Two new species of Aristolochia series Thyrsicae (Aristolochiaceae) from southern Central America, with comments on morphologically similar species

Abstract

Aristolochia longissima and Aristolochia ornithorhyncha, two new species from the lowland moist forest from the Pacific watershed of southern Costa Rica and western Panama, are described and illustrated. Both species can be distinguished from most other species of Aristolochia series Thyrsicae, because of their leaves with pellucid gland dots, which are here documented in Aristolochiaceae for the first time. Comments about their distribution, habitat, phenology, conservation status and distinction from related species are provided. The circumscription of Aristolochia belizensis, A. chapmaniana, A. fragrantissima, A. ovalifolia, A. schmidtiana and A. tonduzii is discussed.

Aristolochia quiricoana (Aristolochiaceae), una nueva especie del sur de Costa Rica

“…Aristolochia quiricoana belongs to Aristolochia series Thyrsicae because of its leafy and thyrsoid synflorescences with paracladia sometimes ramiflorous or cauliflorous, partial florescences in rhipidia (with each flower opposite to a re- Jiménez, 2016;Jiménez and Blanco, 2020;Jiménez et al, 2021). Aristolochia quiricoana represents the 22nd species documented in Aristolochia series Thyrsicae, as well as the 20th species of the genus known from Costa Rica.…”

“…That locality was based on the collections Cedeño and Flores 1348 (USJ) and Jiménez et al 4596 (USJ, the latter cited by Jiménez and Blanco (2020) as the voucher for "Aristolochia sp. C"), both of which are in fact A. quiricoana (the corresponding data for A. ornithorhyncha were corrected by Jiménez et al, 2021). Both species have oblong leaf blades with pellucid gland-dots and flowers of similar shape and color.…”

“…The specimens studied corresponding to Aristolochia chapmaniana and A. ornithorhyncha are listed above. See Jiménez et al (2021) for a discussion of taxonomically important characters in Aristolochia that are evident in living flowers but that become distorted or obscured in pressed, dry herbarium specimens, and the consequent need for their careful documentation in living plants.…”

“…Aristolochia series Thyrsicae F. González is a monophyletic group comprised of 21 Neotropical species distributed from Mexico to Bolivia (with one species also present in Florida, Cuba and Martinique), with its highest diversification in the humid tropical forests of Central America and the Pacific slope of Colombia and northern Ecuador (González, 1990(González, , 1994(González, , 1997Wanke et al, 2006;González and Pabón-Mora, 2017;Jiménez et al, 2021).…”

“…A synopsis of the species of Aristolochia in Costa Rica has recently been published by Jiménez and Blanco (2020), who recognized 19 species for the country, including four undescribed species. Two of the latter, members of series Thyrsicae, were formally described by Jiménez et al (2021), and the other two are to be described elsewhere. However, recent botanical exploration in the southwestern part of Costa Rica has revealed yet another new species of Aristolochia series Thyrsicae.…”