taxonID	type	description	language	source
71524828FF876433CFC2FE18F8EDFEE6.taxon	description	New species of Grias, similar to G. multinervia Cuatrec. (1951: 97), but differs by the distinctively elongate fruiting pedicels (10 – 11 cm long vs. 2.5 – 3.2 cm long), fewer pairs of lateral veins (40 – 50 vs. ca. 86), divergent basal lateral veins (vs. patent), and the presence of reticulate, fourth-order veinlets (vs. fourth-order veinlets plane and difficult to see).	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF876433CFC2FE18F8EDFEE6.taxon	materials_examined	Type: — COLOMBIA. Cauca: Municipio López de Micay, camino vereda El Porvenir, Puente Silva, 3 ° 01 ′ 48 ¨ N 77 ° 16 ′ 06 ¨ W, 100 m, 26 Jul 1988 (fr), J. Rubiano 221 (holotype: COL- 00310692!). Pachycaulous, unbranched, understory trees, ca. 8 m tall, the trunk cylindrical. Bark rough, brown, beige and creamish white, abundantly lenticellate, the lenticels and circular scars 1.5 – 3.5 mm in diam. Mature leaves clustered at apices of trunk or stems; petioles absent or scarcely developed, the midrib or short petiole hemispherical to suborbicular in cross-section at base of leaf; laminas narrowly oblanceolate, 70 – 130 × 13 – 20 cm, coriaceous, punctate on abaxial surface, glabrous, the base tapering, decurrent, the margins entire, the apex acuminate; the midrib prominent adaxially, longitudinally multi-sulcate abaxially when dry, venation brochidodromous, the secondary veins 40 – 50 pairs, the tertiary veins weakly percurrent, the higher order venation reticulate. Inflorescences cauline. Flower buds and mature flowers unknown. Fruiting pedicel 10 – 11 × 0.3 – 0.5 cm, with abundant prominent lenticels, circular to elliptical, 0.5 – 1.5 mm in diam.; fruit ellipsoid, ca. 5.5 – 7 × 3 cm, brown, the base cuneate to obtuse, the apex truncate, the sepals not seen; mesocarp and endocarp unknown.	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF876433CFC2FE18F8EDFEE6.taxon	discussion	Discussion: — Grias capparidastroides is known from only one mounted specimen, here designated as the type (from COL), which is composed of two detached leaves and two fruits with pedicels, one of which is attached to a piece of bark. Although this specimen, which lacks a terminal piece of stem and flowers, may be judged as an incomplete collection, the unusually elongate pedicels (10 – 11 cm long) and bark surface that is brown, beige and white with lenticels and circular scars 1.5 – 3.5 mm in diam., are sufficient characters to recognize this as a very distinct species. The unusually elongate fruiting pedicels of Grias capparidastroides is a unique and conspicuous character in the genus. Pedicels up to 7 cm long occur in some populations of Grias peruviana Miers (I 874: 301) s. l., but that species does not have such large lenticels nor the conspicuous circular scars 1.5 – 3.5 mm long near the attachment of the pedicels that are so characteristic of G. capparidastroides. In addition, on western side of Andes the leaf blades of G. peruviana have fewer (18 – 40) pairs of lateral veins. Grias capparidastroides occurs a few kilometers from Caliche, on the right margin of Río Micay, which is also the type locality of G. multinervia; however, these two species are quite distinct by the differences previously discussed and described in the diagnosis. The case of Grias capparidastroides is similar to that of Pentagonia chocoensis Cornejo (2014: 2), since it is a new species of tree that was collected several decades ago from the Chocó bioregion and is only known from an incomplete unicate in the COL herbarium that provides enough taxonomic information to be recognized as a distinctive species, yet is still only known from the type collection.	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF876433CFC2FE18F8EDFEE6.taxon	etymology	Etymology: — The epithet capparidastroides is from Capparidastrum (DC.) Hutch. (1967: 310), a genus of neotropical Capparaceae Juss. (1789: 242), and the Latin suffix - oīdēs, which means resemblance and refers to the apparent similarity of the fruits of this taxonomic novelty that hang down from elongate pedicels and resemble those of Capparidastrum. Common names: — Unknown. Habitat and distribution: — An understory tree, known only from the type locality, in the lowlands of Municipio López de Micay, 100 m, Department of Cauca, on the Chocoan Pacific coast of Colombia.	