Heliconia montana Abalo & G. Morales, Phytologia, 1983

Morales-Trujillo, Ángela María, Sepúlveda-Nieto, María Del Pilar, Tobón, Luis Hernando Hurtado, Katinas, Liliana & Apodaca, María José, 2019, Reawakening of the beauty: Heliconia montana is distinct from H. venusta (Heliconiaceae), Phytotaxa 400 (5), pp. 279-290 : 287

Heliconia montana Abalo & G. Morales, Phytologia 54 (6): 426, fig. without number. 1983.

Type : Colombia. Dept. Cauca, La Gallera, 80 km Popayán vía La Gallera, 2°28’50”N, 76°36’52”W, elev. 1900–2150 m, 12 February 1983, L. Morales & J. Abalo 349 [holotype COL000000263 (inflorescence and leaf), COL000000264 (leaf); isotype US00345423 (leaves), US 00345424 (inflorescence)]. ( Fig. 1A, C )

Rhizomatous herb 1.10–4 m tall, cannoid habit. Pseudostem light to dark green with distinctive red to red purplish spots, glabrous. Leaf sheath completely green or green with red to red purplish spots, margin red, purple-red or dark brown, glabrous. Leaves blade elliptic-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 22–74.5 × 10.8–16 cm, the margin yellow to red, upper surface dark green, dull, glabrous, midrib furrowed, green, lower surface light green, glabrous, with midrib conspicuous, glabrous, green with red spots. Inflorescence terminal, erect, 18–24.5 cm long; peduncle 3–7 × 0.5–1cm, glabrous; rachis red to orange turning yellow to the apex, glabrous, 1.5–5 cm between bracts; cincinnal bracts 7–9 per inflorescence, oriented (20º) 45º–50° to the axis of the inflorescence, with 2–8 bisexual flowers per cincinnus; basal bracts completely red or red-orange with green apex, or green with an externally red margin and internally light red to orange-yellowish, 14.2–25 × 1–1.5 cm at the base, glabrous, margin entire, base undulate and revolute, apex acuminate to longly acuminate, 3–23.5 × 1.5–7.5 cm; middle bracts externally red to red-orange, green at the apex, puberulous, internally light red to orange, glabrous, 9.5–16.7 × 1–1.5 cm at the base, margin straight to slightly undulate, revolute, apex acute to shortly acuminate; floral bracts light yellow, light brown to dark brown, 2–4 × 0.7–1 cm at the base, glabrous. Flowers with pedicels pale yellow with red stripes from the base to the apex, more conspicuous abaxially, resupinate, 1.5–2.5 × 0.2–0.35 cm, glabrous; perianth straight, basally yellow, apically yellow-green, glabrous, 5.3–5.9 × 0.71–1.1 cm, at anthesis curved 41.19º–76.55°, tube 1–1.5 cm long, glabrous to sparsely puberulous; stamens pale yellow to white, triangular, ventrally planate, straight, 4.1–6 × 0.1–0.13 cm, glabrous; anthers white and dark brown, 12.9–13.8 × 1–1.75 mm, glabrous, pollen white; staminode 1, attached 2.1–6.7 mm above the base of the perianth tube, white-yellowish, concave, sublinear, slightly auriculate, apex lanceolate, 6.7–8.9 × 1.8–2.7 mm. Ovary yellow, blue with time, 5.3–9.1 × 3.4–6.4 mm, glabrous to glabrescent; style 3-angled, winged angles, straight to curving upwards 4.5–5.4 × 0.1–0.2 cm, pale yellow to cream with brown spots at the stigma, glabrous; stigma capitate, ventrally elliptic, papillose, bilabiate. Drupe first yellow, blue at maturity, 9–13 × 5.83–8.68 mm glabrous; peduncle pale yellow with red strips first, red-orange at maturity of the fruit, 1.4–1.9 × 0.3–0.45 cm glabrous; seeds (pyrenes) 0 (by abortion)- 3 per fruit, oblong, dorsally convex, ventrally planate, hard, dark brown, surface rugose, operculum in oblique position, 8.22–16 × 4.42–7.34 mm.

Distribution and ecology: —Endemic to the western slopes of the Central Andes of Colombia in the departments of Quindío and Valle del Cauca ( Fig. 7 ). This species inhabits the interior and the margins of the forests, sometimes with moderate human intervention, on rocky, clay or sandy soils with organic matter, in areas with moderate to high precipitations, from 1400 to 2260 m. Populations of this species are locally appreciated because of their protective role of the water sources, against soil erosion, and as a shelter for wildlife. Found in flower throughout the year, excepting in August and November.

Additional representative specimens:— COLOMBIA. Dept. Quindío: Mun. Armenia, alrededor de la Posada Alemana, 4°38’44”N, 75° 35’28”W, elev. 3214 m, 10 August 1985, G. Arbeláez et al. 1114 (HUQ!). Mun. Buenavista, Vereda La Granja, 4°21’31”N, 75°44’24”W, elev. 1415 m, 24 October 2007, P. Sepúlveda et al. 468 (HUQ). Mun. Calarcá, Jardín Botánico del Quindío, 4°30’41”N, 75°39’03”W, elev. 1492 m, 14 December 2014, A.M. Morales-Trujillo 4, 5 (HUQ!). Mun. Circasia, Vereda Membrillal, Finca San Agustín, 4°37’28 “N, 75°38’23”W, elev. 1709 m, 13 December 1990, C. A. Agudelo et al. 723 (HUQ!). Mun. Córdoba, Vereda Guayaquil Alto, Reserva Guayaquil, 4°24’1 “N, 75°39’59”W, elev. 1862 m, 18 March 2008, P. Sepúlveda et al. 582 (HUQ!). Mun. Filandia, bosque del Jardín Botánico, abriendo trocha, 4°40’25”N, 75°38’56”W, elev. 1732 m, 28 January 1988, G. Arbeláez et al. 2405 (HUQ!). Mun. Pijao, carretera a La Palmera, 4°20’38”N, 75°42’58”W, elev. 2033 m, 3 August 1984, G. Arbeláez et al. 404 (HUQ!). Mun. Salento, Hotel Posada Alemana, sendero El Armadillo, 4°38’18”N, 75°34’24”W, elev. 1965 m, bosque relictual, 26 September 2001, V. Kovacic et al. 35 (HUQ!). Dept. Valle del Cauca: Mun. El Cairo, Corregimiento el Boquerón, Vereda El Brillante, sector de La Pradera, Reserva Natural cerro El Inglés, 4°45’9”N, 76°16’48”W, elev. 2044 m, 28 December 2007, J. Betancur et al. 12748 (COL!, NY photographs).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habit, inflorescence and infrutescence of Heliconia montana andH.venusta. A. H.montana,showing the opened inflorescence with the cincinnal bracts oriented 45º–50° to the axis of the inflorescence, and the lower surface of the leaves light green; B. H. venusta, showing a more closed inflorescence with the cincinnal bracts oriented 30°–45° to the axis of the inflorescence; C. Yellow immature fruits of H. montana; D. Green and purple immature fruits, and detail of the purple lower surface of the leaf of H. venusta.

FIGURE 7. Distribution map of Heliconia montana (green circles) and H. venusta (red circles) in Colombia, representing the analyzed material in this study. Heliconia venusta also distributes in Ecuador.