taxonID	type	description	language	source
0E3187E6FFB1C050FF11C68FFE4F09EE.taxon	materials_examined	Type: — PERU. Cusco: Distrito Quispicanchis, Prov. Culebrayoc, marca 2500 m en trocha. 13 ° 29 ’ 35.4 ” S, 70 ° 53 ’ 0.6 ” W, 2650 m, 3 Jun 2012 [b & fl], F. A. Michelangeli, J. M. Burke, J. D. Wells & D. F. Paredes 1777 (holotype, USM- 00261889! isotypes, NY- 02540484!, MO!).	en	Riva-Regalado, Sebastián G., Michelangeli, Fabián A. (2025): Blakea viridis (Melastomataceae, Pyxidantheae), a new species from southern Peru. Phytotaxa 730 (1): 103-108, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9
0E3187E6FFB1C050FF11C68FFE4F09EE.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: — Similar to B. nareliana and B. pavida Rob. Fern., Michelang. & R. Goldenb (in Fernandez-Hilario et al. 2024: 12), characterized by floral pedicels 5.7 – 6 cm long (vs. 21 – 31 cm long and 7 – 9 cm long, respectively), and greenish petals (vs. yellowish-green or reddish), 10 mm long (vs. 20 – 25 mm long or 11 – 17 mm long, respectively).	en	Riva-Regalado, Sebastián G., Michelangeli, Fabián A. (2025): Blakea viridis (Melastomataceae, Pyxidantheae), a new species from southern Peru. Phytotaxa 730 (1): 103-108, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9
0E3187E6FFB1C050FF11C68FFE4F09EE.taxon	description	Epiphytic shrub; young branches more or less quadrangular and becoming terete when mature, with ferruginous, scaly and elongated moderately roughened trichomes ca. 1 mm long. Leaves isomorphic with petioles 0.7 – 1 cm long moderately pubescent, the trichomes as in the stems; leaf blades oblong – elliptic, apex rounded or short and abruptly acuminate, base obtuse, membranous – chartaceous, margin entire, 5 – 6 × 3.5 – 4 cm, with 2 pairs of lateral (secondary) veins (including the marginal veins), transversal (tertiary) veins percurrent, spaced 1 – 2 mm apart, and abaxial surface with sparse sessile yellowish glands, ca. 0.2 mm wide, and with ferruginous pubescence in the primary and lateral veins similar to the stems, but ca. 0.5 mm long, adaxial surface glabrous. Inflorescences, axillary, mostly with 1 flower per node, the penducles 5.7 – 6 cm long, moderately pubescent, the trichomes as in the stem but varying in size from 0.2 – 1 mm long, many of the caducous as the flower matures, and with sparse white (in vivo) lenticels 1 – 2.6 mm long; bracts free and slightly exceeding the calyx, greenish; outer bracts ca. 17 × 9 mm, ovate – lanceolate, strongly acute at apex, pubescent below and three main veins (the trichomes as in the leaf veins); inner bracts ca. 10 × 10 mm, orbicular – ovate with an acute apex, glabrous upper surface, and the abaxial surface sparsely pubescent mostly towards the apex, the trichomes as in the stems and peduncles, but mostly ca. 0.2 mm long. Flowers 6 - merous; hypanthium 8 mm wide × 3 mm internal width, glabrous, green; calyx tube ca. 2 mm long, the lobes 4 × 5 mm the margins revolute, green with the apices reddish in bud and anthesis, turning red in fruit. Petals six, greenish, 10 × 10 mm, obovate – oblong and rounded to obtuse at the apex, glabrous. Stamens 12, isomorphic, white to cream, filaments 4 mm long (in bud); anthers 4 × 1 mm; connective tooth not elevated; ovary inferior, 4 × 2 mm, 6 - locular, the apex glabrous. Style 9 mm long, glabrous, white to cream, stigma punctiform. Fruits and seeds unknown.	en	Riva-Regalado, Sebastián G., Michelangeli, Fabián A. (2025): Blakea viridis (Melastomataceae, Pyxidantheae), a new species from southern Peru. Phytotaxa 730 (1): 103-108, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9
