Piper velae W. Trujillo-C & M. A. Jaram., 2022

Trujillo, William, Trujillo, Edwin Trujillo, Ortiz-Morea, Fausto Andres, Toro, Diego A. & Jaramillo, M. Alejandra, 2022, New Piper species from the eastern slopes of the Andes in northern South America, PhytoKeys 206, pp. 25-48 : 25

Piper velae W. Trujillo-C & M. A. Jaram. sp. nov.

Figs 1 , 2 , 9 and 10

Type.

Colombia, Caquetá, Belen de los Andaquies, corredor resguardo La Cerinda , PNN Alto Fragua Indiguazi , etnia Embera Katio , 1°36'08.6"N, 75°51'49.1"W, 470 m elev., 03 Oct 2007, W. Trujillo et al. 905 (Holotype COAH, Isotype HUAZ) .

Diagnosis.

Piper velae W. Trujillo & M. A. Jaram. can be distinguished from the related species P. holdridgeanum W.C. Burger by its elliptic leaves with cordulate leaf bases at all nodes, petioles 0.8-1.5 cm long, fruits cylindrical and pubescent vs. leaves cordate to elliptical with leaf bases that are rounded at fertile nodes and cordate at sterile nodes, petioles that are variable in size from 1-5 cm long, fruits rounded and glabrous in P. holdridgeanum . It can be separated from similar species P. cornifolium Kunth (1815 [1816]:52) because it has leaves pinnately nerved in the lower half of the blade and pubescent fruits vs. leaves pinnately nerved in the lower third of the blade and glabrous fruits in P. cornifolium .

Description.

Shrub up to 1.5 m tall. Internodes 2-8.5 cm long, smooth, green, tomentulose, idioblasts not evident. Prophylls 1.2-2 cm long whitish, tomentulose, caducous. Petioles variable along all axes; on monopodial axes 1-1.5 cm long, vaginate to 3/4 of the length, smooth, tomentulose; on sympodial axes 0.8-1.2 cm long, vaginate at the base, smooth, tomentulose. Leaf-blades coriaceous, drying black, uniform in shape and size along all axes, 6-7(11) × 12-15(19) cm, elliptic, symmetric, base cordulate, basal extension asymmetrical; leaf blade smooth, tomentulose on the abaxial surface and glabrous adaxially, eciliate; pinnately nerved from the lower half, 4-5 ascending nerves on each side, festooned brochidodromous, with spacing decreasing and angle increasing towards the base, tertiary veins percurrent; apex acuminate. Inflorescences and infructescence a solitary spike, terminal, erect; peduncle 0.8-1.5 cm long, tomentulose, green; rachis in flower not seen, rachis in fruit 6-8.5 cm long, fruits densely grouped along the rachis. Floral bracts cucullate, triangular from above, 0.15-0.25 × 0.3-0.4 mm, glabrous on the adaxial surface, margin fimbriate, not forming bands around the spike. Flowers with four stamens, filaments 0.2-0.4 mm long, anthers 0.2-0.3 × 0.15-0.25 mm, longitudinally dehiscent, dithecous, shorter than filament, with connective not protruding, glabrate, idioblasts not evident, colour not seen. Stigmas 3, on a short style. Fruits cylindrical, laterally compressed, green when alive and black to brown when dry, 0.8-1.2 × 1-1.3 mm, pubescent on the tip, partially immersed in the rachis, with stigmas persistent, 0.07-0.12 mm long, on a short style, 0.1-0.3 mm long. Seeds 0.4-0.6 × 0.9-1.1 mm, rectangular, laterally compressed, obtuse, black.

Distribution and habitat.

Piper velae occurs in the eastern slopes of the Andes, from 250-1,500 m in elevation, spreading from wet lowland to wet premontane forests. It occurs in the Colombian Departments of Caquetá, Meta, Cauca and Putumayo. In lowland forests, it occurs in dense terra firme forests. In premontane forests, it grows mostly on moderate slopes, sometimes occurring on steep slopes and rocky substrates. It is a shade-loving species, growing in the understorey and it is also found in forest gaps.

