Piper hoyoscardozii W. Trujillo-C & M. A. Jaram., 2022

Trujillo, William, Trujillo, Edwin Trujillo, Ortiz-Morea, Fausto Andres, Toro, Diego A. & Jaramillo, M. Alejandra, 2022, New Piper species from the eastern slopes of the Andes in northern South America, PhytoKeys 206, pp. 25-48 : 25

Piper hoyoscardozii W. Trujillo-C & M. A. Jaram. sp. nov.

Figs 1 , 2 , 3 and 4

Type.

Colombia. Caquetá: Florencia, vereda Sucre, 1076 m elev., 1°47'50"N, 75°38'50"W, 18 Oct 2020 [fr], F. Hoyos 049 (Holotype COL, Isotype COAH, HUA, UMNG)

Diagnosis.

Piper hoyoscardozii W. Trujillo & M. A. Jaram. is similar to P. dryadum C. DC. (1891:221) and P. flagellicuspe Trel. & Yunck. (1950:59) from which it is easily distinguished by peduncles 2-3 cm long, spikes long-apiculate and fruit with stigmas sessile vs. peduncle 0.5-1 cm long, spikes not-apiculate and fruit with stigmas on a short style in P. flagellicuspe and P. dryadum .

Description.

Shrub with sarmentose branches. Internodes (1)3-7 cm long, smooth, green, pubescent, trichomes pluricellular, uniseriate, 1-2.3 mm long, idioblasts not visible. Prophylls caducous, 1.2-1.5 cm long, green-whitish, pubescent, trichomes pluricellular, uniseriate, 0.2-1.0 mm long, dispersed on the abaxial surface, idioblasts not visible. Petioles uniform in size along all axes, 0.5-0.8 cm long, vaginate on the basal half, smooth and pubescent. Leaf-blades membranaceous, drying black, uniform in shape and size on all nodes, (5)6-7 × (13)15-17 cm, elliptic, symmetric, base cordate to rounded, apex acuminate; leaf blade smooth, pubescent on both surfaces, trichomes pluricellular, uniseriate, 0.5-2.3 mm long, dispersed on the adaxial surface, along first and second order nerves and dispersed on the areolas and third order nerves of the abaxial surface, eciliate; pinnately nerved from the lower 1/3, 2-3 nerves on each side, with spacing uniform or decreasing and angle increasing gradually towards the base, eucamptodromous, tertiary veins percurrent. Inflorescence and infructescence a simple spike, erect; peduncle 2-3 cm long, pubescent, green; rachis in flower 4-7 cm long, rachis in fruit 7-9 cm long, rachis with a 10-15 mm long, sterile green apical extension, fruits densely grouped along the rachis. Floral bracts cucullate, reddish in flower, triangular from above, 0.4-0.6 × 0.7-0.8 mm, glabrous on the adaxial surface, margin fimbriate, bracts forming bands around the spike. Flowers with four stamens, filaments 0.6-0.8 mm long, anthers 0.4-0.6 × 0.5-0.7 mm, longitudinally dehiscent, dithecous, with connective not protruding, glabrate, idioblasts not evident, black when dried. Sessile stigmas. Fruits rectangular, laterally compressed, green when alive and black when dry, 0.9-1.2 × 1.5-1.9 mm, pubescent, partially immersed in the rachis, with persistent sessile stigmas, 0.05-0.1 mm. Seeds oblong, laterally compressed, brown, smooth, 0.8-1 × 0.8-1.1 mm.

Distribution and habitat.

Piper hoyoscardozii is a shade-loving sarmentose shrub that grows on trees and rocks. It is known from the Amazonian slope of the Andes in southern Colombia and Ecuador, between 1000-1500 m in elevation (Fig. 2 ).

Phenology.

Flowering specimens were collected in July. Fruiting specimens were collected in August.

Etymology.

This species name is dedicated to Fernando Hoyos Cardozo, a great companion during our floristic explorations of the Amazonian foothills and who collected the type specimen of this species in Caquetá.