0E3187E6FFB1C050FF11C68FFE4F09EE.taxon	distribution	Distribution: — Blakea viridis is only known from three collections two of them at the same location in the district of Marcapata, province of Quispicanchi, and one from the Kosñipata district, Paucartambo Province, all collections corresponding to the Cusco region. It grows between 2150 – 2750 m, in an area characterized as “ Bosque de Montaña Montano [Bm-mo] ” (MINAM, 2015), which corresponds to cloud or high elevation montane forest.	en	Riva-Regalado, Sebastián G., Michelangeli, Fabián A. (2025): Blakea viridis (Melastomataceae, Pyxidantheae), a new species from southern Peru. Phytotaxa 730 (1): 103-108, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9
0E3187E6FFB1C050FF11C68FFE4F09EE.taxon	etymology	Etymology: — The epithet “ viridis ”, comes from the Latin word for “ green ”, referring to the green internal and external bracts and petals of this species.	en	Riva-Regalado, Sebastián G., Michelangeli, Fabián A. (2025): Blakea viridis (Melastomataceae, Pyxidantheae), a new species from southern Peru. Phytotaxa 730 (1): 103-108, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9
0E3187E6FFB1C050FF11C68FFE4F09EE.taxon	conservation	Conservation status: — Blakea viridis has an Extent of Ocurrence (EOO) of 17.464 km 2 and an Area of Ocurrence (AOO) of 8 km 2, based on three collections from two locations (sensu IUCN). One of the locations is within the Manu National Park, and the second one is outside any protected area. Given the paucity of collections in two localities, there is not enough information to make a conservation assessment. Therefore, we recommend to preliminarily categorize Blakea viridis as Data Deficient (DD) until more data becomes available (IUCN, 2022).	en	Riva-Regalado, Sebastián G., Michelangeli, Fabián A. (2025): Blakea viridis (Melastomataceae, Pyxidantheae), a new species from southern Peru. Phytotaxa 730 (1): 103-108, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9
0E3187E6FFB1C050FF11C68FFE4F09EE.taxon	discussion	Notes: — In Peru there are two other species of Blakea with long pedunculate inflorescences and at least partially greenish petals: Blakea nareliana and B. pavida. Blakea nareliana differs by its coriaceous leaves, floral peduncles 21 – 32 cm long, bracts that notably exceed the calyx, the outer ones 35 − 40 × 40 − 45 mm, and the inner ones internal 20 − 25 × 15 − 25 mm and yellowish-greenish petals. Blakea pavida has subcoriaceus leaves, floral peduncles 7 – 9.8 cm long and reddish-greenish petals. Blakea viridis, on the other hand, has membranous-chartaceous leaves, floral peduncles of 5.7 – 6 cm, bracts that do not exceed the calyx, the outer ones 17 × 9 mm and the internal ones 10 × 10 mm. Finally, B. nareliana has been reported from the border between the departments of Amazonas – San Martín in the North of Peru (Bussmann, 2013) and B. pavida is known only from the Department on Cajamarca in the Province of Cutervo, also in northern Peru (Fernandez-Hilario et al. 2024), while B. viridis is from Cusco, in the South. Other Blakea species that possess greenish flowers and long peduncules include, B. penduliflora Almeda (1980: 508), B. purpusii Brandegee (1914: 58), B. austin – smithii Standley (1938: 1561), and B. ricardoi Michelang. & D. Santam (2020: 12), all from Central America (Almeda 1990, 2000; Bussman 2013; Michelangeli & SantamariaAguilar 2020). Blakea penduliflora Almeda (1980: 508), from Costa Rica, differs by its