Costus callosus Maas & H.Maas sp. nov.

Diagnosis.

Costus callosus sp. nov. (Fig. 7) is most similar to C. curvibracteatus, differing by the inflorescence mostly produced terminally on a leafless shoot, with soon withering sheaths and bracts with a very long callus.

Type.

Colombia, Chocó: Mun. San José del Palmar, mouth of Río Torito (affluent of RioHabita), Finca Los Guaduales, 730-830 m, 4 Mar 1980, E. Forero, Jaramillo-Mejía, Espina Z. & Palacios 6668 (holotype COL, 3 sheets; isotypes MO-1456278, U1607067, U1607068, U1607069, U1610613) .

Description.

Herb 0.5-3 m tall. Leaves sheaths 15-30 mm diam; ligule obliquely truncate, 10-30 mm long, distally black to dark purple, with a minute, salient rim; petiole 5-20 mm long; sheaths, ligule and petiole glabrous, sparsely puberulous, or densely villose; lamina narrowly elliptic, 25-50 × 7-16 cm, adaxially sparsely to rather densely villose to puberulous, abaxially rather densely villose, base acute, apex acuminate (acumen 5-15 mm long). Inflorescence ovoid to subglobose, 6-23 × 6-12 cm, terminating a leafless shoot 20-90 cm long, rarely terminating a leafy shoot (Knapp & Vodicka 5524), sheaths withering and completely or partly falling off with age, obliquely truncate, 4-10 cm long, glabrous, sparsely puberulous to densely villose; bracts, bracteole, calyx, ovary, and capsule glabrous to rather densely puberulous. Flowers abaxially oriented; bracts orange-red, red, or yellow, coriaceous, ovate-triangular, 4-7 × 2.5-4 cm, apex acute to obtuse, more or less curved outwards to patent in living plants, callus 8-25 mm long, margins wooly in living material; bracteole boat-shaped, 20-30 mm long; calyx red, 10-18 mm long, lobes deltate, 2-8 mm long; corolla orange to yellow, ca. 50 mm long, glabrous, lobes elliptic, ca. 30 mm long; labellum yellow, lateral lobes rolled inwards and forming a tube ca. 10 mm diam, elliptic when spread out, ca. 35 × 25 mm, 3-lobulate, lobules red, 5-6 mm long; stamen yellow, 35-40 × 12-15 mm, slightly exceeding the labellum, apex orange-red, acute, anther 9-10 mm long. Capsule ellipsoid to obovoid, 8-15 mm long.

Distribution.

Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia (Antioquia, Chocó) (Fig. 21F).

Habitat and ecology.

In forests, at elevations of 0-1300 m. Flowering year-round.

Vernacular names.

Panama: Caña agria (Kuna).

Etymology.

Costus callosus sp. nov. has been named after the very conspicuous thickened callose zone on its bracts.

Paratypes.

Costa Rica. Alajuela: Volcán Arenal, Funk 10490 (MO). Heredia: path beyond Río Sucio, Braulio Carrillo, 400 m, 4 May 1984, Gómez Pignataro et al. 21201 (MO); Cantón de Sarapiquí, Llanura de Tortuguero, ca. 5 km NE of Puerto Viejo, NE side of Río Sucio, 50 m, 5 Oct 1996, Hammel et al. 20494 (INBIO, MO, U, 2 sheets); Cantón de Sarapiquí, Cuenca del Sarapiquí, 5 km NE of Puerto Viejo, NE side of Río Sucio, 50 m, 22 Sep 1996, Hammel et al. 20694 (INBIO, MO). Limón: Hacienda Tapezco-Hacienda La Suerte, 29 air km W of Tortuguero, 40 m, 24 Aug 1979, Davidson & Donahue 8770 (CR, LAM, U); Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, W side of Río Sucio, 450 m, 4 Aug 1989, Hammel et al. 17668 (MO, U); Braulio Carrillo National Park, Quebrada Gonzales section, ca. 40 km NNE of San José, 500 m, May 1992, Lücking s.n. (U). Panama. Bocas del Toro: 2 miles below the divide along main highway, 500 m, 23 Jun 1986, Kress et al. 86-1978 (MO). Chiriquí: behind Vivero Forestal de Boquete, 12 km N of Los Planes de Hornito, IRHE Fortuna, 1100-1200 m, 17 Jun 1982, Knapp & Vodicka 5524 (U); near Fortuna dam, from Continental Divide to Chiriquí Grande, 1100 m, 22 Oct 1985, LaFrankie 85-38 (MO, U). Darién: Parque Nacional del Darién, along S branch of Río Pucuro, near Tacarcuna, ca. 18 km E of Pucuro, 600-800 m, 25 Oct 1987, Hammel et al. 16513 (MO, U); 0-2 miles E of Tres Bocas, along the shortest headwater of Río Cuasi, 28 Apr 1968, Kirkbride & Duke 1180 (MO, U). Panama: Altos de Pacora, ca. 20 km NE of Cerro Azul, 750 m, 19 May 1972, Dressler 4190 (U, 3 sheets); summit of Cerro Jefe, 26 Aug 1967, Hayden 1020 (MO, 2 sheets); 5-6 hours walk from Chocó village, Serrania de Maje, 650-800 m, 31 Mar 1982, Knapp et al. 4519 (MO, U); Altos de Pacora, 750 m, 2 Sep 1974, Maas et al. 1548 (U, 2 sheets). Colombia. Antioquia: Mun. Amalfi, between Amalfi and Fraguas, 1220-1300 m, 14 Feb 1989, MacDougal et al. 4020 (HUA). Chocó: Carretera Panamericana, between Río San Pablo and Río Pató, 23 Apr 1979, Forero et al. 5765 (COL, MO, U, 2 sheets). Cultivated Material. Colombia, Valle del Cauca, Mun. Palmira, Reserva Natural Nirvana, 13 Jul 2018, Maas et al. 10688 (L, 3 sheets).

Notes.

Maas (1977) already suspected this species differed from C. curvibracteatus Maas, although they share many ligule and bract characters. The presence of a separate, leafless flowering shoot with soon withering sheaths and the presence of a distinct callus on the bracts convinced us that it is worthy of recognition as a separate species. Material recently collected (Maas et al. 10688) in the Reserva Natural Nirvana, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, made it possible to add all flower details to the description.