Brunellia alnifolia A.F.Bohórquez-Osorio & C.I.Orozco, 2020

Orozco, Clara Inés, Pérez, Álvaro J., Romoleroux, Katya, Bohórquezosorio, Andrés Felipe & Aldana, José Murillo, 2020, Three new species of the Andean genus Brunellia (Brunelliaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador, Phytotaxa 433 (1), pp. 27-40 : 28-31

1. Brunellia alnifolia A.F.Bohórquez-Osorio & C.I.Orozco sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 , 3 )

Type:― COLOMBIA. Tolima: municipio de Roncesvalles, vereda la Yerbabuena, finca la Rivera, 3344 m, 04º 05’ 05.9”N, 75º 42’ 05.1” W, 12 September 2015, A. F. Bohórquez-Osorio & C. A. Parra-O 1386 (holotype: COL!– flowers and fruits; isotypes: COL!, FAUC!) .

Diagnosis:― Brunellia alnifolia differs from similar species of the sect. Simplicifolia Cuatrecasas (1970:146) subsect. Simplicifoliae by the glabrous, purple or reddish of its young leaves vs. hairy and ochre tomentum, the glaucous and glabrescent abaxial surfaces of adult leaves vs. ochre - tomentose indument, the usually irregularly toothed leaf margins vs. shortly bidentated - serrate. The relation between flowering part and the total length of the inflorescence is equal or less than 50% vs. most than 50%.

Description:― Tree 4–6 m tall. Stem and older branches terete, the youngest ones slightly angled, slightly furrowed in dry material, with indument of flexuous trichomes, ochraceous in dry material, sparse and glabrescent with age, internodes 1.0– 3.5 cm long. Stipules interpetiolar, geminate, slender, linear to lanceolate, ca. 1.3 mm long, with sparse trichomes. Leaves verticillate, three per node, petiolate, simple, with no apparent stipels on the petiole; petiole purple, 1–2 cm long, longitudinally somewhat striated, with linear lenticels; blade lanceolate, 4.6–8.5(–14.5) × 1.9–3.5(– 5.5 cm), rigid-coriaceous, the adaxial surface yellowish green and shiny, when dried light yellow or clear olive, with small purple spots, abaxially glaucous, in dried material light-brown with a mixture of red, usually glabrous on both sides, or pubescent on alveoli and veins. Young leaves reddish or purple, floccose abaxially on epidermal thickenings, below minutely covered by orange to reddish hairs with some curled trichomes. Base cuneate, apex acute, margin usually sharply dentate, 2– to 3–serrate, in young leaves notably irregular; secondary veins in 15–22 pairs, diverging at a 45º, impressed on the adaxial surface, raised on the abaxial surface, the midvein strongly raised, in fresh material the veins reddish and iridescent abaxially, light-brown or brown when dried, the reticulum deep, with well-marked perpendicular tertiary veins. Inflorescence thyrsoid, axillary, 4–13 × 2–3 cm, bracteate, pedunculate, with several monochasial branches, indument in fresh material of yellowish-green flexuous trichomes, ochraceous in dry material; the flowered part of the inflorescence 40%–50% of the total length. Bracts subulate, 3 × 1.8 mm, caducous; peduncle ancipital, 2.0– 7.5 cm long, dark brown and furrowed when dry; floral buds ellipsoid, 1.0–1.7 × 1.4–2.1 mm, pilose. Flowers zygomorphic, pentamerous, rarely hexamerous, 6.2–7.0 mm in diameter, bisexual or unisexual, pedicellate, bracteolate; pedicels articulate, angled, 1 mm long; bracteoles subulate or linear, sometimes attached to the pedicel, 1.3–2.4 mm long; calyx with 5(6) sepals, coriaceous, rugose at the base, the sepals ovate, ca. 1 × 1 mm, glabrous abaxially, the adaxial surface glabrous or with sparse trichomes; corolla absent. Stamens 10–12 in fruiting flowers, the filaments bowling–shaped, hairy at the base, 1–1.5 mm long; anthers oblong, subcordate at the base, apiculate at the apex, ca. 0.5 × 0.3 mm. Ovary of 2 or 3 carpels, the carpels ca. 1 × 0.3 mm, glabrous, inserted on the disk, the disk glabrous. Mature fruits of 2 or 3 follicles per flower, 13–14 × ca. 6 mm, the trichomes ochraceous, densely appressed, without bristle-like hairs; calyx in fruit 7–9 mm in diameter, sepals ca. 2 × 1 mm, the endocarp boat-shaped, rough inside and almost smooth outside, ca. 10 × 8 mm; seed 1 per fruit, ellipsoid, ca. 3.9 × 2.4 mm, bright brown, the surface flat.

