Cuatrecasanthus kingii H. Rob. & V.A. Funk, 2012

Robinson, Harold & Funk, Vicki A., 2012, Cuatrecasanthus (Vernonieae, Compositae): A revision of a north-central Andean genus, PhytoKeys 14, pp. 23-41 : 29-30

4. Cuatrecasanthus kingii H. Rob. & V.A. Funk sp. nov. Figs 6B 7 10

Type.

Ecuador. Zamora-Chinchipe: 17 km E of Loja on the road to Zamora [03°58'53"S, 79°06'31"W, estimated], 7800 ft [2370 m], 31 January 1979, King & Almeda 7928 (holotype: US!; isotype: CAS).

Description.

Shrubs to 1 m tall, bases erect or decumbent to rhizomate; stems densely lanulate with tawny mostly single-celled trichomes. Leaves with petioles 0.8 - 2.0 cm long; blades ovate to elliptical, mostly 3.5-8.5 cm long, 2-3 cm wide; base acuminate, apex short-acuminate, margins appearing entire, narrowly recurved, with incurved teeth distally, adaxial surface dark, epidermal cells often paler in area along veins, surface plane or with slightly insculpate veins, densely hispidulous with stiff trichome bases, abaxial surface densely lanulate to sericeous with tawny trichomes, at surface with dense white cover of myceliumiiform stellate trichomes; secondary veins ca. 5 or 6 on each side of midvein, spreading at base at 45-50° angles, curved and more strongly ascending near margins. Inflorescence distinctly exceeding reduced distal leaves, with few long ascending branches; branches tomentellous with dark hairs. Heads sessile and with up to 12 clustered in dense ultimate glomerules, up to 10 mm tall, ca. 2 mm wide; involucre cylindrical or narrowed distally and fusiform, bracts brown, ca. 16 in ca. 5 series, short-ovate to oblong elliptical, 2.0-5.5 mm long, 1.0-1.5 mm wide, apices short-acute, slightly darkened distally, sometimes with reddish median line, scarious, glabrous outside. Florets with corollas possibly pale lavender, ca. 6.5 mm long, with numerous glandular dots on basal tube and few on tips of lobes, tips of lobes paucipilosulous, tube ca. 2.5 mm long, lobes ca. 4 mm long; anther thecae ca. 2.5 mm long. Achenes ca. 2.5 mm long; pappus white, of ca. 50 capillary bristles ca. 6.5 mm long, not or scarcely broadened toward tips. Pollen grains 35-42 µm in diam.

Additional specimen examined.

Ecuador. Loja: 10 km E of Loja on road to Zamora [03°59'07"S, 79°08'16"W, estimated], 2500 m, 31 January 1979, King & Almeda 7920 (CAS, US).

Habitat.

Secondary vegetation bordering steep wooded slopes; wet windswept forested ridge interspersed with pastures at elevations of 2370-2500 m ( Fig. 10 ).

The species has the most broadly elliptical leaf blades of any member of the genus. The most distinctive feature, however, is the mostly flat and hispidulous adaxial surface of the leaves. The distribution is restricted to the area near the pass between the Ecuadorian provinces of Loja and Zamora-Chinchipe ( Fig. 10 ).

Preliminary conservation status.

Data Deficient

Figures

Figure 6. Photographs of Cuatrecasanthus types: A Cuatrecasanthus jelskii, lectotype (US) B Cuatrecasanthus kingii, holotype (US).

Figure 7. Cuatrecasanthus kingii: A Habit B Detail of adaxial surface of leaf C Cluster of heads D Single head containing one floret E Floret showing corolla lobes divided to base of limb, with thickened margins F Style G Achene with 8 - 10 ribs.

Figure 10. Distribution map of Cuatrecasanthus species.