. Pod. E. Calyx. F. Standard petal, inner surface. G. Wing petal. H. Staminal tube (note the dimorphic anthers) and gynoecium. I. Keel petal. A–I. Illustration by Omar Bernal based on N. Contreras-Ortiz, A. Ortiz & L. Contreras 59, A. M. Caro-Roa, Caro-Forero, J.H. & Torres G. 3064 and N. Contreras-Ortiz, A. Ortiz & L. Contreras 58.