Hypolepis woodii Schwartsb., 2017

Schwartsburd, Pedro B., Navarrete, Hugo, Smith, Alan R. & Kessler, Michael, 2017, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XXVI. Dennstaedtiaceae, Phytotaxa 332 (3), pp. 251-268 : 260

Hypolepis woodii Schwartsb. , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1A–D )

Inermous, reddish brown petioles and rachises, costae with catenate-acicular and catenate-glandular hairs, laminar tissue between the veins abaxially with catenate-glandular hairs, and pseudo-indusia with 1–3 cilia or glabrescent.

Type:— BOLIVIA. La Paz: Prov. Murillo, Valle del Río Zongo , 23.8 km al norte de la cumbre, 16°08’S, 68°07’W, 2900 m, 18 March 1987, J. C. Solomon 16418 (holotype UC!; isotypes LPB! MO on 3 sheets, n.v., 1822177, 1822178, 1822179) .

Plants terrestrial. Rhizomes ca. 5–6 mm diam.; hairs not seen. Leaves determinate, erect to decumbent, 0.65–1.7(–?) m long; petioles 20–70 cm × 3–8 mm, entirely reddish brown, inermous, rugose, glabrescent; blades tripinnate-pinnatifid to quadripinnate-pinnatifid proximally, 0.45–1(–?) × 0.5–1.2 m; rachises straight, proximally reddish brown, stramineous above, inermous, rugose, glabrescent, with catenate-acicular and catenate-glandular hairs; proximal pinnae 25–60 × 12–40 cm, inequilateral; costae abaxially and adaxially pilose with two kinds of hairs: the first kind catenate-acicular, hyaline with reddish cross-walls, 0.6–1.2 mm long, 6–12-celled, the second catenate-glandular, hyaline with reddish cross-walls, 0.4–0.6 mm long, 6–8-celled; costules abaxially and adaxially with catenate-glandular hairs; veins abaxially and adaxially with catenate-glandular hairs; laminar tissue between veins abaxially with catenate-glandular hairs, adaxially glabrescent; laminar margins glabrous; sori marginal; pseudo-indusia proximally greenish, distally hyaline, the margins crenate to dentate, or commonly with 1–3 cilia.

Range:— Endemic to Bolivia ( CO, LP).

Ecology:— Rare; erect to decumbent, terrestrial on grassy hills and elfin forests; 1800–3250 m.

Etymology:— The specific epithet honors Dr. John Richard Ironside Wood (*1944), from the University of Oxford (OXF), who has been an active plant collector around the world, with many collections from Bolivia (including one paratype of this species). His main publications deal with Acanthaceae .

Paratypes:— BOLIVIA. Cochabamba: Tiquipaya, Bajo Totolima, camino a la comunidad de Carmen Pampa, 16°53’29”S, 66°13’46”W, 1800 m, 1 May 2008, J. Teran et al. 2526 ( UC) ; Chapare, Corani Lake near the dam, 3250 m, 29 September 2001, J. R. I. Wood 17263 ( K) .

Notes:— Hypolepis woodii is characterized by inermous, reddish brown petioles and rachises, tripinnate-pinnatifid to quadripinnate-pinnatifid blades, inequilateral proximal pinnae, costae with catenate-acicular and catenate-glandular hairs, and costules, veins, and laminar tissue between the veins with catenate-glandular hairs abaxially ( Fig. 1A–D ). It resembles H. periculosa and H. flexuosa in having reddish brown petioles and rachises and highly dissected blades. It differs from H. periculosa by the unarmed petioles and rachises (vs. copiously aculeate), and from H. flexuosa by the determinate leaves to 1.7(–2?) m long (vs. intermittent leaves to 6 m long).

A specimen from SC (Manuel M. Caballero, R.C. Nuñez, UC, MO?) resembles Hypolepis woodii , but the ultimate segments are much shorter and narrower. Possibly, it is an over-dried specimen. Alternatively, it may be a giant form of H. minima or an undescribed species. Further and more complete collections are needed.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–D. Hypolepis woodii (Solomon 16418): A. Proximal pinna, B. Detail of petiole and rachis, abaxially, C. Ultimate pinnule, abaxially, D. Detail of veins, sori and pseuso-indusium, abaxially. E–G. Hypolepis periculosa (Kessler 12087): E. Detail of petiole and rachis, abaxially, F. Pinnule, abaxially, G. Detail of veins, sori and pseuso-indusium, abaxially.