Burmeistera luteynii Garzón & J. M. Vélez., Brittonia, 2013

González, Favio, 2023, Taxonomic revision of Burmeistera (Campanulaceae-Lobelioideae) in Colombia, Phytotaxa 615 (1), pp. 1-113 : 60

29. Burmeistera luteynii Garzón & J. M. Vélez., Brittonia 65: 125. 2013.

Type:— COLOMBIA. Antioquia: Andes, cerro Caramanta, ascenso a la Laguna de Santa Rita , 5°32´5´´N, 75°59´23´´W, 3550–3650 m, 21 Jul 2006 (fl, fr), J. Vélez 1472 (holotype: MEDEL!; isotypes: COL!, MO!, NY!). Figs. 14 , 15G .

Terrestrial herbs to subshrubs up to 50 cm tall. Stem densely puberulous. Petiole 2–12 mm long, puberulous; blade narrowly oblong to elliptic, 1.5–5.5 × 0.6–2.0 cm, sparsely puberulous above, densely puberulous on venation beneath, base acute, cuneate to round, apex acute, margin toothed, with 12 to 18 minute teeth of two size classes per side, hydathodes marginal, 12 to 18 per side, secondary veins 6 to 8 per side, higher order venation markedly reticulate, intramarginal vein lacking. Peduncle 1.5–4.6 cm long, sparsely puberulous, ebracteolate. Hypanthium subglobose, 2–3 × 2.5–3.0 mm, glabrous to sparsely puberulous. Calyx lobes narrowly oblong to lanceolate, 1.5–5.0 × 0.5–2.0 mm, patent during anthesis (becoming ascending in fruit due to the enlargement of the berries), basally contiguous, glabrous to sparsely puberulous especially along the margin, the latter subentire with 3 or 4 teeth per side. Corolla pink to pale red, sometimes suffused with yellow, glabrous to sparsely puberulous; tube 5–8 mm long, 2.4–4.0 mm diameter throughout, not inflated; lobes lanceolate, straight or nearly so, apex acute, dorsal lobes 7.7–10.0 × 1.2–2.8 mm, lateral lobes 5.3–6.7 × 1.6–2.0 mm, ventral lobe 5.5–7.0 × 1.0– 1.8 mm. Synandrium 10.0– 17.5 mm long, exserted up to 4.9 mm; filament tube suberect, 7–13 mm long, glabrous; anther tube 3.0– 4.5 mm long, covered with strigose indumentum, ventral anthers sparsely puberulous, barbate, with an apical tuft of white woolly hairs. Berries oblate to pyriform, 2.0–2.5 × 2.8–3.0 cm, glabrous to sparsely puberulous, white to yellow, with reddish calyx lobes.

Phenology: —Flowering and fruiting specimens of Burmeistera luteynii have been collected from January to March, July, and September.

Distribution, ecology and conservation status: — Burmeistera luteynii is restricted to the Western Cordillera in the departments of Antioquia and the Caldas / Risaralda border. This species reaches the highest elevation among the Burmeistera species of Colombia, in páramos between 3300–3700 m dominated by Blechnum buchtienii Rosenst. (Blechnaceae) , Bomarea lehmannii Baker (Alstroemeriaceae) , Desfontainia sp. (Columelliaceae) , and the bromeliads Guzmania pearcei (Baker) L. B. Sm. , G. confinis L. B. Sm. G. squarrosa (Mez & Sodiro) L. B. Sm. & Pittendr. , and Puya cryptantha Cuatrec. This belt of vegetation corresponds to the lower limits of “frailejonales” dominated mainly by Espeletia spp. (Asteraceae) . Following the IUCN´s (2022) criteria [B1(EOO) and B2(AOO), conditions (a) and (b), and C2(a)(i)], B. luteynii qualifies as Critically Endangered.

Notes: —The distinguishing characters of Burmeistera luteynii are the right angle formed between the lanceolate lobes of the corolla and the tube, and the white berries. Corollas with straight (not falcate) lanceolate lobes forming an angle of 90° with respect to the tube are also found in B. rostrata , B. salicifolia , B. villosa , and B. xerampelina . However, it differs by the leaf blade puberulous above; the peduncle, sparsely puberulous, up to 4.6 cm long; the calyx lobes basally contiguous; and the corolla pink to pale red, often suffused with yellow. (versus the leaf blade glabrous or villous above; the peduncle glabrous, densely villous, or if sparsely puberulous,> 6 cm long; the calyx lobes basally spaced by sinuses 1.0– 1.4 mm wide; and the corolla green often suffused with purple in the remaining four species. Although this group of five species is primarily found in the Western Cordillera, B. luteynii , from Antioquia and Caldas / Risaralda border, is allopatric with respect to the other species, found in Chocó, Nariño, Putumayo and Valle del Cauca.

The collection F. Pennell 10513 (NY) from the Cerro Tatamá (Caldas) was identified as Burmeistera tomentosula by Wimmer (1935, 1943), who apparently did not see the type specimen of this species. I examined a photo of the type and additional collections of B. tomentosula and note that one of the most conspicuous diagnostic characters of this species is the presence of a swollen peduncle, a feature lacking in the specimen Pennell 10513. This feature, along with other characters in the size, pubescence, and venation of the leaves, and the shape of the corolla, indicates that this specimen belongs to B. luteynii .

Additional specimens examined:— Antioquia. Andes, cerro Caramanta, ascenso a la Laguna de Santa Rita, 5°32´59´´N, 75°59´23´´W, 3550–3650 m, 27 Feb–8 Mar 2009 (fl, fr), F. Alzate 3238 ( COL, HUA) ; Abriaquí, PNN Las Orquídeas, sector Cuchilla de Morro Pelado , accediendo por la mina, río Piedras arriba, 6°37´15.2´´N, 76°09´28.8´´W, 3400‒3450 m, 3 Feb 2012 (fl, fr), M. González et al. 800, 806, 821, 824 ( COL). Caldas /Risaralda border. Cerro Tatamá , 3200–3400 m, 8–10 Sep 1922 (fl), F. Pennell 10513 ( NY) ; Santuario, Parque Nacional Natural Tatamá , Valle de los Frailejones, 5,120 8051 W, 76,059 4532 N, 3648, 5 m, 16 Jan 2011 (fl, fr), D. Sanín et al. 4291 ( COL) ; Santuario, vereda “Las Colonias”, 200 m debajo de El Reposo, Macizo de Tatamá , 3300 m, 5 Feb 1983 (fr), J. Torres et al. 1592 ( COL) ; Santuario, Macizo de Tatamá , cerca del campamento El Reposo, 3500 m, 7 Feb 1983 (fl, fr), J. Torres et al. 1688 ( COL) ; Santuario, Macizo del Tatamá , 3700 m, 8 Feb 1983 (fl), J. Torres et al. 1726 ( COL).

Figures

FIGURE 14. Distribution of Burmeistera hippobromoides, B. ibaguensis, B. kalbreyeri, B. killipii, B. loejtnantii, B. longifolia, B. luteynii and B. marginata.

FIGURE 15. A–C. Burmeistera ibaguensis (Pedraza et al. 2087), leaves, flowers and berry. D, E. B. kalbreyeri, leaves, flowers and berries (González et al. 4591). F. B. killipii (González et al. 2865), leaves and flowers. G. B. luteynii, leaves, flower and berry (González et al. 800). Photo credits: A–C, P. Pedraza; D–F. F. González; G. M. González. Scale bars: 1 cm in A, D–G; 5 mm in B, C.