Rubus longistipularis Espinel-Ortiz & Romol., 2021

Espinel-Ortiz, David A. & Romoleroux, Katya, 2021, Two new species of Rubus L. (Rosaceae) from the western Andes of Ecuador, PhytoKeys 187, pp. 141-159 : 141

Rubus longistipularis Espinel-Ortiz & Romol. sp. nov.

Figs 1 , 2 , 3

Diagnosis.

Rubus longistipularis is characterised by its villous to pannose white pubescence in branches, stipules, petioles, and leaves, and pannose and sericeous pubescence in sepals, its long (20.0-34.7 mm) stipules, 15-27 secondary veins on leaflets, flowers with deeply concave, pink petals with fuchsia borders, and fruits with up to 195 small drupelets (1.5-3.1 × 0.9-2.5 mm).

Type.

Ecuador. Pichincha: Nono-Tandayapa road, between km 116-117, 00°01.787'S, 78°38.567'W, 1950 m, 26 Jul 2021 (fl, fr), D. Espinel-Ortiz & H.G. Abad 281 (holotype: QCA (QCA-243418 and QCA-7010714 to QCA-7010723); isotypes: HA, HUTI, QAP) .

Description.

Scandent or climbing shrub, growing up to more than 3 m over the vegetation, glaucous pubescence all over the plant, with all prickles, from the base ⅓-⅔ villous, and glabrous towards the apex, rarely with subsessile glands. Branches obtuse-angled, woody, light greenish-white when young to dark brown when old, villous to pannose, 3.7-7.2 mm diam., with scattered sessile and subsessile glands; sparsely prickly, unarmed or with up to 4 prickles (per total area of 5 cm long of the branch), falcate, 2.6-5.3 × 3.1-7.9 mm. Stipules asymmetrically, anguste subulate, (14.7-) 20.0-34.7 × 1.7-3.3 mm, margin entire, chartaceous; adaxial surface villous on the midvein and towards the margin, rarely with subsessile glands towards the margin; abaxial surface sparsely pannose to villous with scattered subsessile glands. Petioles (3.96-) 9.61-12.2 cm long, villous to pannose with scattered long hairs, especially towards the leaf blade or when young, with (1-) 3-8 (-12) prickles, falcate, 2.0-4.5 × 2.0-5.8 mm; lateral petiolules (2.5-) 6.4-14.7 (16.3-) mm long, unarmed or with up to 4 prickles, falcate, 1.2-1.9 × 1.7-3.0 mm; terminal petiolules (1.0-) 2.4-8.3 cm long, with (2-) 5-15 prickles, falcate, 1.5-3.1 × 1.7-5.4 mm. Leaves trifoliate, rarely 4-5-foliolate; leaflets ovate to elliptic, base rounded to obtuse, or subcordate, apex acuminate to slightly apiculate, margin serrulate, lateral leaflets (4.5-) 6.4-14.4 × (2.5-) 3.6-7.9 cm, terminal leaflet (5.9-) 8.5-17.0 × (3.2-) 4.2-9.6 cm, chartaceous, with (11-) 15-27 secondary veins; adaxial surface sparsely hirsute on the midvein, and sparsely pilose mainly on secondary veins and slightly tomentose towards the border, with scattered orange to red sessile and subsessile glands, unarmed; abaxial surface sparsely villous on the midvein and secondary veins, and pannose, with scattered orange to red subsessile glands on the veins, and 2-18 prickles on the primary vein, falcate, 0.2-2.5 × 0.5-3.6 mm. Inflorescences lax, compound, terminal and axillary cymes, 23-106-flowered, 9.6-32.5 cm long, with simple or trifoliate leaves below; peduncles terete, white to slightly brownish, (9.5-) 14.2-66.1 (-81.0) mm long, pannose, eglandular, unarmed or with up to 3 prickles, falcate, 0.5-1.7 × 0.8-2.3 mm; pedicels terete, white, pannose and slightly sericeous, 5.6-16.8 (-23.3) mm long, eglandular, unarmed or with up to 14 prickles, triangular to falcate, 0.2-1.5 × 0.1-1.8 mm. Flowers 17.5-24.0 mm diam.; sepals 5, ovate to elliptic, apex acuminate, margin involute, 8.8-11.9 × 4.0-5.8 mm, light greenish-grey to greenish-white, acrescent; adaxial surface deeply concave, sericeous, and pannose towards the apex and the margin, eglandular, unarmed; abaxial surface deeply convex, shortly lanate and slightly tomentose towards the apex, eglandular, unarmed; petals 5, broadly elliptic to broadly obovate, margin entire, 8.8-12.7 × 9.8-12.6 mm, fuchsia when opening, completely pink or pink with fuchsia borders when fully opened, glabrous, eglandular, adaxial surface deeply concave, abaxial surface deeply convex; stamens with anthers glabrous, filaments fuchsia, glabrous; pistils, stigmas and styles glabrous, ovaries densely villous. Fruits green to dark red when immature, and black at maturity, ovoid to oval, 11.5-23.9 × 8.0-17.1 mm (when fresh); drupelets 50-195 per receptacle, 1.5-3.1 × 0.9-2.5 mm (when fresh), sparsely villous and deeply villous towards the apex.