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF876433CFC2FE18F8EDFEE6.taxon	description	Phenology: — Fruiting specimens have been collected in late July. Conservation status: — Grias capparidastroides is known only from the type locality. As the area of occupancy of the species is less than 100 km 2, and because no other specimen of this species has been gathered or found in herbaria since the type was collected in 1988, it is suggested that this new species be assigned the Critically Endangered (CR) status following the IUCN criterion B 1 (IUCN 2022).	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF856435CFC2FE9EFB92FE3E.taxon	description	New species of Grias, similar to G. multinervia Cuatrec., but differs by the leaf blades with fewer lateral veins (45 – 50 vs. ca. 86) and green to dark punctations abaxially when fresh (vs. red punctations abaxially), and bark not transversely sulcate (vs. bark transversely sulcate). It is also similar to G. angustipetala Cornejo & S. A. Mori (2012: 319), but the new species differs from the latter by the fruit shape (ellipsoid to obovoid vs. subglobose) and molecularly (Vargas et al. 2024).	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF856435CFC2FE9EFB92FE3E.taxon	materials_examined	Type: — ECUADOR. Esmeraldas: Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi-Cayapas, Charco Vicente, 0 ° 43 ′ N 78 ° 53 ′ W, 50 m, 24 Mar 2010 (fr), X. Cornejo & C. Medina 8225 (holotype: NY- 01922294!; isotypes: GUAY!, K!). Pachycaulous, unbranched, understory trees, ca. 5 m tall × 8 cm dbh, the trunk cylindric to base. Bark mostly smooth, blackish-dark brown, with abundant lenticels. Stem-bearing leaves 15 – 30 mm diam. at lowest leaf attachment. Mature leaves clustered at apices of trunk or stems; petioles absent or scarcely developed, the midrib or short petiole hemispherical to suborbicular in cross section at base of leaf; laminas oblanceolate to oblanceolate-spathulate, 100 – 150 × 20 – 30 cm, coriaceous, adaxially glabrous, dark green and abaxially minutely puberulous on midvein of fresh leaves, pale green, the trichomes not easily seen in dried specimens, green to dark punctate, the base long tapering, the margins entire, the apex narrowly to broadly obtuse and shortly acuminate; venation brochidodromous, the midrib narrowly carinate for most of length adaxially, longitudinally multi-sulcate abaxially when dry, the lateral veins 40 – 50 pairs, 1.4 – 2.5 cm apart in mature leaves, adaxially plane to slightly impressed, abaxially salient, ± subrounded, the tertiary veins inconspicuous to prominulous, percurrent, joining secondaries at ca. 90 ° angles, the higher order venation inconspicuous. Inflorescences cauline from middle part of trunk, solitary flower (judging by the solitary fruit without peduncle nor additional pedicel scars at base of pedicel, and the pedicel directly attached to trunk, see Fig. 2 B). Flowers unknown. Fruiting pedicel 5 – 10 mm long; fruit ellipsoid to obovoid, ca. 7 – 9 × 4.5 – 5.5 cm, brown at maturity, the base cuneate, the apex broadly obtuse and truncate, the sepals not persistent; mesocarp 4 – 7 mm thick, light green; endocarp 5 – 6 × 3 cm.	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF856435CFC2FE9EFB92FE3E.taxon	discussion	Discussion: — In the original publication of Grias angustipetala (op. cit.), the description of the flowers was based on the type collection (Clark 7103) that comprises only leaves and flowering material. The fruits were not gathered in the same collection nor from the same individual. In the same work, specimens with fruits were added to the concept of the species as paratypes based on the similar leaves and the same distribution pattern. Based on information from the field and herbaria, the fruits were described as ¨ ellipsoid to obovoid ¨ (op. cit.; see also ¨ fruits brown, elliptic to obovate … ¨ fide Cornejo & Medina 8225). Grias angustipetala is the only species in the genus with pinkish-white to bright