Burmeistera villosa F.González & Luteyn, Brittonia, 2019

González, Favio, 2023, Taxonomic revision of Burmeistera (Campanulaceae-Lobelioideae) in Colombia, Phytotaxa 615 (1), pp. 1-113 : 98

55. Burmeistera villosa F.González & Luteyn, Brittonia 71 (1): 49. 2019.

Type :— COLOMBIA. Valle / Chocó : El Cairo , corregimiento Boquerón , vereda Las Amarillas, Serranía de Los Paraguas, ca. 4°45´N, 76°20´W, 1750‒2050 m, 13 May 1988 (fl), J. L. Luteyn, P. Silverstone, M. D. Heredia & N. Paz 12310 (holotype: NY! [01185826]; isotype: CUVC! [14078]). Figs. 28 , 29A–D .

Upright herb up to 30 cm tall. Petiole 5–10 mm long, densely villous; blade ovate, 5.0–5.5 × 3.0– 3.5 cm, villous above and beneath, base rounded, often asymmetric, apex acute, margin finely and evenly serrulate, hydathodes up to 40 per side, extramarginal, secondary veins 4 to 6 per side, higher order venation inconspicuous, intramarginal vein lacking. Peduncle up to 6 cm long, densely villous, ebracteolate. Hypanthium obconic, up to 4–5 mm long. Calyx lobes narrowly oblong, 2–3 × 0.8–1.2 mm, patent, villous, basally spaced by sinuses 1.0– 1.4 mm wide, margin subentire. Corolla green suffused with purple, the outer surface with villous, purple trichomes, the inner surface glabrescent and light green; tube up to 1 cm long, 2 mm diameter at its basal and mid-portions, inflated distally; lobes straight or nearly so, narrowly triangular, apex acute, dorsal lobes 10–11 × 2.5–3.5 mm, lateral lobes up to 10 × 3 mm, ventral lobe up to 10 × 3 mm. Synandrium 1.4‒1.7 cm long, exserted up to 6 mm; filament tube 1.1‒1.3 cm long, glabrescent; anther tube 3‒4 mm long, glabrescent, ventral anthers ebarbate. Berries unknown.

Phenology: —The two individuals of Burmeistera villosa known so far were flowering in May.

Distribution, ecology and conservation status: — Burmeistera villosa is known only from the type collection, from the Western Cordillera of Colombia (Serranía de Los Paraguas) in the Chocó/ Valle del Cauca border region. The Serranía de Los Paraguas is an Andean massif with 12 Burmeistera species that grow sympatrically along with B. villosa , including B. crassifolia , B. cyclostigmata , B. fuchsioides , B. fuscoapicata , B. multiflora , B. nigropilosa , B. obtusifolia , B. pomifera , B. salicifolia , B. serraniaguae , B. variabilis and B. vulgaris . Following the IUCN´s (2022) criteria [B1(EOO) and B2(AOO), conditions (a) and (b), and C2(a)(i)], B. villosa qualifies as Critically Endangered, mainly due to the extremely low number of flowers per individual, and the narrow distribution of the species in fragile and threatened cloud forests of the region.

Notes: —Several species of Burmeistera (e.g., B. bullatifolia , B. fuchsioides , and B. nigropilosa and B. villosa ) are densely vestured. However, none of them exhibit corollas with straight, narrowly triangular lobes, such as those found in B. villosa . The flowers of B. villosa resemble those of B. salicifolia and B. xerampelina . However, it differs by the stems, leaves and flowers densely villous; the leaf blade with 4 to 6 secondary veins per side; and the peduncle up to 6 cm long, densely villous (versus the stems, leaves and flowers glabrous or sparsely puberulous; the leaf blade with 6 to 20 secondary veins per side; and the peduncle 6–16 cm long, glabrous or very sparsely puberulous in the remaining two species).

Figures

FIGURE 28. Distribution of Burmeistera variabilis, B. venezuelensis, B. villosa, B. vulgaris and B. xerampelina.

FIGURE 29. A–D. Burmeistera villosa (Luteyn et al. 12310, type), flowering branch (A), leaf (B), leaf margin (C), and flower at preanthesis (D). E–H. B. vulgaris (E–G, Silverstone et al. 2995; H. Luteyn et al. 11898), leaf (E), leaf margin (F), flower (G), and berry (H). I–L. B. xerampelina (Killip 11394, type), leaf (I), leaf margin (J), flower (K), and berry (L). Scale bars: 5 mm in A, B; 2 mm in C, D; 1 cm in E, I; 2 mm in F, J–L; 5 mm in G, H; 1 cm in I.