Additional specimens examined (Paratypes).

Ecuador. - Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas: Chillogallo-Santo Domingo road, below Chiriboga, 00°15.000'S, 78°47.000'W, 2000 m, 13 Aug 1980 (fl), L. Holm-Nielsen, B. Øllgaard & C. Sperling 24755 (AAU). - Imbabura: Cuicocha-Apuela road, km 28, disturbed cloud forest, 00°22.000'N, 78°28.000'W, 2480-2670 m, 05 Oct 1984 (fl), P.M. Jørgensen & S.S. Vire 56085 (AAU, QCA (QCA-91776), QCNE (QCNE-12185)). - Pichincha: Quito, west side from Pelagallo, sendero Guantopungo-Chichipunta trail, 00°04.400'N, 78°34.470'W, 2432 m, 25 Sep 2021 (fl, fr), C.E. Cerón, C.I. Reyes 89354 (QAP (QAP-107614 and QAP-107574)); Quito, Nanegalito, Golán, road between Edén Mágico and Ecological Reserve San Luis, 00°04.460'N, 78°33.340'W, 2300-2500 m, 06 Feb 2021 (fr), C.E. Cerón, C.I. Reyes & C. Bacuilima 87651 (QAP (QAP-106251), QCA (QCA-243453)); Quito, Nanegalito, Golán, near Mrs Margarita Bacuilima property, 00°05.370'N, 78°33.420'W, 2281 m, 26 Apr 2021, C.E. Cerón, C.I. Reyes & J. Bacuilima 88206 (QAP (QAP-106667)); Quito, Nanegalito, Golán, road between Edén Mágico-El Alí, 0 0°06.260'N, 78°33.140'W, 2603 m, 18 May 2021, C.E. Cerón, C.I. Reyes & C. Bacuilima 88386 (QAP (QAP-105946)); Quito, Nanegalito, El Porvenir, near Guerrero family property, 00°06.190'N, 78°33.240'W, 2427-2500 m, 21 Aug 2021 (fr, fl), C.E. Cerón, C.I. Reyes y J. Bacuilima 89113 (QAP (QAP-107423), QCA (QCA-243441), QCNE); Orchid Reserve Pahuma, Chorrera trail, 00°01.000'N, 78°38.000'W, 2000-2500 m, 08 Sep 1996 (fl), C.E. Cerón & E. Freire 32387 (QAP (QAP-25420)); Tandayapa-Tambo-Nono road, disturbed cloud forest, 00°01.429'S, 78°38.630'W, 1974 m, 05 Mar 2021, D. Espinel-Ortiz & C. Restrepo 276 (QCA (QCA-243396, QCA-7010701 and QCA-7010702)); Nono-Tandayapa road, between km 117-118, 00°01.967'S, 78°38.491'W, 1925 m, 29 Oct 2021 (fr), D. Espinel-Ortiz & C. Restrepo 296 (QCA); Nono-Tandayapa road, between km 123-124, 00°02.533'S, 78°38.204'W, 2125 m, 02 Aug 2021 (fl, fr), D. Espinel-Ortiz, C. Restrepo & A. Sanguano 285 (QCA (QCA-243397 and QCA-7010703)); same locality as for preceding, 00°02.539'S, 78°38.215'W, 2091 m, 21 Oct 2021 (fr), D. Espinel-Ortiz & H.G. Abad 294 (HUTI, QAP, QCA (QCA-243454, QCA-7010752 and QCA-7010752), QCNE); same locality as for preceding, 00°02.525'S, 78°38.210'W, 2091 m, 21 Oct 2021 (fr), D. Espinel-Ortiz & H.G. Abad 295 (QCA (QCA-243452)); Quito-Chiriboga road, 2 km after Corazón Station of Petroecuador, 00°16.814'S, 78°42.067'W, 2399 m, 13 Dec 2020, D. Espinel-Ortiz, C. Restrepo & C. García 262 (QCA (QCA-243398, QCA-7010704 to QCA-7010709), QUSF); same locality as for preceding, 00°16.804'S, 78°42.144'W, alt. 2377 m, 13 Dec 2020, D. Espinel-Ortiz, C. Restrepo & C. García 264 (LOJA, QCA (QCA-243390)); same locality as for preceding, 00°16.809'S, 78°42.142'W, 2355 m, 28 Jan 2021, D. Espinel-Ortiz & C. Restrepo 268 (QCA (QCA-243395 and QCA-7010700)). - Cotopaxi: Campo Alegre, ca. 20 km NE of Sigchos, 00°35.050'S, 78°47.600'W, 2614 m, 11 Jul 2003 (fl, fr), J. Ramos, L. Ramos, A. Tigse & R. Tigse 5801 (MO, QCA (QCA-137959), QCNE (QCNE-200267)).

