Calceolaria nivalis Kunth subsp. lanatifolia Puppo, 2023

Puppo, Pamela, 2023, Calceolaria nivalis subsp. lanatifolia, a new subspecies of Calceolariaceae from Northern Peru, Phytotaxa 591 (2), pp. 101-105 : 102-104

Calceolaria nivalis Kunth subsp. lanatifolia Puppo , subsp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Diagnosis: — Calceolaria nivalis subsp. lanatifolia is similar to C. nivalis subsp. cerasifolia but differs from it by having the lower surface of the leaves densely lanate (vs. glabrous) with light yellowish brown trichomes, villous peduncles and pedicels (vs. villous or lanate with ferruginous hairs), sepals with a strigose margin internally (vs. tomentose), and stamens with filaments 0.5 mm long (vs. 1–1.5 mm long).

Type: — PERU. La Libertad: Bolívar, Uchumarca, upper slopes of Cerro Filo de Andonsa , 3830 m, 07°06’46’’S, 077°49’29’’W, 31 May 2015, Carlos Vega Ocaña, Rainer W. Bussmann & Narel Paniagua Zambrana 401 (Holotype, MO (MO-3147316)!; Isotypes, HAO, MUHW) .

Paratypes: — PERU. La Libertad: Bolívar, Distr. Uchumarca, curso Las Quinas a Uchumarca, 2300 m, 07°01’46’’S, 077°47’02’’W, 17 May 2011, Narel Paniagua Zambrana, Rainer W. Bussmann, Carlos Vega Ocaña & F. Días Vega 8378 ( MO!); Distr. Uchumarca, Collpacucho, 3850 m, 07°04’17’’S, 077°48’43’’W, 7 November 2013, Rainer W. Bussmann, Narel Paniagua Zambrana, Carlos Vega Ocaña & Carolina Téllez 17894 ( MO!).

Description: —Erect shrub 0.5–2 m tall; stems glabrous or sparsely villous, purple. Leaves decussate, petiolate; blades coriaceous, lanceolate, 5–8.5 × 1.4–3 cm, attenuate, rounded at base, the margins serrate with mucronulate teeth slightly revolute; upper surface green, glabrous, sparsely villous on the midvein; lower surface reticulate-venose, densely lanate with light yellowish brown trichomes; petioles 6–10 mm long, densely villous. Inflorescence terminal, composed of several cymes; primary peduncles 2.5–3.8 cm long, villous; pedicels 8–18 mm long, villous; cyme bracts present. Sepals entire, ovate, attenuate, 4–5 × 3–4 mm, externally glutinous, internally with a strigose margin. Corolla yellow or bicolor with a patch of long sericeous white hairs near the base of the stamens; upper lip white, pale yellow, or yellow, flattened, 7–10 mm high and 7.5–12 mm wide; lower lip dark yellow, upcurved 10–13 mm, elaiophore present.Anthers pale yellow, glabrous, 2–3 mm long, dehiscent throughout; thecae equal, divaricate; filaments 0.5 mm long. Style 2 mm long. Capsules conical, 5–6 mm long, glutinous.

Phenology: —The new subspecies has been recorded flowering and fruiting from May to November.

Distribution and ecology: —Only known from Uchumarca district, La Libertad department, Peru, growing on sandstone cliffs or rocky areas between 2300–3850 m elevation.

Etymology: —The subspecies epithet refers to the lanate indumentum on the lower surface of the leaves.

Conservation status: —Data Deficient – DD ( IUCN 2012). Since C. nivalis subsp. lanatifolia is only known from three collections, there is not enough information to accurately assess its conservation status.

Taxonomic relationships: — C. nivalis is distributed from central Ecuador to northern Peru between 1700–4200 m elevation. Two subspecies have been recognized in previous taxonomic treatments separated by the Huancabamba deflection ( Molau 1979, 1988). Calceolaria nivalis subsp. nivalis occurs north, in Ecuador and in the northernmost part of Peru in the department of Piura. This subspecies is characterized by the pinnate venation of the lower surface of the leaves, and dorsally tomentose petioles. Calceolaria nivalis subsp. cerasifolia Molau (1979: 36) occurs south of the Huancamamba deflection, in northern and central Peru. This subspecies is characterized by the reticulate venation (sometimes pinnate) of the lower surface of the leaves and a denser pubescence on the petioles, ranging from villous to lanate. Other than the pubescence of the petioles, both subspecies have glabrous leaf blades. The new subspecies described here, seems to be an extreme pubescent form of C. nivalis , having the lower surface of the leaves lanate with dense yellowish-brown trichomes, and villous petioles, peduncles, and pedicels. This pubescence in the leaves is so far unique to Sect. Salicifolia (Benth.) Kraenzl. in Engler (1907: 110) (sensu Molau 1988) as species in this section are usually glabrous. Other differences between C. nivalis subsp. lanatifolia and the other two subspecies is that subsp. nivalis and subsp. cerasifolia have sepals with a tomentose margin internally and filaments 1–1.5 mm long while in subsp. lanatifolia the sepals have a strigose margin, and the filaments are 0.5 mm long.

Calceolaria nivalis subsp. lanatifolia shares several characteristics with the other two subspecies that justifies the recognition of this taxon as a subspecies of C. nivalis . Namely: leaves lanceolate, serrate, upper lip of the corolla rounded and flattened, lower lip of the corolla saccate and upcurved, and pale yellow, divaricate anthers.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Calceolaria nivalis subsp. lanatifolia flowering branch (A), sepal, abaxial (B), flower, side view (C), and stamen (D). Drawn by P. Puppo from Vega Ocaña et al. 401 (MO).