Passiflora coronapapillata T. Boza & P. M. Jørgensen, 2025

Espinoza, Tatiana Erika Boza, Macdougal, John M. & Jørgensen, Peter Møller, 2025, Five New Species of Passiflora (subgenus Decaloba, Passifloraceae) from Peru, Phytotaxa 716 (2), pp. 72-86 : 81-83

5. Passiflora coronapapillata T. Boza & P. M. Jørgensen , sp. nov.

TYPE: PERU. Cajamarca: Prov. San Ignacio, mountain slope above San José de Lourdes , 1300–1600 m, [ 05°06'16"S, 078°53'50"W], 9 Jun. 1998, M. Weigend, Th. Franke, J. Skrabal, & M. A. Gonzales B. 98/488 ( holotype, USM- 175434 !; isotypes, F- 2211422 !, M- 0007959 ! [barcode], MO 5297020 ! [barcode]) . Figures 7 , 8 .

Diagnosis:—The flowers of this new species are similar to those of P. pilpintu T.Boza , also with purple banded corona, but the sepals are shorter (15.3–16.1 vs 20.9–24.5 mm), there are 3(4) coronal rows [vs 2], and the androgynophore is shorter (7.2–7.7 vs 10.5–12.5 mm long). Furthermore, P. coronapapillata has 2-lobed leaves with wide angle between the lateral lobes veins (60°–)70°–80°(–90°), instead of 3-lobed leaves with narrow angle (10°–17°).

Vine, very sparsely minutely puberulous to mostly glabrescent throughout. Stems striate. Stipules (2.5–)3.0–4.7 × (0.5–) 1.2–1.4 mm, linear, more or less falcate, glabrous; petioles 12.7–13.7 mm long, glandless; laminas (1.5–)3.5–4.8 × (2.5–) 6.6–7.5 cm, entire, depressed ovate, rounded at the base, glabrous throughout, 2-lobed, the lateral lobes acute to rounded; the angle between the lateral lobes veins (60°–)70°–80°(–90°), with (7–) 8–12 ocellate glands, glands 0.8–1.0 mm diam., only in lines between the primary veins, each primary vein ending in a distinct mucro. Peduncles 23.6–43.0 mm long, in pairs, bracts 2.7–3.0 × 1.0– 1.1 mm, narrowly elliptic tapering at both ends, scattered along the apical 1 / 3 of the peduncle; floral stipe 1.5–2.3 mm to 4.0 mm in fruit. Flowers 3.4–3.7 cm diam., white to greenish white; sepals 15.3–16.1 × 4.4–4.9 mm, narrowly ovate, acute to rounded apex, green flushed with red outside, offwhite inside; petals 8.5–10.1 × 2.3–3.9 mm, narrowly ovate; about 2 / 3 as long as the sepals, obtuse apex, snow white; coronal filaments in 3(–4) series, filaments of outer row 7.9–9.0 mm long, linear, apical 1 / 3 acicular and adaxially with a zone of papillae, base white, then three dark violet or purplish bands, then several paler blue or purplish bands towards the apex, filaments of the 2(–3) inner rows similar and difficult to distinguish, 2.7–3.1 mm long, capillary, obconic-papillate apex, yellowish green with purple bands; operculum ca. 2.1–2.6 mm long, membranous, plicate; androgynophore 7.2–7.7 mm long, green; filaments 3.7–4.6 mm long; anthers 3.8–4.4 × 1.8–2.1 mm; ovary 2.7–2.8 × 1.7–2.1 mm, ovoid to ellipsoid, sparsely puberulous, the trichomes in longitudinal rows; styles 4.6–5.8 mm, purplish red; stigma 1.4–1.5 mm diam. capitate. Fruit 14–18 mm × 14–16 mm (including 1 mm long fruit stipe), widely ellipsoid, color unknown; seeds 3.5–4.0 × 2.5–2.8 mm, transversely sulcate with rugulose ridges, (5–)6–7 sulci.

Etymology. The name refers to the conspicuous obconic-papillate apices of the flower’s inner rows of filaments. The outer coronal filaments also have a region with conspicuous papillae, a feature that is rare in P. subg. Decaloba .

Distribution and Habitat. This species is known only from the Distrito de San José de Lourdes, in relictual primary forest or disturbed rainforest remnants located between the páramos to the north and puna to the south. These areas, locally known as jalca formations, occur at (1300–) 1600–1830 m elevation, south of the Peruvian border with Ecuador, in San Ignacio province, department of Cajamarca, and are usually interpreted as drier than páramo and wetter than puna.

Conservation status. Passiflora coronapapillata is known from five collections in one general location. Based on its very restricted distribution and habitat, this species is assigned a conservation status of “Critically Endangered” [CR B2a].

Phenology. Flowering and fruiting known in May–June and in October.

Discussion. The flowers of this species have a complex condensed inner corona of 2(–3) series that are inconspicuously ranked and may appear as one series to the unaided eye. The taxonomic placement of this species was studied by Acha et al. (2021). A sample from the paratype Campos 3901 (as “ P. coronapapillata 421”) was genotyped and the phylogenetic analysis surprisingly nested the species inside their “Central American Clade 2” near the West Indian P. penduliflora Bertero ex DC. [de Candolle 1828: 326], a dubious placement that would require an exceptional case of long-distance dispersal to the Peruvian Andes and convergent evolution of a several-banded corona. The authors did not discuss this anomalous result, which may have been due to experimental or other error, as the sequence obtained was short compared to the other samples ( Acha et al. 2021).

Passiflora coronapapillata shares with P. punctata similar leaves with ocellate glands but differs by laminas with (7–)8–12 ocellate glands arranged along lines between the primary veins [vs. (12–)20–35 ocellate glands between and often outside primary veins in P. punctata ]. Passiflora coronapapillata is also characterized by having corona filaments in 3(–4) series, with the outer row filaments acicular in the apical 1 / 3 and adaxially with a zone of papillae, while P. punctata has corona filaments in 2 series, with the outer row filaments falcate, dilated near the middle, boomerang-shaped, and with a triangular apex.

Paratypes: PERU. Cajamarca: Prov. San Ignacio, Distr. San José de Lourdes, localidad Laurel , relicto de bosque primario (bosque intervenido), 05°01'00"S, 078°57'00"W, 1500–1600 m, 17 May 1997 (imm. fr.), Campos & Vargas 3901 ( MO 5297020 [barcode MO-1273943 ] SRA acc. no.-SRS 7820969, USM 171579 ) ; Distr. San José de Lourdes, Cerro Parcos, near Villa Rica town , 05°03’51’’S, 078°53’29’’W, 1780 m, 2 Oct. 2023 (imm. fr.), Esquerre 232 ( PRG) ; 05°04’05’’S, 078°53’24’’W, 1830 m, 2 Oct. 2023 (buds), Esquerre 233 ( PRG) ; 05°04’04’’S, 078°53’8’’W. 1790 m, 2 Oct. 2023, Esquerre 234 ( PRG) .

Figures

FIGURE 7. Passiflora coronapapillata T. Boza & P. M. Jørgensen. A. Habit. B. Flower. C. immature bud showing bracts. D. Flower, longtitudinal section. E. Inner coronal filament showing papillate apex. F. Outer coronal filament. (A–D from Weigend et al. 98/488)

FIGURE 8. Passiflora coronapapillata T. Boza & P. M. Jørgensen. Unvouchered observation from Cerro Parcos, Distr. San José de Lourdes, Prov. San Ignacio, Cajamarca, 1800 m. Photo: Edwal Rimarachín.