Piper laperdizense W. Trujillo-C. & M.A.Jaram

Trujillo, William, Jaramillo, M. Alejandra, Toro, Diego & Balslev, Henrik, 2023, Over- and under-described: new species, new synonyms, and a new name in the megadiverse genus Piper (Piperaceae) on the east Andean slopes, Phytotaxa 601 (3), pp. 263-284 : 270-273

Piper laperdizense W. Trujillo-C. & M.A.Jaram . sp. nov. Figs. 2 , 5 , 6 .

Type:— COLOMBIA: Caqueta Florencia, trail to Tarqui , Gabinete , 1°52’50.5”N, 74°40’56”W, 2400 m, 4 January 2022 [fr], W . Trujillo & F . Hoyos 4449 [holotype COL!, isotypes COAH!, HUA!] .

Diagnosis:— Piper laperdizense can be separated from related lianescent species P. novogranatense C. DC. (1869: 313) and P. brachypodon C. DC. (1869: 327) by its pinnatinerved leaves from the lower third vs. leaves pinnatinerved from the lower half or up to ¾ of the blade. It can be differentiated from P. dryadum C. DC. (1891: 221) by its glabrous leaves (vs. leaves pubescent). Additionally, P. laperdizense can be easily differentiated from P. ottoniifolium C. DC. (1866: 213) by having pinnatinerved leaves, secondary nerves> 2 pairs, branched from the lower third (vs. leaves plinerved, secondary nerves up to 2 pairs, branched near the base). Finally, P. laperdizense differs from P. cavendishioides Trel. & Yunck. (1950: 85) by its leaves with no evident idioblasts, base acute, bracts triangular-cucullate vs. leaves with red-idioblasts evident, base rounded, abruptly acute, bracts rounded-subpeltate.

Lianescent shrub, reaching 3m high. Internodes 2.5–6 cm long, smooth, green, glabrous, idioblasts not evident in any part of the plant. Prophylls 2.8–3.5 cm long, green to white, glabrous, caducous. Petioles (0.5–) 0.8–1.2 cm long, vaginate at the base, smooth, glabrous. Leaf blades coriaceous, green when alive above, almost glaucous below, olivaceous when dry, uniform in shape and size along all axes, 3.3–5.5 × (10–) 11–14 cm, blade elliptic, medially symmetric, base acute, smooth, glabrous on both surfaces, eciliate, pinnately nerved from the lower third of the midvein, three pairs of secondary veins, eucamptodromous, with spacing decreasing and angle increasing towards the base, tertiary veins randomly reticulate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences and infructescences simple spikes, terminal, erect; peduncles 0.7–1 cm long, glabrous, green; flowering rachis 4–6 cm, fruiting rachis 5–8 cm long. Floral bracts cucullate at anthesis, triangular when seen from above, 0.2 × 0.1 mm, not forming bands around the rachis, fimbriate. Flowers with 3 stamens, filaments 0.4–0.7 mm long, anthers 0.3 × 0.3 mm, with two thecae, with longitudinal dehiscence and a glabrous connective; stigmas three, sessile. Fruit obpyriform, 1.4–1.8 × 0.4–0.6 mm, immersed in rachis, glabrous, stigmas 3, to 0.1 mm long, sessile, light green in fresh material and brown when dry.

Distribution:— Piper laperdizense is endemic to the eastern cordillera of the Andes in Colombia along the Amazon slope at 2000–2400 m elevation, in the Tropical montane rain forest (TMrf).

Habitat and ecology:—It is a shade-loving species growing in the understory of montane rain forest.

Phenology:—Flowering specimens were collected in December and fruiting specimens in January.

Etymology:—The type specimen was collected in the municipality of Florencia in Caquetá. The epithet laperdizense refers to the name “La Perdiz”, which is an old name of the settlement that would later become the city of Florencia.

Conservation status:— This species is known from four specimens that were all collected in the same population. The location where it occurs is threatened by deforestation. The extent of occurrence ( EOO) is 74 km 2 and area of occupancy ( AOO) is 12 km 2, which is small, which together with the continuing decline in quality of its habitat, suggests that it is Critically Endangered [ CR B1 a+ B2 a] .

Comments:— Piper laperdizense has glabrous, elliptic leaves that are 10–15 cm long and have acute bases and spikes that are 5–10 cm long. It can be separated from the other morphologically similar species because it is lianescent with smooth and green internodes and petioles.

Key to Piper laperdizense and related species

1 Leaves pinnatinerved up to ¾ of the blade............................................................................................................ P. novo-granatense

– Leaves pinnatinerved from the lower third or from the lower half ....................................................................................................2

2 Leaves pinnatinerved from the lower third ........................................................................................................................................3

– Leaves pinnatinerved from the lower half................................................................................................................... P. brachypodon

3 Rachis of the infructescence <2.5 cm .................................................................................................................. P. dichroostachyum

– Rachis of the infructescence> 2.5 cm ................................................................................................................................................4

4 Internodes and leaves pubescent ........................................................................................................................................ P. dryadum

– Internodes and leaves glabrous or puberulent ....................................................................................................................................5

5 Leaves plinerved, secondary nerves 2 pairs, branched near the base ......................................................................... P. ottoniifolium

– Leaves pinnatinerved, secondary nerves> 2 pairs, branched from the lower third ...........................................................................6

6 Leaves with red-idioblasts evident, base rounded, abruptly acute, bracts rounded-subpeltate.............................. P. cavendishioides

– Leaves with no evident idioblasts, base acute, bracts triangular-cucullate .................................................................. P. laperdizense

Additional specimens examined:— COLOMBIA: Caquetá, Florencia , Gabinete, near Caqueta Huila border, km 39 along old road Florencia-Guadalupe , 2400 m, 1°52’50.5”N, 75°40’56”W, 29 August 2020 [fl], W. Trujillo & F. Hoyos. 4103 ( UMNG!); same locality, 13 December 2020 [sterile], W. Trujillo & F. Hoyos. 4131 ( COAH!, UMNG!). Old road Florencia–Neiva , 1°52’7”N, 75°40’14”W, 2070 m, 13 December 2020 [Fl], W. Trujillo et al. 4142 ( COAH!, HUA!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. The localities of four new Piper species on the east Andes slopes of Colombia, and Ecuador.

FIGURE 5. Piper laperdizense. A. Sympodial branch. B. Adventitious roots at nodes. C. Third order nerves in leaves. D. Detail of infructescence. E.Anthers and connective. F. Floral bract seen from above. G. Fruit lateral view. H. Floral diagram. Illustration by Marcela Morales based on the type specimen W. Trujillo & F. Hoyos 4449 (COL).

FIGURE 6. Piper laperdizense. A. Lianescent habit. B. Sympodial branch, abaxial leaf surfaces. C. Adventitious root at nodes. D. Leaf base and prophyll. Photos of the type specimen by William Trujillo based on W. Trujillo & F. Hoyos 4449 (COL).