Phenology.

Flowering specimens were collected in February, April, May, June, July and October. Fruiting specimens in January, April, June, July, September, October and December.

Etymology.

Piper velae is named in honour of Huber Fernando Vela, M.D., a social and environmental leader of Caquetá who was murdered in 2021. Dr Vela and sponsored Piper collections by WT during 2020. Huber Fernando was the leader of the Nature Reserve Romi Kumu, where 30 ha of forest were restored in 2020. The type specimen of P. velae occurs in the region that Dr Vela loved and helped conserve and restore.

Conservation status.

This species is known from 41 specimen collections representing 12 subpopulations. It occurs in 18 locations threatened by deforestation. The extent of occurrence (EOO = 40,810 km2, below the EOO to be considered Vulnerable, VU) and area of occupancy (AOO = 96 km2), suggest it is of Near Threatened [NT B1a+B2a].

Phylogenetic relationships.

P. velae is sister to P. holdridgeanum and these form a clade sister to Macrostachys ( Jaramillo et al. 2008). P. velae and P. holdridgeanum have sheathing petioles to ¾ of their length and tightly-arranged flowers. The marked foliar dimorphism between leaves on sterile (monopodial) and fertile (sympodial) nodes distinctive of P. holdridgeanum have obscured its relationships ( Callejas-Posada 2020). Here, we present phylogenetic evidence for its placement sister to Macrostachys . Both species, P. velae and P. holdridgeanum require further study to understand their morphological affinities.

Discussion.

Piper velae can be confused with P. cornifolium , because of its cordulate leaf base; however, these taxa are distinguished, based on the leaf venation pattern and fruit pubescence (see Table 5 ). We also compare P. velae to closely-related P. holdridgeanum ; further studies will help us corroborate this relationship and find morphological similarities.

Specimen examined.