Conservation status.

This species is known from six specimen collections representing two subpopulations. The locations where it occurs are threatened by deforestation and expansion of the agriculture frontier, especially extensive cattle ranching. The extent of occurrence (EOO) of 876 km2 and area of occupancy (AOO) of 16 km2 are small, which, together with the continuing decline in quality of habitat, suggests it is Endangered [EN B1a+B2a].

Phylogenetic relationships.

Piper hoyoscardozii belongs to the large clade Radula . A group of medium-size shrubs, mostly self-supporting, but some species are herbs or lianescent shrubs; leaves are plinerved or pinnately nerved. Flowers are densely arranged in spikes forming banding patterns and inflorescences can be erect or distally curved. Furthermore, this species is closely related to the clade of sarmentose shrubs occurring in wet tropical forests in Central America and the western slopes of the west Cordillera in Colombia (the latter corresponds largely to the Chocó Region) that includes P. brachypodon C. DC. (1869:327), P. cavendishioides Trel. & Yunck. ( Trelease and Yuncker 1950: 85), P. dryadum , P. flagellicuspe , P. ottoniifolium C. DC. (1866:213), P. oxystachyum C. DC. (1898:255) and P. novogranatense C. DC. (1869:313) ( Jaramillo et al. 2008).

Discussion.

Piper hoyoscardozii is a sarmentose shrub, a habit not commonly observed amongst Piper species in the study region (eastern slope of the Andes). The phylogeny (Fig. 1 ) places P. hoyoscardozii sister to other climbing Piper species occurring on the western slope of the Andes and wetter parts of Mesoamerica. Here we provide a comparative table for the climbing Piper species included in the phylogeny (Table 2 ). P. hoyoscardozii is easily differentiated because its spikes (in flower and fruit) have a long peduncle and a long apiculate apex.

Specimens examined.

Colombia: Caquetá, Florencia, vereda Tarqui, monumento Divino Nino , 1570 m elev., 1°50'0.3"N, 75°39'52.8"W, 30 Aug 2020 [fl], W. Trujillo & F. Hoyos 4120 (COAH, UMNG).; vereda Tarqui, quebrada Tarqui, 1530 m elev., 1°50'28"N, 75°39'42"W, 20 Aug 2020 [42], W. Trujillo 4099 (COAH); corregimiento El Caraño, vereda Sucre. 1076 m elev., 1°47'50.8"N, 75°38'50.5"W, 8 Jul 2014 [fl], W. Trujillo 3130 (COAH); vereda Sucre, Finca campamento Sucre. 1°46'52"N, 75°39'5.1"W. 1050 m elev,. 5 Jul 2012 [fl]. W. Trujillo & C. Malambo 2400; vereda Sucre, vía antigua Florencia-Huila , 1°47'50.8"N, 75°38'50.3"W, 1000 m elev., 24 Sep 2020 [fl], F. Hoyos 042 (COAH) . Ecuador. Napo, Parque Nacional Sumaco-Galeras , 0°50'S, 77°34'W, 1090 m elev., 27 Oct 2005 [fr], J. Homeier & M.A. Chinchero 2000 (MO) .

Figures

Figure 1. Phylogenetic relationships of species described in this manuscript, based on Maximum Likelihood analysis of nrITS sequences. New species are shown in bold. Species with peltate leaves are underlined. Numbers above branches are ML bootstrap support values (> 80).

Figure 2. The locality of four new Piper species from the Andes eastern slopes of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

Figure 3. Piper hoyoscardozii A sympodial branch B magnified view of the infrutescence C floral bract view from above D floral bract side view E anthers and distal portion of the filament F fruit side view G seed H floral diagram. Illustration by Marcela Morales based on F. Hoyos 049 COAH.

Figure 4. Piper hoyoscardozii A growth form, scandent shrub B upper leaf surfaces and spike C infructescence D leaf base and prophyll. Photos from F. Hoyos 049 by F. Hoyos