Espeletia llanadaensis L.R.Sánchez & Y.Quintero, 2025

Quintero, Yesica, Barajas, Silvia, Suescún, Diego, Montañez, Ronald & Sánchez-Montaño, Luis Roberto, 2025, Espeletia llanadaensis (Asteraceae): A new species from the Northeastern Colombian Andes, Santander, Phytotaxa 702 (2), pp. 197-204 : 199-201

Espeletia llanadaensis L.R.Sánchez & Y.Quintero , sp. nov. ( Fig. 2–3 )

Type: — COLOMBIA. Santander, municipio de Concepción, Páramo del Almorzadero, vereda Junín, reserva La Llanada, franja de bosque andino y subpáramo asociada con vegetación leñosa tipo arbolitos y arbustos a una altitud de unos 2700–2900 m s. n. m., 6°43´40,89´´N, 72°39´37,14´´E, 01.03.2022, Yesica Quintero & Silvia Barajas 01 ( holotype HECASA, isotype COL).

Diagnosis: —The new species closely resembles Espeletia sclerophylla Cuatrecasas (1942: 436) . The plant differs from E. sclerophylla in having broader leaves, longer inflorescences, and a larger capitulum diameter. Furthermore, the corolla is funnel-shaped for approximately 0.5 mm and tubular-shaped for 0.5 mm. This contrasts with the florets of E. sclerophylla , which may reach up to 5 mm and are bell-shaped with a tubular-shaped portion of 1.8 mm.

Description: — Caulirosettes can grow up to 5 meters in height and have a crown of functional leaves. The leaves undergo a transition; the apical ones ascend, the middle ones are divergent and the basal ones descend. This pattern is also observed in the bottom dry leaves and also in the ones along the stem in medium-sized individuals. In more mature specimens, the leaves dry out and disappear from the middle towards the base, only remaining at the end of the stem, or from the middle of the stem towards the apex, up to the rosette of photosynthetic leaves. Based on field observations, in the rest of the specimens the leaf sheaths remain and, only towards the base, the leaf scars are visible.

Leaves coriaceous, obovate-lanceolate, attenuate towards the base, forming a petiole 2.0–6.0 × 0.8–1.0 cm, slightly flattened both dorsally and ventrally, ending in a narrow sheath of 3.5 × 3.1–3.5 cm, which is densely villouslanate, each trichome up to 6 mm long, the ventral portion of the leaves is glabrous, green adaxially and gray abaxially when fresh, with a narrow sheath 3.3 cm wide, glabrous internally and lanate externally, the trichomes of up to 4 mm long, particularly abundant towards the margin, at the junction with the petiole, yellow-brown, attenuated and occasional asymmetrical base with an acute apex; leaf blades covered by a dense indumentum, sericeous on the abaxial surface including the blade, midrib, and secondary veins, completely obscuring the tertiary veins. The adaxial surface is puberulous, with scattered, adpressed, inconspicuous trichomes, appearing glabrous at plain sight; the midrib is impressed on the adaxial surface, until a little more than half way from the apex where it begins to widen, prominent middle vein towards the base, particularly towards the abaxial surface, where it is thick and bulky, covered with dense yellowish, villous indumentum. This indumentum is also present on the lamina and secondary veins, but they are clearly visible on the abaxial surface, emerging almost horizontally and gradually becoming slightly ascending, eventually reaching the margin. The tertiary veins are abundant but inconspicuous on the adaxial surface, forming a dense web slightly covered by whitish villous indumentum. Leaf blades 24.5–44.5 cm long by 8.7–13 cm wide, 33–41 pairs of secondary veins spaced between 6 mm on smaller leaves and 1.0– 1.3 cm on stouter leaves; secondary veins impressed on the adaxial surface are barely visible towards the margin and become inconspicuous towards the edge.

Axillary inflorescences 4–5 per flowering period, up to 147 cm long in corymbiform panicles, up to three bifurcation grades and 69 capitula approximately. The base of the axils has dense, long, appressed white indumentum with trichomes up to 4 mm long. The first bifurcation starts at 112 cm, the first branch is 32 cm long with a new bifurcation at 20.7 cm.

