Peperomia symmankii Pino & Samain, 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

15. Peperomia symmankii Pino & Samain sp. nov.

Fig. 10A-F

Type.

Peru, dept. Cajamarca, prov. San Miguel, dist. La Florida: road from Cayaltí to La Florida , 731 m, 06°51'57.6"S, 79°08'32.3"W, 1 Mar 2009, G. Mathieu & L. Symmank 162 (holotype: USM[255772]!) .

Diagnosis.

Perennial, succulent, caulescent, terrestrial herb, similar to P. ricardofernandezii Pino & Samain, but shorter, less branched, and with more tortuous stems. Leaves are smaller (2.5-4.5 cm long compared to 4.5-8 cm long), more widely ovate, with an obtuse or rounded apex instead of acute-acuminate. Petioles are shorter (0.3-3.5 cm long compared to 2-4 cm), lighter in color, and attached closer to the cordate base, which is sometimes auriculate and overlapping compared to the truly peltate insertion of P. ricardofernandezii . The inflorescence is narrower and longer but otherwise very similar, with longer spadices (3-20 mm compared to 2-4 mm).

Description.

Perennial, succulent, caulescent, terrestrial herb, 12-20 cm when vegetative, up to 5 cm when flowering, growing on soil among rocks at slightly shaded places, near water courses. Vegetative stem, 0.6-1.5 cm diam. At the base, light gray brownish, erect at first, then sometimes decumbent, rooting from the base, terete in the rainy period, slightly furrowed under dry conditions, with flat or projected spirally arranged round to reniform scars, 0.15-0.3 cm tall, 0.25-0.45 cm wide, distanced every 0.5-1 cm, corresponding to decurrent petioles. Leaves in young plants perennial, alternate, spirally attached, present at the distal 2-4 cm, glabrous; petiole reniform in cross-section, 0.5-3.5 cm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, erect or oblique upwards, light green or with a reddish blush, inserted almost at the base of the leaves, subpeltate at 1-2 mm from abaxial base; lamina widely ovate, 2-4.5 cm long, 2-4.5 cm wide at proximal third, 2.5-5 cm wide at the middle, 2.5-4 cm wide at distal third, apex obtuse, occasionally rounded, base cordate, sometimes auriculate and overlapping; adaxially dull green, flat to concave. 7-palmatinerved, nerves depressed; margin entire, undulated at distal half; abaxially very light green, sometimes reddish, nerves slightly carinate, darker green. A reproductive stem develops in the rainy season, from the apex the first time or from the next most distal node, with bracts similar to leaves, their lamina is first corrugate with undulate margins, and reddish abaxially, later they become larger, 4-7 cm long, 5-7 cm wide at proximal third, 3-6.5 cm wide at the middle, 4-5.5 cm wide at distal third, flat, adaxially bright green, abaxially very light green with nerves less conspicuous, apex acute to obtuse, base cordate, margins entire, petiole 4-7 cm long, light green. All bracts and inflorescences are deciduous after flowering. Inflorescence 2-5 (-10) panicles born alternately from the distal stem towards the apex, appearing from February to March. Each panicle is a raceme of 15-45 conferted, spirally arranged, horizontally inserted spadices around a vertical central axis, gradually opening from base to apex, longer and whiter at the base and shorter and greener distally. Central axis 10-30 cm long in total, 0.4-0.5 mm diam. at the base, gradually tapering to 0.9-1 mm, terete, light green to reddish, whitish towards the apex; peduncle terete or slightly funnel-shaped distally, 1-2 mm long, 0.3-0.4 mm diam., bright white; rachis 3-20 mm long, 0.4-0.5 mm diam., longitudinally furrowed, bright white. Floral bracts peltate, discoid, greenish white, 0.25-0.3 mm diam. Stamens white, pink when dry, filaments 0.2 mm long, transparent, anthers white ovoid, 0.15-0.20 mm. Ovary globose, white, 0.35-0.45 mm diam., stigma fimbriate. Fruit an ovoid berry, 0.75-0.85 mm long, 0.55-0.65 mm diam., olive green-brownish, minutely papillate, pedicel inconspicuous, style very broadly conical, white, stigma brown.

Distribution and habitat.

Plants are rare and have been found only at four spots from 700 to 2400, semi-shaded on soil accumulated among huge rocks, on moist places near watercourses.

Phenology.

Inflorescences appear from December to March; fruits ripen from February to April.

Etymology.

The epithet is dedicated to Lars Symmank, a botanist from Dresden, Germany, who together with Guido Mathieu collected the specimen of this new species in the first expedition to Peru organized by Ghent University in 2009. He worked in several studies of subgenus Peperomia Tildenia ( Mathieu et al. 2011; Samain et al. 2011; Symmank et al. 2011).

Notes.

The closest species to P. symmankii is P. ricardofernandezii from Piura. This species is mainly terrestrial, taller, and many branched with a bush-like appearance contrasted to the creeping habit of P. symmankii . The main difference is the leaf size and shape: P. symmankii has relatively smaller leaves, more widely ovate, with an obtuse to round apex, compared to the narrow ovate, acute-acuminate leaves of P. ricardofernandezii . Petioles of the new species are shorter, lighter in color, attached closer to the leaf base, which is truly cordate, even sometimes auriculate and overlapping, compared to the more peltate insertion in P. ricardofernandezii . The inflorescence of P. symmankii is narrower and longer but otherwise very similar, with slightly longer spadices (Table 5 ).

This species belongs to Peperomia subg. Panicularia Miq. ( Frenzke et al. 2015).

Additional specimens examined.

Peru, dept. Cajamarca, prov. San Miguel, dist. La Florida: El Papayo bridge over Sana River , East bank, 10 m to North , under the shade of Guadua angustifolia plants, on rocks, 731 m, 06°51'57.6"S, 79°08'32.3"W, 28 Aug 2022, G. Pino et al. 3639 (USM 333272). El Papayo, sobre materia orgánica de las rocas. [El Papayo, on rocks with the decayed organic matter] 850 m, [06°51'S, 79°08'W], 1 Feb 1986, S. Llatas Q. 1770 ( HUT 22496 ) ; Road from Florida to Monteseco , 1095 m, 6°51'41.3"S, 79°07'08.9"W, 10 Feb 2023, G. Pino & L.E. Alomía 3832; (USM 333273). Dist. Bolívar: Bosque Oscuraná, Caserío el Nogal, Bosque Húmedo [ Oscuraná Wet Forest, El Nogal Hamlet], 2400 m, [6°56'51.0"S, 79°08'04.0"W], Sep 9 2003, A. Juárez et al. s.n. (HLL 435, HUT 42219 ) . Prov. Santa Cruz, dist. Catache: Carretera al Bosque de Monteseco , borde de Carretera. [Road to Monteseco forest, border of road], 1200 m, [06°51'21"S, 79°06'42"W], 20 Jan 1996, E. Rodríguez 750 ( HUT 30979 ) .

Figures

Figure 10. Peperomia symmankii Pino & Samain, sp. nov. A plant in habitat B plants ex situ in several stages of development C plant in habitat in blossom D detail of the leaves E plant ex situ in anthesis with bracts. (Detail: mature panicle) F young spadix (Detail: Mature spadix with fruits).