identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
B54270F1B5355AF8A7B03A91EADE5994.text	B54270F1B5355AF8A7B03A91EADE5994.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Besleria purpureovenosa J. L. Clark 2026	<div><p>Besleria purpureovenosa J. L. Clark sp. nov.</p><p>Fig. 2</p><p>Diagnosis.</p><p>Distinguished from all other Besleria species by the prominent dark purple primary and secondary veins contrasting with the green lamina on the abaxial leaf surface.</p><p>Type.</p><p>Colombia • Antioquia: Municipio Andes, Reserva Natural Mesenia-Paramillo (Fundación Bioconservancy), <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=-75.91939&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=5.493122" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long -75.91939/lat 5.493122)">ridgeline near Alto de Las Ranas and dome highcamp</a>, 5°29'35.24"N, 75°55'9.81"W, 3000–3158 m, 26 March 2026, J. L. Clark, S. E. Hoyos-Gómez, G. A. Wahlert, S. Vieira-Uribe, A. Suárez &amp; A. Enikolopov 20668 (holotype: HUA!; isotypes: COL, SEL, US) .</p><p>Description.</p><p>Unbranched terrestrial subshrubs to 90 cm tall. Stems elongate and subwoody, terete in cross section, 3–6 mm in diameter, brown tomentose throughout. Leaves evenly spaced (not clustered), opposite, equal in a pair; petiole 1.5–2.4 cm long, terete in cross-section, brown tomentose; blade coriaceous, narrowly oblong to ovate, 7–8.5 × 2.7–3.3 cm, adaxially uniformly dark green, abaxially light green with dark purple primary and secondary venation, the veins prominently raised, apex acute to acuminate, base acute, margin entire, 6–8 pairs of secondary veins, uniformly hispid adaxially, abaxially pilose along the veins and hispid between the veins. Inflorescences reduced to a cluster of 2–5 axillary flowers, flowers horizontal relative to calyx, pedicels 4–6 mm long. Calyx lobes green to green suffused with red, pilose on the outside and glabrous on the inside, lobes five, equal in size, nearly free, fused at the base for 1–2 mm, valvate to separate when mature, and clasping corolla tube, ca. 6 × 3 mm, broadly ovate, apex acute, margins irregularly fimbriate. Corolla narrowly tubular, slightly ampliate on lower surface, 1.2–1.5 cm long, gibbous at base, 4–5.5 mm wide, outside uniformly pilose, inside glabrous, throat oval in cross section, lobes five, subequal, margins entire, lobes reflexed, ca. 2 × 3 mm, uniformly orange. Androecium of four included didynamous stamens; filaments broad and flat, ca. 6 mm long, adnate to the corolla tube base for 3.5 mm, glabrous; anthers oblong, coherent by the lateral walls, dehiscing longitudinally, ca. 1.3 × 1.3 mm; staminode well developed, apex triangular. Nectary an annular disc surrounding the ovary. Gynoecium comprising a superior ovary, ca. 4 × 2.5 mm, cone-shaped, sparsely pilose; style stout, included, 6 mm long; stigma shallowly bilabiate. Fruit a globose white berry, ca. 0.5 × 0.5 cm; seeds pinkish red.</p><p>Phenology.</p><p>Collected with flowers and fruits in March.</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>The specific epithet purpureovenosa refers to the prominent purple primary and secondary venation on the abaxial leaf surface, a diagnostic character that readily distinguishes this species from other members of the genus.</p><p>Distribution.</p><p>Besleria purpureovenosa is currently known only from the Mesenia-Paramillo Nature Reserve along the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Occidental in western Colombia (Fig. 1).</p><p>Notes.</p><p>The primary and secondary veins on the abaxial leaf surface of Besleria purpureovenosa are prominently dark purple to nearly black, contrasting with the uniformly green leaf blades (Fig. 2 B). This combination is rare in Besleria but is also found in the recently described Besleria nigra J. L. Clark &amp; Clavijo, in which the lamina varies from green to uniformly black, but the venation is consistently black. The two species are readily distinguished by leaf indumentum: the leaf blades of B. nigra are glabrous, whereas those of B. purpureovenosa are uniformly hispid adaxially and pilose along the veins abaxially, with the intervening lamina hispid.</p><p>In Gesneriaceae, primary and secondary veins are typically similar in color to the surrounding lamina; thus, green leaves generally have green venation, whereas red or purple leaves have correspondingly pigmented venation. A notable exception from the same locality in the Mesenia-Paramillo Nature Reserve is Columnea versicolor, which likewise has predominantly green leaf blades with contrasting red primary and secondary veins. As in C. versicolor, the distinctive venation of B. purpureovenosa is conspicuous in living plants and remains readily visible in dried herbarium specimens.