Peperomia cymbifolia Pino var. occidentalis Pino & L.E. Alomia, 2023

Pino Infante, Guillermo Eloy, Samain, Marie-Stephanie, Alban Castillo, Joaquina Adelaida & Alomia Collazos, Luis Enrique Aaron, 2023, Species of Peperomia (Piperaceae) from the Sana River Valley, Peru, PhytoKeys 225, pp. 1-40 : 1

Peperomia cymbifolia Pino var. occidentalis Pino & L.E. Alomia var. nov.

Diagnosis.

Peperomia cymbifolia var. occidentalis differs from the type variety mainly in size, plants are smaller and more compact; Leaves are slightly longer (4 cm maximum compared to 3.6 cm long), their lateral faces are not as high (7-10 mm compared to 9-13 mm), and they are more constantly convex than concave, its abaxial side is less convex, sometimes even straight; Its fruits are smaller and narrower, (0.6-0.8 × 0.45-0.55 mm compared to the 0.7-0.8 × 0.6-0.7 mm), light olive green instead of yellowish green, and with a relatively larger stylopodium. Populations of this variety are not only separated geographically from the type variety but mostly by altitude and climate: they grow 1200 m below the lowest occurrence of the type variety, at least 10 °Celsius warmer. The epithet reminds the localization of this variety, the most occidental of all three varieties of P. cymbifolia . ( P. cymbifolia var. cymbifolia ,var. Peperomia cymbifolia goodspeedii , and var. Peperomia cymbifolia occidentalis ).

Type.

Peru, dept. Cajamarca, prov. Santa Cruz, dist. Catache: road from Espinal to La Florida , 521 m, 06°51'14.2"S, 79°09'45"W, 28 Aug 2022, G. Pino & L.E. Alomía 3634 (holotype: USM 330881!) .

Distribution and habitat.

Plants grow from 450 to 600 m, on exposed rock crevices facing southwards between the towns of El Espinal and La Florida in Department Cajamarca, province of Santa Cruz. A similar collection, very likely the same taxon, was found in Chota at 750 m, exactly 20 km to the North of the Saña River Valley in a straight line.

Phenology.

Inflorescences appear from June to February; fruits ripen from October to March.

Additional specimens examined.

Peru, dept. Cajamarca, prov. Santa Cruz, dist. Catache: Road from El Espinal to La Florida , 582 m, 06°51'13.7"S, 79°09'16.5"W, 26 Jul 2020, G. Pino & L.E. Alomía 3232 (USM 330872); Same road, 591 m, 06°51'13.4"S, 79°09'18.4"W, 28 Aug 2022, G. Pino et al. 3638 (USM 330883). Prov. Chota, dist. Chimbán, Road from Cumbil to Llama, [between Potrerillo and Maychil], border of the road, on rocks, 750 m, [06°31'56"S, 79°11'51"W], 21 May 1965, A. López & A. Sagástegui s/n (HUT 5520). Dept. Lambayeque, prov. Ferreñafe, dist. Incahuasi: Before Laquipampa, 721 m, 06°20'31.5"S, 79°26'41"W, 08 Mar 2023, G. Pino & J.E. Romero 3840 (USM) .