Distribution.

Rubus longistipularis is distributed in the north of the Ecuadorian Western-Cordillera from 1900 to 2700 m a.s.l., in the provinces of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Imbabura, Pichincha and Cotopaxi (Fig. 4 ).

Ecology.

This species occurs in Chocó Andino montane cloud forests dominated by trees and shrubs and also in nearby disturbed areas. Rubus longistipularis can be found living in sympatry with Rubus adenotrichos Schltdl., R. boliviensis Focke, R. glaucus Benth., R. niveus Thunb. and R. urticifolius Poir. As branches grow older, they may become glabrescent and lose prickles and stipules. In some flowers, two sepals may be united in the apex, but they separate completely when fruiting occurs. Since flower blossoming, it takes about three months for the fruits to appear and ripen. Flowering and fruiting collections dated from the months of February, July, August, September and October.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the long (20.0-34.7 mm) asymmetrically, anguste subulate stipules.

Preliminary assessment of conservation status.

Rubus longistipularis is known from five localities, impacted by human activities, including regression to agriculture and road openings. Following the IUCN (2019) guidelines, based on the geographic distribution and altered land use at the localities, this species should be categorised as least concern (LC).

Notes.

Rubus longistipularis may resemble R. boliviensis by its habit and big leaves, but differs from this species by its white villous to pannose branches, in contrast with the pannose, pilose or puberulent to glabrescent branches of R. boliviensis . Moreover, R. longistipularis has trifoliate leaves with ovate to elliptic leaflets while R. boliviensis has 5-foliolate leaves with ovate-elliptic leaflets. Furthermore, R. longistipularis has fruits with more (50-195) and narrower (1.5-3.1 × 0.9-2.5 mm) drupelets while R. boliviensis has fruits with fewer (20-50) and wider (2.0-3.0 × 2.0-3.0 mm) drupelets. Rubus longistipularis resembles R. glaucus by its habit, trifoliate leaves and fruits, but differs by its white villous to pannose branches, pannose and slightly sericeous pedicels and bigger petals (8.8-12.7 × 9.8-12.6 mm) compared to the glabrous and pruinose branches, glabrous pedicels and smaller petals (7.0-10.0 × 5.0-8.0 mm) of the latter. Moreover, R. longistipularis differs from both species by its longer stipule (20.0-34.7 × 1.7-3.3 mm), in contrast with the smaller stipules of R. boliviensis (6.0-10.0 × 1.0-2.0 mm) and R. glaucus (5.0-12.0 × 0.3-0.8 mm).

Figures

Figure 1. Rubus longistipularis D. A. Espinel-Ortiz & Romol. A habit and inflorescence B branch and stipule C leaf D leaf adaxial surface E leaf abaxial surface F leaf border G pedicel H flower I sepal adaxial surface J sepal abaxial surface K fruit. (A based on P. M. Jorgensen & S. S. Vire 56085 (QCA) B-K based on D. Espinel-Ortiz & H. G. Abad 281 (QCA )). Illustrations by Carla Rodriguez.

Figure 2. Rubus longistipularis D. A. Espinel-Ortiz & Romol. A habit B leaf abaxial surface and stipules C flower D infructescence with immature and mature fruits. Photos by David A. Espinel-Ortiz.

Figure 3. Rubus longistipularis D. A. Espinel-Ortiz & Romol. Holotype collection D. Espinel-Ortiz & H. G. Abad 281 (QCA) A branch apex QCA 243418 B leaf abaxial surface QCA 7010715 C terminal inflorescence QCA 7010718 D infructescence QCA 7010719.

Figure 4. Distribution map of Rubus maquipucunensis (red triangles), and R. longistipularis (black circles) from the western Andes of North Ecuador. Map generated by David A. Espinel-Ortiz.