Colombia: Caquetá: Belén de los Andaquíes: Parque Bosque Microcuenca La Resaca, sendero Alto Sarabando, 800 m elev., 1°27'29"N, 75°53'1.8"W, 26 Oct 2010, D. Cárdenas et al. 40791 (COAH); vereda Las Verdes, río Pescado, margen izq. Parque Natural Municipal Andakí, 700 m elev., 1°36'7.2"N, 75°54'10"W, 28 Oct 2010, D. Cárdenas et al. 40896 (COAH); sector Paramillo, camino entre Acevedo - Belén de Andaquíes, 1400 m elev., 1°40'58"N, 75°54'21"W, 23 Jul 2011, D. Cárdenas et al. 41848 (COAH); cerca del río Pescado, vereda Los Angeles, 1225 m elev., 1°34'49.7"N, 75°54'17"W, 9 Jul 2011, L. Martinez 24 (COAH); río Pescado, Parque Natural Andakí, sector Sur, 950 m elev., 1°36'31"N, 75°55'16"W, 25 Jun 2013, W. Trujillo et al. 2792 (COAH). Cartagena del Chairá: vereda Laguna del Chairá, 240 m elev., 1°15'23.9"N, 74°48'49.8"W, 28 Sep 2007, W. Trujillo et al. 853 (COAH). Florencia: corregimiento El Caraño, vereda Alto Brasil, camino hacia la quebrada Yumal, 321 m elev., 1°39.543'N, 75°36.128'W, 22 Oct. 2012, A. Jimenez et al. 4 (HUAZ); río Hacha, vereda El Caraño, finca Marsella, 500 m elev., 1°41'47"N, 75°37'16"W, 26 Jun 2010, D. Cárdenas et al. 24884 (COAH, HUAZ); vereda El Paraíso, antigua vía Florencia-Neiva, zona de cordillera baja, 756 m elev., 1°45'7.4"N, 75°39'56.9"W, 20 Oct 2010, D. Cárdenas et al. 40568 (COAH); vereda El Paraíso Bajo, vegetación de cordillera baja, 800 m elev., 1°45'0.2"N, 75°37'8.2"W, 22 Oct 2010, D. Cárdenas et al. 40595 (COAH); Centro de investigaciones Macagual, 258 m elev., 1°29'59.8"N, 75°39'22.6"W, 13 Dec 2008, W. Trujillo et al. 1214 (COAH); vereda El Caraño, 1116 m elev., 1°44'14.7"N, 75°40'35.3"W, 18 Oct 2013, W. Trujillo et al. 3002 (COAH). La Montañita: vereda Los Morros, reserva Las Dalias, 300 m elev., 1°29'21.5"N, 75°24'17.6"W, A. Meneses 15 (HUAZ); vereda Itarca, Reserva Natural Itarca, 340 m elev., 1°32'53"N, 75°28'20"W, 30 Oct 2010, D. Cárdenas et al. 40956 (COAH); vereda Itarca, Reserva Natural Itarca, 330 m elev., 1°32'34.5"N, 75°28'19"W, 26 Apr 2011, N. Castaño et al. 3142 (COAH); Reserva Las Dalias, 382 m elev., 1°29'21.6"N, 75°24'17.6"W, 41050, W. Trujillo et al. 2086 (COAH). San Vicente del Caguán: inspección Guacamaya, vereda La Música, margen izquierda del río Caguán, 600 m elev., 2°20'46"N, 74°54'12.4"W, 12 Jul 2015, D. Cárdenas et al. 44401 (COAH). Cauca: Piamonte: La Libertad, 700 m elev., 1°6'41.78"N, 76°28'46.5"W, 22 Feb 2010, W. Trujillo et al. 1271 (COAH). Santa Rosa : Inspección de Santa Marta, vereda Diamante Alto, 1150 m elev., 1°14'N, 76°36'W, 22 Jun 2002, B. Ramírez 16061 (COAH). Meta: San Juan de Arama: sector del chorro Santo Domingo, Parque Nacional Natural Sierra de La Macarena, 520 m elev., 3°15'23"N, 73°57'50"W, 27 Oct 2019, D. Cárdenas et al. 52002 (COAH); vereda Monserrate Bajo, finca El Paraíso, cerca al caño Las Ninfas, 590 m elev., 3°20'33.75"N, 73°57'3.06"W, 4 Apr 2004, L. Carvajal et al. 173 (COAH). Putumayo: Mocoa: vereda Medio Afán, camino Serranía El Churumbelo, sector Nororiental, 900 m elev., 1°10'39"N, 76°38'47"W, 4 Oct 2000, D. Cárdenas et al. 12221 (COAH); vereda San José del Pepino, 1°5'40.17"N, 76°37'49.05"W, 21 Jun 1997, R. López et al. 2514 (COAH); vereda San José del Pepino, 1°5'40.17"N, 76°37'49.05"W, 21 Jun 1997, R. López et al. 2610 (COAH). Orito: Santuario de Flora y Plantas Medicinales Ingui-Ande, vereda Líbano, sector de don Reinaldo, 900 m elev., 0°41.62'N, 77°3.789'W, 1 Oct 2015, D. Cárdenas et al. 45416 (COAH); Santuario de Flora y Plantas Medicinales Ingui-Ande, 1004 m elev., 0°41.627'N, 77°3.801'W, 27 Sep 2015, D. Cárdenas et al. 45454 (COAH); vereda El Líbano, 832 m elev., 0°38'15"N, 77°4'17.9"W, D. Cárdenas et al. 51291 (COAH).

Figures

Figure 1. Phylogenetic relationships of species described in this manuscript, based on Maximum Likelihood analysis of nrITS sequences. New species are shown in bold. Species with peltate leaves are underlined. Numbers above branches are ML bootstrap support values (> 80).

Figure 2. The locality of four new Piper species from the Andes eastern slopes of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

Figure 9. Piper velae A sympodial branch B magnified view of the infructescence C floral bract view from above D floral bract side view E fruit side view F stamen side view G Seed side view H floral diagram. Illustration by Marcela Morales based on W Trujillo 905

Figure 10. Piper velae A sympodial branch upper leaf surfaces and spike B magnified view of the leaf base and prophyll C magnified view of the spike D magnified view of the prophyll. Photos from W. Trujillo 2039 by William Trujillo.