pinkish-red flowers. The color of the flowers was originally described as ¨ white or cream to bright pinkish-red at anthesis ¨ and, although the label of the type collection says ¨ corolla white ¨ and this is the only record with that color, a field image provided by John Clark of the same collection shows rather pale, pinkish-white flowers (Cornejo & Mori 2012, Fig. 1 A). In 2014, a monocaulous tree with large leaves, cauline rose flowers with centrifugally arranged outer stamens and globose to nearly globose fruits was collected in Playa de Oro, in the province of Esmeraldas, NW Ecuador (Cornejo 8653, GUAY, NY). This specimen was a puzzle in the understanding of the circumscription of G. angustipetala, because there is no known species of Grias with globose fruits. The molecular study of Vargas et al. (2024) placed the nine species of Grias analyzed in a monophyletic clade each with full bootstrap support. This included the type of G. angustipetala (Clark 7103) under the name G. multinervia L 338 and also a paratype of G. angustipetala (Cornejo & Medina 8225) LA 10 and these turned out to be two well supported sister lineages. Therefore, the molecular study revealed a cryptic species that was hidden under the name G. angustipetala and so this is recognized and formally described here. Furthermore, the cited paratype (Cornejo & Medina 8225) and the type of G. angustipetala do not fit within G. multinervia (see diagnosis, and compare against the transversely sulcate bark of G. multinervia from the field image in the original publication, Cuatrecasas 1951, fig. 6).	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF856435CFC2FE9EFB92FE3E.taxon	etymology	Etymology: — The epithet cryptica is composed of the ancient Greek κρυπτός (kruptós) that means hidden or secret, and refers to the fact that because of the aforementioned vegetative similarity the herbarium specimens of Grias cryptica were initially believed to be and identified as Grias angustipetala Cornejo & S. A. Mori. Further field and molecular studies (Vargas et al. 2024) revealed that this taxonomic novelty was an undescribed cryptic species, hence the name. Common names: — Ecuador: Pacora (indigenous, Aulestia et al. 17), puri gugj (indigenous, Tipaz 1494). Habitat and distribution: — An understory tree of mature wet forests, persistent in secondary wet forests, between 50 to 1000 m, in northwestern Ecuador.	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF856435CFC2FE9EFB92FE3E.taxon	description	Phenology: — Fruiting specimens have been collected in March, June, and July. Conservation status: — Grias cryptica is known from Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi Cayapas and Reserva Indígena Awá, both located in northwestern Ecuador. This species is here regarded as NT (IUCN 2022). Paratypes: — ECUADOR. Esmeraldas. Cantón san Lorenzo, Awá Indígenous Territory, centro Guadualito, 1 ° 15 ′ N 78 ° 40 ′ W, 80 m, 20 – 29 Jul 1992 (fr), C. Aulestia et al. 17 (MO, QCNE). Sector Sabalera, Reserva Indígena Awá, noreste casa comunal, en orilla de estero, 1 ° 00 ″ N 78 ° 24 ′ W, 650 – 1000 m, 19 – 28 Jun 1992 (fr), G. Tipaz et al. 1494 (MO, NY, QCNE).	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF836437CFC2FDE6F892FEE6.taxon	description	New species of Grias, similar to G. haugthii R. Knuth (1939: 31), but G. densiflora differs by the stiffly coriaceous leaf blades (vs. coriaceous), irregular raceme rachises with dense protruding pedicel scars throughout (vs. smooth, with loose pedicel scars), shorter pedicels (10 – 13 mm vs. 15 – 25 m long), calyx glandular dark punctate, shorter sepals (5 – 6 vs. 7 – 9 mm), and ovary longitudinally costate at apex (vs. ovary smooth at apex).	