Cortaderia columbiana (Pilg.) Pilg., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 37 (Beibl. 85): 65. 1906.

Testoni, Daniel & Linder, H. Peter, 2017, Synoptic taxonomy of Cortaderia Stapf (Danthonioideae, Poaceae), PhytoKeys 76, pp. 39-69 : 63

16. Cortaderia columbiana (Pilg.) Pilg., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 37 (Beibl. 85): 65. 1906. Fig. 1L

Gynerium columbianum Pilg., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 27: 31. 1899. Type: Colombia, Merida, sine data, J. W. K. Moritz 1558 & 1559 (lectotype, designated by Connor & Edgar, Taxon 23: 597 (1974): B 10 0217508! (http://ww2.bgbm.org/Herbarium/specimen.cfm?Barcode=B100217508); isotype: US! frag. ex B). Note: The other sheet collected by Moritz (B 10 027507) is Cortaderia hapalotricha ( Connor and Edgar 1974).

Cortaderia parviflora Swallen, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 29: 253. 1948. Type: Venezuela, between La Trampa and Casadero, State of Merida, 28 April 1944, J. A. Steyermark 56182 (lectotype, designated as holotype by Connor & Edgar, Taxon 23: 600 (1974): US 00133441!).

Etymology.

- ana, indicating connection. From Republic of Colombia.

Taxonomy.

Connor & Edgar (1974) imply a similarity to Cortaderia hapalotricha , but note that the panicle is longer, more laxly flowered, and dull brown, and that this separates the two species. Cortaderia columbiana is superficially similar to Cortaderia hapalotricha , and also has short felty hair on upper leaf surface above the ligule, but is different by the shorter setae. Leaf anatomically they can be separated by the presence of a continuous lignified sub-epidermal layer on the abaxial side. It is also very similar to Cortaderia roraimensis by the lemma shape, in particular with the very short setae. However, the plant bases differ: in Cortaderia roraimensis the leaf bases are lacerated and curly, a feature less well developed in Cortaderia columbiana . Possibly the best way to separate the two species might be by the much more villous leaf margins, and often the villous adaxial leaf surface of Cortaderia columbiana . Geographically, the two species are also adjacent.

The leaf anatomy is like that of Cortaderia hapalotricha , but differs by a continuous sclerenchyma layer below the abaxial epidermis.

Figures

Figure 1. Lemmas of selected species of Cortaderia. A Cortaderia selloana, Juergens 40 (B) B Cortaderia araucana, Borchers s. n. (US) C Cortaderia speciosa, P. M. Peterson 12766 (US) D Cortaderia vaginata, L. B. Smith, P. R. Reitz & R. Klein 7761 (B) E Cortaderia egmontiana, P. M. Peterson, R. J. Soreng & N. Refulio-Rodriguez 17508 (US) F Cortaderia modesta, A. Chase 8288 (US) G Cortaderia hieronymi, A. Burkart et al. 30395 (P) - note that awn and setae are much longer than illustrated H Cortaderia nitida, S. Laegaard 52786 (K) I Cortaderia sericantha, E. Asplund 17175 (B) J Cortaderia bifida, D. N. Smith & J. Cabanillas 7167 (US) K Cortaderia hapalotricha, J. C. Solomon & R. Chevalier 16620 L Cortaderia columbiana, J. P. Schulz 318 (US). All at same magnification.