The Andean Paepalanthus pilosus complex (Eriocaulaceae): a revision with three new taxa
Author
Hensold, Nancy
Keller Science Action Center, The Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lakeshore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605 - 2496, USA
text
PhytoKeys
2016
2016-06-13
64
1
57
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.64.6864
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.64.6864
1314-2003-64-1
FF986A234A327324FFD9B756FF91FFB9
576339
Paepalanthus Species A
Figs 6
, 11F-G
Misapplied (?) name.
Paepalanthus macarenensis
sensu
Moldenke (1983)
in part, and
Rivera-Diaz
(2010)
, probably
non
Moldenke (1952)
.
This robust taxon has a clumping habit structurally similar to
Paepalanthus pilosus
but lacks the dense pulviniform aspect. Its other similarities include acute to aristate leaves, scarious splitting peduncle sheath tips, pale gold lanceolate involucral bracts, and a nearly identical flower and fruit morphology. It differs by the following characters:
Leaves longer, narrowly linear-lanceolate, 3-4 cm long, the peduncles 10-20 cm long at anthesis, and the capitula 6-7.5 mm wide, much more floriferous (> 40 flowers) than
Paepalanthus pilosus
and sometimes globose at maturity, with alternating whorls of staminate and pistillate flowers. In addition, the capitula are
"indeterminate,"
with floral primordia found at the center of capitulum at the time of anthesis of the outer whorls. This contrasts with
Paepalanthus pilosus
, in which pistillate flowers are limited to the outer whorl, staminate to the inner, and no floral primordia are found at the start of anthesis.
The most robust individuals are found in the northern part of Serrania del Perija (ca. 10°15'- 10°20' N), but similar smaller plants are also found at the north end of the main Cordillera Oriental, about 300 km to the south. These have leaf, peduncle and sheath lengths approaching those of the
Perija
plants, and in spite of their small capitula, the flowers are more numerous than in typical
Paepalanthus pilosus
(up to 40 per capitulum), and pistillate and staminate whorls alternate in the capitulum. It
isn't
clear whether to treat these plants as small individuals of
Paepalanthus
sp. A, or intermediates with
Paepalanthus pilosus
. Smaller individuals are also found at Sa. de
Perija
(
Cuatrecasas 25027
,
25143
, US), but were only observed from scans.
The plants of
Perija
had been distributed in part as
Paepalanthus macarenensis
, a species otherwise only known from ca. 800 m in the Sierra de la Macarena (Meta). I have seen an image of the
Paepalanthus macarenensis
type, and do not believe it is the same species or closely related, but pending closer examination treat the
Perija
plants only provisionally here.
Specimens examined.
COLOMBIA
.
Cesar
: [
Serrania
de
Perija
],
Paramo de Sabana Rubia
,
3250 m
,
22 Jul 1987
,
H. Cuadros
3732
(MO), east of
Manaure
, Sabana Rubia, paramo,
3000-3100 m
,
6-8 Nov 1959
,
J. Cuatrecasas
&
R. Romero-Castaneda
25025
(COL [COL000223802], US n.v.)
,
La Paz
,
Corr. San Jose de Oriente
,
Vda. Altos del Riecito
- Altos de
Perija
, Fca. Los Sauces,
10°14'48.75"N
72°57'44.5"W
,
3096 m
,
27 Feb 2006
,
J. O. Rangel
13692
(COL [COL000254069])
Smaller
individuals.
COLOMBIA. Norte de Santander
: de La Laguna a Nariz de
Judio
(Mutiscua), 19 Jun 1946,
M. de Garganta 1209
(F);
Santander
: Paramo de Las Vegas, 3700-3800 m, 20-21 Dec 1926,
E. P. Killip & A. C. Smith 15626
(F); Paramo de Santurban, between Tona and Mutiscua, 3800-4300 m, 18 Feb 1927,
E. P. Killip & A. C. Smith 19557
(F).