subquadrangular branches when young (vs. terete in B. viridis), indument of subulate trichomes 0.5 – 1.5 mm long (vs. the trichomes elongated and moderately roughened), coriaceous leaves (vs. membranous – chartaceous in B. viridis) and peduncle 2.8 – 5.6 cm long (vs. 5.7 – 6 cm in B. viridis) (Almeda, 1980). Blakea purpusii from Mexico and Blakea austin-smithii from Costa Rica also share greenish bracts and petals, but both have peduncles shorter than 1 cm, and the outer bracts do not exceed the calyx (Brandegee, 1914; Standley, 1938). Blakea ricardoi, from Costa Rica, shares with B. viridis the external and internal bracts smaller than the calyx and the greenish petals. However, B. ricardoi differs by presenting subquadrangular to quadrangular branches (vs. terete branches), coriaceous leaves with transversal veins 3 – 7 mm apart (vs. 1 − 2 mm), the presence of stellate trichomes, internal and external bracts with obtuse apices, reddish coloration of the lobes of the calyx and a rough reddish pubescence, present on the pedicel (Michelangeli & Santamaría-Aguilar 2020). Based on our own data, six different species of Blakea have been collected in the department of Cusco, all very easy to differentiate from Blakea viridis; Blakea brasiliensis Cogn (1888: 561), has papery leaves, outer bracts 18 × 8 mm, and inner bracts 12 × 9 mm, and white petals, 12 × 16 mm (vs. membranous chartaceous leaves, outer bracts 17 × 9 mm, inner bracts 10 × 10 mm, and greenish petals in B. viridis); B. sawadae J. F. Macbr (1929: 178), is distinguished by purple stamens and pink to white petals 13 × 13 mm. (vs. yellowish stamens and 10 × 10 mm greenish petals in B. viridis); B. latifolia D. Don (1823: 325), has short 5 – 7 mm long peduncles (vs. 5.7 – 6 cm peduncles in B. viridis); B. multiflora D. Don (1823: 326), similar to B. latifolia in having short 2 – 3 mm long peduncles (vs. 5.7 – 6 cm B. viridis); B. repens D. Don (1823: 325), has stipuliform flaps and branchlet nodes densely but deciduously appressed-setose with trichomes 5 mm long. (vs. glabrous internodes), 1 – 2 cm long peduncles, and white petals of 16 – 20 mm × 10 – 14 mm (vs. 10 × 10 mm greenish in B. viridis); and finally, B. rostrata O. Berg ex Triana (1872: 148) that has 1 – 1.5 cm long peduncles (vs. 5.7 – 5.7 cm peduncles in B. viridis). Given the long peduncle and green petals, it could be speculated that B. viridis is also vertebrate pollinated (Lumer 1980; Penneys & Almeda, 2022). However, no pollination observations for this species have ever been recorded.	en	Riva-Regalado, Sebastián G., Michelangeli, Fabián A. (2025): Blakea viridis (Melastomataceae, Pyxidantheae), a new species from southern Peru. Phytotaxa 730 (1): 103-108, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9
0E3187E6FFB1C050FF11C68FFE4F09EE.taxon	materials_examined	Additional specimens examined: — PERU, Cusco: Peru. Cusco: Paucartambo, Prov. Kosñipata, P. N. Manu, Trocha Unión, Lat. - 13.1068, Long - 71.5901, 2750 m s. n. m., 16 June 2011 (bud), F. A. Michelangeli & C. Arenas 1655 (NY!, USM!). Quispicanchi Province, District of Marcapata. Limacpunko, Community of Union Arasa, Cullebrayoc Trail, - 13.4948, - 70.8879. Elev: 2150 – 2366 m s. n. m., 2100 – 1000 m [along] Cullebrayoc Trail, 26 April 2011, J. D. Wells, P. Centeno 974 (BRIT!, USM!).	en	Riva-Regalado, Sebastián G., Michelangeli, Fabián A. (2025): Blakea viridis (Melastomataceae, Pyxidantheae), a new species from southern Peru. Phytotaxa 730 (1): 103-108, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.730.1.9
