Two new pendulous epiphytic Columnea L. (Gesneriaceae) species from the Chocó forests of the Northern Andes

Abstract

Exploratory field expeditions to the Chocó forests in the northwestern slopes of the Ecuadorian and Colombian Andes resulted in the discovery of two new species of Columnea (Gesneriaceae). Columnea fluidifolia J.L.Clark & F.Tobar, sp. nov., is described as a narrow endemic from Bosque Protector Mashpi and surrounding areas in the province of Pichincha in northern Ecuador. Columnea pendens F.Tobar, J.L.Clark & J.F.Sm., sp. nov., is described from recently discovered populations in the provinces of Carchi and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas (Ecuador) and the departments of Cauca and Nariño in southwestern Colombia. The two new species are pendent epiphytes with elongate shoots and shallowly bilabiate to nearly tubular corollas. Descriptions, complete specimen citations, and a distribution map are provided. Based on IUCN guidelines, a preliminary conservation status of Critically Endangered (CR) is provided for C. fluidifolia and Endangered (EN) is provided for C. pendens.

Columnea blancoi (Gesneriaceae), a New Species from the Central Pacific Region of Costa Rica

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Gesneriaceae is the third largest family in the order Lamiales with around 3400 species (Stevens, 2001;Weber et al, 2013). It is divided into subfamilies Coronantheroideae, Cyrtandroideae, and Gesnerioideae, the latter of which encompasses most of the New World species (Weber et al, 2013).

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“…Gesnerioideae is itself subdivided into five tribes, of which Beslerieae and Gesnerieae account for most of the species. Gesnerieae includes the species rich genus Columnea L., in which new species continue being described, particularly from Colombia and Ecuador (Amaya-Márquez et al, 2015; Clark et al, 2021; Smith et al, 2013b; Tobar et al, 2022).…”