Dysaster cajamarcensis H. Rob. & V.A. Funk, 2014

Robinson, Harold & Funk, Vicki, 2014, Dysaster cajamarcensis, a new shrubby genus and species of Astereae (Asteraceae) from Peru, PhytoKeys 36, pp. 35-40 : 37-38

Dysaster cajamarcensis H. Rob. & V.A. Funk gen et sp. nov.

Type.

Peru. Dept. Cajamarca: Prov. Contumazá. 14 km S of Contumazá on gravel road, rocky slopes, Western Cordilleran evergreen forest, 2520 m, 17 Jul 1992, T.F. Stuessy, D.W. Crawford & A. Sagástegui 12686 (holotype US; isotypes OH, HUT).

Shrubs with spreading branches, with scattered upright branchlets ca. 2 dm long; stem surfaces densely white tomentose, internodes mostly 5-10 mm long. Leaves alternate, sometimes with small axillary fascicles. Petioles ca. 5 mm long; blades elliptical, 1.0-2.5 cm long, 0.4-0.8 cm wide, bases cuneate, margins with 5-8 small teeth, apices obtuse to subacute, upper surface dark green with some arachnoid tomentum, bullate with veins insulcate, lower surface densely whitish tomentose with strongly exsulcate veins; venation pinnate, with 5-6 veins on each side, spreading at ca. 45° angles. Inflorescences strongly excerted on tips of foliose branchlets, branching with usually 3 capitula; peduncles slender, 4-7 cm long, thinly whitish tomentose, with few scattered minute bracteoles above base. Capitula radiate, heterogamous, with rays to 3-4 cm wide; involucres campanulate, ca. 0.8 cm high, ca. 1.5 cm wide, bracts ca. 70 in 3-4 series, 2-8 mm long, ca. 0.8 mm wide, linear-lanceolate with slender tips, narrowly scarious and often reddish at margins and tips, mostly papyraceous, pale greenish outside with dark longitudinal median stripe; receptacle epaleaceous. Ray florets 30-35, fertile, female; corollas pink-purple, basal tubes ca. 2.5 mm long, limbs ca. 12 mm long, 2 mm wide, scarcely trilobed at tip, without evident glands or trichomes except abaxially at base of limb, style branches with stigmatic lines continuous along margins and apex; disc florets ca. 75; corollas yellow, narrowly funnelform, ca. 7 mm long, basal tube ca. 2 mm long, glabrous, throat ca. 4.7 mm long, with some short, pointed, septate hairs near base, lobes ca. 0.7 mm long, oblong-ovate, with few short, septate hairs at tip; anther thecae ca. 2 mm long, slightly pointed at base with few sterile cells at base; anther appendage ca. 0.2 mm long; style base slightly broadened. Ray and disc achenes alike, ca. 2 mm long, lenticular, compressed with 2 costae along margins, costae not containing enlarged resin ducts, lateral surfaces densely covered with short spicules, setulae numerous near base, few setulae distally; pappus of ca. 17 slender bristles ca. 5 mm long, slightly broadened distally. Outer series of numerous scale-like squamae ca. 0.3 mm long. Pollen in fluid ca. 30 μm in diam.

Distribution.

Known only from the type from Cajamarca, Peru.

Ecology.

Rocky slopes, Western Cordilleran evergreen forest, elevation 2620 m.

Etymology.

Dys- - bad, + aster - for the genus.