</p><p>Besleria purpureovenosa is further distinguished by its coriaceous leaf blades, whereas most congeners have membranaceous leaf blades. The green calyx lobes contrasting with an orange tubular corolla are consistent with many species of Besleria; however, the evenly spaced leaves along elongate, stout shoots are unusual, as most species exhibit leaves that are terminally clustered. In his monographic revision of Besleria, Morton (1939) treated three similar species from the Colombian Andes. Besleria purpureovenosa differs from B. reticulata var. venosa C. V. Morton by its coriaceous leaves, prominently dark purple primary and secondary venation, and elongate shoots with evenly spaced leaves. Although B. pennellii C. V. Morton occurs at comparable elevations in the Colombian Andes, it lacks the conspicuous dark purple venation. Likewise, B. cinnabarina Fritsch shares similar leaf dimensions and numbers of secondary vein pairs but is readily distinguished by its green venation and serrate calyx lobe margins (vs. irregularly fimbriate in B. purpureovenosa). The unique combination of dark purple to nearly black primary and secondary venation, coriaceous leaves, evenly spaced leaves along elongate shoots, and irregularly fimbriate calyx margins provides a clear basis for recognizing B. purpureovenosa as a distinct species.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/B54270F1B5355AF8A7B03A91EADE5994	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Clark, John L.;Clavijo, Laura;Hoyos-Gómez, Saúl E.;Vieira-Uribe, Sebastián;Rendón, Ubiel;Mazariegos, Luis A.;Wahlert, Gregory A.	Clark, John L., Clavijo, Laura, Hoyos-Gómez, Saúl E., Vieira-Uribe, Sebastián, Rendón, Ubiel, Mazariegos, Luis A., Wahlert, Gregory A. (2026): Two new species of Besleria (Gesneriaceae) from Reserva Natural Mesenia-Paramillo in Colombia’s Cordillera Occidental. PhytoKeys 279: 17-26, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.279.199372
CF0EE370F8885C85B8323EAC4F554B03.text	CF0EE370F8885C85B8323EAC4F554B03.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Besleria roseocalyx J. L. Clark & Clavijo 2026	<div><p>Besleria roseocalyx J. L. Clark &amp; Clavijo sp. nov.</p><p>Fig. 3</p><p>Diagnosis.</p><p>Differs from all other congeners by its reddish-pink calyx lobes that contrast with yellow tubular corollas (vs. green calyx lobes and orange tubular corollas in most other Besleria).</p><p>Type.</p><p>Colombia • Risaralda: Municipio Mistrató, Cordillera Occidental, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=-75.895&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=5.4827776" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long -75.895/lat 5.4827776)">path from Río San Juan to San Antonio de Chamí</a>, 5°28'58"N, 75°53'42"W, 2200–2500 m, 17 May 2012, J. L. Clark, J. Anderson, L. Clavijo &amp; U. Rendón 12970 (holotype: COL!; isotypes: BM, BRIT, CUVC, E, FLAS, HUA, HUQ, ICESI, JAUM, K, MEDEL, NY, PSO, SEL! [barcode SEL 077583], US! [barcode US 04701348]) .</p><p>Description.</p><p>Unbranched terrestrial subshrubs to 1.3 m tall. Stems elongate and subwoody, terete in cross section, 4–7 mm in diameter, glabrous, reddish to purple. Leaves opposite, equal in a pair; petiole 5–8.5 cm long, terete in cross-section, glabrous; blade membranaceous, oblong to ovate, 10–18 × 4–7 cm, adaxially dark green, abaxially light green, apex and base acute, margin entire, 6–11 pairs of secondary veins, sometimes the veins reddish to purple, glabrous adaxially, abaxially glabrous to sparsely pilose along the veins. Inflorescences reduced to a cluster of 3–8 axillary flowers, flowers oblique relative to calyx, pedicels 2–4 mm long. Calyx lobes reddish-pink, glabrous outside and inside, lobes five, equal in size, nearly free, fused at the base for 1–2 mm, valvate to separate when mature, ca. 7 × 2.5 mm, broadly ovate, apex acute, margins entire. Corolla tubular, 1.0– 1.3 cm long, gibbous at base, 4–5 mm wide, outside sparsely pilose, inside glabrous with glandular trichomes along the throat, throat oval in cross section, lobes five, subequal, margins entire, lobes reflexed, ca. 1.5 × 2.5 mm, uniformly yellow and translucent. Androecium of four included didynamous stamens; filaments broad and flat, ca. 6 mm long, adnate to the corolla tube base for 3.5 mm, glabrous; anthers oblong, coherent by the lateral walls, dehiscing longitudinally, ca. 1.2 × 1.2 mm; staminode well developed, apex triangular. Nectary an annular disc surrounding the ovary. Gynoecium comprising a superior ovary, ca. 3.5 × 2.5 mm, cone-shaped, sparsely pilose; style stout, included, 6 mm long; stigma shallowly bilabiate. Fruit a globose white berry, ca. 0.5 × 0.5 cm; seeds ellipsoid, brown.</p><p>Additional specimens examined.