Etymology: ―The epithet refers to the similarity of the irregularly toothed leaves with those of Alnus acuminata Kunth (1817: 20) , locally known as “aliso”.

Habitat and distribution: ― Brunellia alnifolia is known only from Colombia, between 3300–3500 m a.s.l. in the high Andean forests of the Central Cordillera. The collections were made in the Roncesvalles locality, adjacent to the Proaves reserve, and in Genova Mirador reserve, on the border between Tolima and Quindio departments, respectively. A parrot (Hapalopittaca sp.) from the high Andean forest from Genova, locally known as “coroniazul”, apparently feeds on the fruits or the seeds of B. alnifolia . Individuals of B. alnifolia were also collected in disturbed areas used for grazing. The species is sympatric with Brunellia goudotii Tulasne (1847: 270) .

Phenology:― This species has floral buds and three flowering peaks, in January, July and September. Two fruiting peaks are registered for this species, in July and September.

Conservation status:―This species was collected at the edge of a forest, closely to extensive pastures. This species can be assessed as Critically endangered (CR) due to the strong human disturbance in the area and under the criteria B, related to probably fragmented distribution of its original area and because this species is only known for two very close localities, with a distribution range of less than 100 km 2 ( Fig. 2 ).

Observations:― Brunellia alnifolia belongs to the group of species with simple and verticellate leaves (three leaves per node), which were arranged in sect. Simplicifolia , subsect. Simplicifoliae ( Cuatrecasas 1970, 1985) (see above for the diagnostic characters). Molecular data for this species are not available. This species is preserved in herbaria under the name Brunellia boqueronensis Cuatrecasas (1970: 174) ( Fig. 3 ). The most relevant characters to distinguish B. alnifolia from B. boqueronensis and from the sympatric species B. goudotii are summarized in Table 1.

Additional specimens examined: ― COLOMBIA. Quindío: Génova, reserva Mirador, 3507 m, 04 July 2015, A. Tovar 108 (COL!–fruits; UDBC, n.v., 2 sheets). Tolima: municipio de Roncesvalles, vereda Yerbabuena , finca contigua (dirección Roncesvalles) a la reserva Proaves , 3344 m, 04º05’05.9” N, 75º42’05.1”W, 13 January 2014, A. F. Bohórquez-O, J. M. Posada-Herrera & N. F. Alzate 778 (COL! –buds; FAUC!) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Brunellia alnifolia. A. Flowering branch. B. Details of the leaf margin. C. Abaxial leaf reticulation. D. Abaxial indument of young leaves. E. Interpetiolar stipules. F. Inflorescence. G. Fruits H. Mature follicles. I. Follicle opening along ventral suture. J. Boatshaped endocarp in lateral and internal view. K. Seed attached to the funiculus. Drawing by Marcela Morales.

FIGURE 2. Distribution map.A. Brunellia alnifolia in Colombia. B. Brunellia hippocrepiformis in Ecuador.

FIGURE 3. Brunellia alnifolia (A–E) and Brunellia boqueronensis (F). A. Habitat. B. Crown of the tree. C. Young reddish leaves, irregularly toothed margin and unfolded leaves. D. Details of vegetative branch. E. Leaves glaucous abaxially, secondary veins reddish. F. Fulvous tomentose indument in vegetative buds, stem and infructescence, leaf margins revolute. (Photographs A–E by A. F. Bohórquez- Osorio, F by C. I. Orozco).