Pedicels of the edge are 2 cm long and the central one is 0.4 cm long, basal branches are up to 25 cm long; with foliose bracts that reduce in size acropetally, the basal ones measuring up to 28.2 cm long × 5.2 cm wide, oblanceolate, with a sheath that covers up to half of the axis and has an abundant villous, appressed and white indumentum; base is 6.2 cm long, flat dorsally and convex ventrally with a short, white sericeous indumentum; hipsophiles with attenuate base and acute to obtuse apex. The adaxial surface is glabrous, while the abaxial surface is sericeous. There are 27 pairs of secondary veins, which are impressed on the adaxial surface and prominulous on the abaxial surface. The next prophyll has a petiole 3.3 cm long and 6 mm in diameter, with a blade measuring 14.2 × 4.5 cm, coriaceous, oblanceolate, with an attenuated base and an acute apex, the abaxial surface of the blade and veins are covered with a sericeous indumentums, while the adaxial surface appears hirtellous and glabrous at plain sight, resembling a smaller nomophyll. At a distance of 16.4 cm from the previous internode, a third internode is present with a sheath 1.4 × 2.5 cm, with an asymmetrical base that gradually narrows to form a petiole measuring 2.5 cm in length, the blade is apparent, attenuated at the base and expands to 2.6 cm, measuring 13.5 cm in length. It also has a smaller-sized foliar appearance, which is oblanceolate, with a sericeous indumentum on the abaxial surface and hirtellous on the upper surface. Another foliar bract at 20.2 cm measures 11.1 cm × 1.5 cm, oblanceolate, with a sheath 2 × 0.9 cm, followed by a petiole of 1.7 cm in length, with a similar indumentum and 38 pairs of closely spaced secondary veins. The uppermost bract is reduced in size, 7.2 cm × 0.6 cm, oblanceolate, and without a defined petiole.

Capitula 15–17 mm in diameter¸ corollas 5.5–7.0 mm long; 8 external phyllaries, broadly ovate, concave, 7–8 mm wide by 7 mm tall, internally glabrous, externally hairy, with long frizzled trichomes. There are 54 tubular flowers, each supported by an oblanceolate bracteole, measuring 6.0–7.0 × 1 mm, with two ovate lobes, obtuse-rounded, each 0.7 mm long. Bracteoles pilose, with 3–5 longitudinal veins that are prominulous on both sides. Corollas 5.8–6.0 mm long × 1 mm in diameter apically, with a narrower tube about 2.3 mm long × 0.5 mm in diameter; the lobes ovate-acute measuring 0.5 × 0.5 mm, slightly concave inwards. Stamens connate with filaments 3.5 mm long, anthers are introrse, the style simple, mallet-shaped, forming a brush, 6 mm long. Stigmata were not visible ( Figs. 2–3 ).

Etimology: —This species is named after the site where it was found, Reserva Natural de la Sociedad Civil La Llanada.

Taxonomic discussion: —This species differs from Espeletia jimenez-quesadae Cuatrecasas (1942: 247) by the size of the leaves, which are only 20–30 cm long by 8–10 cm wide, the color of the indumentum; the length of the floriferous branches that only reach up to 30 cm and do not exceed the length of the leaves a great deal; and by the arrangement of the capitula that are at the end of branches, without pedicels, grouped in glomeruli of 6 to 15 capitula. This new species can also be distinguished from E. purpurascens Cuatrecasas (1942: 16) by the leaf shape, the inflorescence length, and the presence of discoid capitula, without ligulate flowers with yellow corollas. Compared to E. sclerophylla , this species displays a smaller plant size, forming rosettes with short stems that do not exceed 25 cm in height. The leaves are usually no wider than 5 cm, and the inflorescence is longer, typically reaching 40–50 cm, but can extend up 1 m in length.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Illustration of Espeletia llanadaensis sp. nov.A. Leaf viewed from the underside; B. Complete plant; C.Flowering branch with some capitula; D. External phyllary; E. Capitulum with its paleae; F. Palea. Illustration by Orlando Armesto from the type specimen.

FIGURE 3. Espeletia llanadaensis sp. nov. A. Photograph showing the plant habit, the considerable length of the inflorescences, and the width of the leaves that distinguish it from other Espeletia species; B. Inflorescence; C. Fruits (achenes). Photographs A and B by Diego Suescún and C by Roberto Sánchez-Montaño.