</p><p>Colombia • Antioquia: Municipio Jardín, Vereda La Mesenia, Reserva Natural Mesenia-Paramillo, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=-75.892&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=5.489972" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long -75.892/lat 5.489972)">Recorrido desde la Cabaña por el sendero hacía el Alto del Chamí</a>. 5°29'23.9"N, 75°53'31.2"W, 2422 m, 8 Aug 2022 (fl), L. Clavijo, A. Idárraga, G. A. Wahlert, S. E. Hoyos-Gómez, H. David, S. Vieira-Uribe &amp; U. Rendón 2657 (COL, CUVC, HUA, JAUM, SEL, US) . • Risaralda: Municipio Mistrató, Reserva Natural Mesenia-Paramillo (Fundación Bioconservancy), <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=-75.894936&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=5.4743915" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long -75.894936/lat 5.4743915)">Trail from El Alto to Descanso de La Madre Laura, near Río San Juan Bravo</a>, 5°28'27.81"N, 75°53'41.77"W, 1900–2200 m, 28 March 2026, J. L. Clark, S. E. Hoyos-Gómez, G. A. Wahlert &amp; Y. E. Lopez 20700 (COL, HUA, SEL, US) .</p><p>Phenology.</p><p>Flowering in March, May, and August; fruiting in March and May.</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>The specific epithet roseocalyx is derived from the Latin roseus (rose-colored) and Greek kalyx (calyx), referring to the reddish-pink calyx lobes that contrast with the yellow corolla (Fig. 3).</p><p>Distribution.</p><p>Besleria roseocalyx is currently known only from the Mesenia-Paramillo Nature Reserve along the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Occidental in western Colombia (Fig. 1).</p><p>Notes.</p><p>Most species of Besleria are characterized by green calyces and uniformly orange corolla tubes. This species is distinctive in its unusual combination of reddish-pink calyx lobes and yellow corollas (Fig. 3 A), a color pattern that is rare within the genus. The reddish-pink calyx coloration is retained in pressed herbarium specimens, although it is most conspicuous in living plants. Despite this striking difference, other features of B. roseocalyx are consistent with typical members of Besleria, including a globose, indehiscent white berry (Fig. 3 B), a terrestrial subshrub habit (Fig. 3 E), and reduced inflorescences with clusters of axillary flowers (Fig. 3). Besleria roseocalyx and B. densiflora Fritsch share a subshrub habit and axillary clusters of flowers, but B. roseocalyx is distinguished by glabrous stems (vs. pubescent stems), reddish-pink calyx lobes (vs. green calyx lobes), and a pilose ovary (vs. a glabrous ovary). Besleria roseocalyx and B. leucocarpa C. V. Morton share fasciculate inflorescences and white berries, but B. roseocalyx is distinguished by its yellow corolla (vs. orange-red) and glabrous calyx (vs. pubescent). Besleria floribunda Fritsch shares a yellow corolla, but B. roseocalyx is distinguished by its reduced inflorescences with flowers clustered in the leaf axils (vs. well-developed, branched inflorescences). Another similar species from the Cordillera Occidental is Besleria nubigena C. V. Morton, which differs from B. roseocalyx by its quadrangular stems (vs. terete) and orange corolla tubes (vs. yellow). It should be noted that the type specimen of B. nubigena (F. W. Pennell 10412) contains conflicting information regarding corolla color. The specimen label describes the flowers as “ pale yellow, ” whereas a separate annotation label states that the corollas are “ distally cream-colored, proximally paler. ” Furthermore, most observations identified as B. nubigena on iNaturalist depict plants with orange flowers and narrow calyx lobes. In the protologue, Morton (1939) described the calyx lobes as “ oblongo-lanceolati acuti liberi integri ”, i. e., free, oblong-lanceolate, acute, and with entire margins. Specimens identified as B. nubigena from the Cordillera Occidental have lanceolate calyx lobes that appear to be conspecific with the type. The distinctive combination of a reddish-pink calyx and yellow corolla, together with the characters noted above, provides a clear basis for recognizing B. roseocalyx as a distinct species.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/CF0EE370F8885C85B8323EAC4F554B03	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Clark, John L.;Clavijo, Laura;Hoyos-Gómez, Saúl E.;Vieira-Uribe, Sebastián;Rendón, Ubiel;Mazariegos, Luis A.;Wahlert, Gregory A.	Clark, John L., Clavijo, Laura, Hoyos-Gómez, Saúl E., Vieira-Uribe, Sebastián, Rendón, Ubiel, Mazariegos, Luis A., Wahlert, Gregory A. (2026): Two new species of Besleria (Gesneriaceae) from Reserva Natural Mesenia-Paramillo in Colombia’s Cordillera Occidental. PhytoKeys 279: 17-26, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.279.199372