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF836437CFC2FDE6F892FEE6.taxon	materials_examined	Type: — ECUADOR. Antioquia: Río La Miel, hacienda “ La Rica ” un poco más abajo de la desembocadura del río Samaná, ca. 5 ° 40 ′ N 74 ° 46 ′ W, 8 Aug 1965 (fl), A. Fernández-Pérez & R. Jaramillo M. 7100 (holotype, 2 parts: NY- 00809973! (infl.), NY- 00809972! (leaf blade); isotypes COL!, NY- 00809971! (leaf blade). Pachycaulous, understory trees, ca. 10 m tall, the trunk cylindrical, not buttressed. Bark rough, grayish and brown. Stems unknown. Leaves clustered at apices of trunk or stout branches of stems; petioles lacking to 50 × 15 – 20 mm, semicircular in cross section, glabrous; blades oblanceolate or spathulate, ca. 160 – 170 × 30 – 42 cm, stiffly coriaceous, glabrous, punctate abaxially, the base tapering, revolute, the margins dentate, the apices acuminate; venation brochidodromous, the secondary veins ca. 40 – 45 pairs, those in middle of lamina 2.5 – 5 cm apart in mature leaves, the tertiary veins weakly percurrent, the higher order venation difficult to see ad- and abaxially. Inflorescences cauline, racemose, flowering in succession up to 40 flowers per rachis but up to 5 flowers at time, the rachises irregular with very densely arranged protruding pedicel scars throughout, up to 60 mm × 2 – 5 mm; pedicels 10 – 13 mm long, subtended by a single, triangular bract, 1 – 2.5 × 1 – 1.5 mm. Flower buds globose; mature flowers ca. 3 cm in diam.; hypanthium glabrous; calyx glandular dark punctate, enclosing bud, splitting into 2 – 4 irregular lobes at anthesis, the lobes 5 – 6 × 3 – 5 mm, hemiorbicular to deltoid; petals ovoid to elliptic, ca. 20 × 8 mm, yellow, spreading at anthesis, with inconspicuous dark brown marginal glands (observable in fresh material); androecium obloid, the staminal tube ca. 1.5 mm high, arching from base to apex, divided into 2 chambers, with 80 – 100 stamens, the filaments bent inward and tapering at apex, the outermost ca. 7 mm long, yellow, the connectives absent, the anthers suborbicular, 0.6 – 0.8 mm long, with lateral dehiscence; ovary 4 - locular, with 1 – 2 ovules per locule, glabrous, the apex umbonate, longitudinally costate, a nectary disk absent, the style less than 0.5 mm long. Fruiting pedicel, fruit, and endocarp not seen.	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF836437CFC2FDE6F892FEE6.taxon	discussion	Discussion: — Among congenerics, Grias densiflora is unique in having stiffly coriaceous leaf blades, cauline racemes projecting rachises crowded with very densely arranged protruding pedicel scars throughout, and top of ovary thinly costate. The acropetous racemes densely produce up to 40 flowers in succession (judging by the scars) on a rachis 60 mm long, suggesting a particular floral behavior that deserves further field research. In the revision of Grias (Mori in Prance and Mori 1979), the type collection of G. densiflora (Fernández-Pérez & Jaramillo 7100) was cited as Grias haughtii, a name originally used by the same collector for identification, as it is typewritten on the label. However, the characters discussed in the diagnosis do not fit the type collection of the latter species. Furthermore, based on fieldwork observing Grias for 30 years on both sides of Andes, there is no other species with racemose inflorescences with such a dense and a high number of flowers on a relatively short rachis. Thus, it deserves taxonomic recognition.	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF836437CFC2FDE6F892FEE6.taxon	etymology	Etymology: — The epithet densiflora refers to the racemose inflorescences with characteristic rachises with dense pedicel scars suggesting a crowded flower arrangement. Common names: — Unknown. Habitat and distribution: — An understory to medium-sized tree known only from the type locality, in the lowlands of the department of Antioquia, Colombia.	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
71524828FF836437CFC2FDE6F892FEE6.taxon	description	Phenology: — Flowering specimens have been collected in August. Conservation status: — Grias densiflora is known only from the type locality. As the area of occupancy of the species is less than 100 km 2, and because no other specimen of this species has been gathered or found in herbaria since the type was collected in 1965, it is suggested that this new species be assigned the Critically Endangered (CR) status following the IUCN criterion B 1 (IUCN 2022).	en	Cornejo, Xavier, Prance, Ghillean T. (2025): Three new species of Grias (Lecythidaceae) from Colombia and Ecuador. Phytotaxa 684 (2): 289-297, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.684.2.12
