Commelina efoveolata (C.B.Clarke) L.M.Campb.

Commelina efoveolata (C.B.Clarke) L.M.Campb.

Figs 5–6 View Fig View Fig ; Table 1 View Table 1

Commelina efoveolata (C.B.Clarke) L.M.Campb. (Campbell in Hokche et al. 2008: 714). – Commelina efoveolatum (C.B.Clarke) L.M.Campb. View in CoL (Campbell in Hokche et al. 2008: 714), orth. var. – Phaeosphaerion efoveolatum C.B.Clarke ( Clarke 1881: 136) View in CoL . – Phaeosphaerion efoveolatum C.B.Clarke var. efoveolatum ( Clarke 1881: 136) View in CoL . – Athyrocarpus efoveolatus (C.B.Clarke) Kuntze ( Kuntze 1898: 319) View in CoL .

Etymology

The epithet is a combination of the Latin prefix ʻ ē- ʼ (meaning ʻoppositionʼ) + ʻ fovea ʼ (meaning ʻhole, pit, cavityʼ) + the suffix ʻ -ole ʼ (indicating a diminutive) + the suffix ʻ -ātum ʼ (indicating the possession of a particular feature), in reference to its seeds lacking foveolas, distinguishing it from C. leiocarpa .

Type material

VENEZUELA – Aragua • prope Colonia Tovar, valley of San Carlos ; 1854–1855; fl., fr.; A. Fendler 1555; lectotype: GH [ GH00029569 ]!, designated by Hassemer (2020); isolectotype: K [ K000363241 ] !.

Selected material examined

Central America

COSTA RICA – San José • vicinity of El General ; Nov. 1936; fl.; A.F. Skutch 2893; K .

HONDURAS – El Paraíso • slopes above Yuscarán , Montserrat ; 25 Nov. 1958; fl.; J.G. Hawkes et al. 2051; K .

NICARAGUA – Matagalpa • Finca La Castilla , plantaciones de café ; 21 Jan. 1982; fl., fr.; D. Castro 2353; HNMN, K, MO , US.

PANAMA – Panamá • Canal Zone, Corozal ; 18 Dec. 1923; fl.; P.C. Standley 27343; F , US.

South America

COLOMBIA – Magdalena • Santa Marta; 1898–1899.; fl., fr.; H.H. Smith 2289; BR, CM, K, MO, P, VT.

VENEZUELA – Distrito Federal • Cerro Avila, Quebrada Chacaito ; 23 Dec. 1975; fl.; B. Manara s.n.; K [ K003932703 ], VEN .

Description

Herbs 30–150 cm tall, scrambling to scrambling-fruticose, perennial, medium-sized to robust, terrestrial or rupicolous. Roots tuberous, cylindric. Rhizome short. Stems dimorphic, fibrous, branched from the base or almost so, primary branches scrambling to ascending, rooting only at the base, secondary branches longer than the primary branches, scrambling or twining, apex suberect to ascending; internodes 1.1– 11.2 cm long, distally shorter, green, sometimes suffused with dark red to vinaceous, sparsely pilose with acicular hairs, hairs hyaline. Leaves distichously-alternate, evenly distributed along the upper part of the stem, pseudopetiolate; sheaths 0.3–1.8 cm long, light green suffused with dark red to vinaceous, sparsely to densely hispid, hairs acicular, hyaline, margin upright, sparsely to densely hispid, hairs acicular, hyaline; pseudopetiole inconspicuous to up to 4.5 mm long; blades 1.5–12.4 × 0.6–3.1 cm, narrowly elliptic to elliptic to lanceolate, straight, membranous to thinly chartaceous, adaxially dark green, abaxially light green, adaxially sparsely to densely hispid, hairs acicular, hyaline, abaxially sparsely to densely hispid, hairs generally congested along the midvein, acicular, hyaline, base asymmetric, obtuse to round, margin flat, scabrid or ciliate with a mixture of prickle- and acicular hairs, hyaline to light brown, apex acuminate to long-acuminate; midvein conspicuous, adaxially impressed, abaxially prominently obtuse, secondary veins 3–4 pairs, adaxially conspicuous, abaxially inconspicuous, becoming conspicuous on both sides when dry. Synflorescence composed of a solitary main florescence, restricted to the apex of the stems and forming a dense second-degree synflorescence. Inflorescences leaf-opposed, peduncle 0.9–4.3 cm long, the same length or longer than ½ length of the spathe, pendulous, pilose with acicular hairs, with a line of minute acicular hairs opposed to the spathe, hairs hyaline; spathe 1.8–4.5 × 1.3–3.2 cm, cordate, continuous to the peduncle and pointing downwards, internally inconspicuously mucilaginous, base free, cordate, externally sparsely to densely hispid, hairs acicular, hyaline to light brown, apex acuminate, slightly falcate, veins 4–5 pairs, inconspicuous, becoming conspicuous when dry; upper cincinnus vestigial, flowerless, peduncle inconspicuous or up to 2.3 mm long, included, gently recurved at pre-anthesis and anthesis, recurved and exserted at post-anthesis and fruit, glabrous with some odd hook-hairs towards the apex, hairs hyaline; lower cincinnus 1–3-flowered, flowers mainly bisexual, rarely staminate, peduncle 0.8–1.7 cm long, thickened in fruit, sparsely puberulous with minute hook-hairs. Flowers chasmogamous, zygomorphic, enantiostylous (style gently dislocated to the opposite side to the medial stamen); floral buds 3.5–7.4 × 2.1–5.7 mm, obovoid, light green or white to pale lilac-blue to light blue, pilose with acicular hairs, hairs hyaline; pedicel 2.8–7.5 mm long, deflexed in bud and at anthesis, reflexed and elongating in fruit, light green, sparsely puberulous with minute hook-hairs, hairs hyaline; sepals light green, opaque, early deciduous in fruit, dorsal sepal 3.8–6.1 × 2.4–4.5 mm, elliptic to narrowly triangular, concave, pilose along the midvein with acicular hairs, hairs hyaline, apex acute, lower sepals 4.4–6.3 × 3.6–4.2 mm, sessile, free, widely elliptic, concave, glabrous, apex obtuse; paired petals 0.8–1.4 × 0.8–1.2 cm, clawed, claw 2.3–5.8 mm long, white, limb 5.8–7.9 × 8.7–11.6 mm, widely reniform to widely rhombic-reniform, white to pale lilac-blue to light blue, base asymmetric, subtruncate, apex obtuse, medial petal 4.8–7.4 × 4.8–7.2 mm, shortly-clawed, claw 0.2–0.5 mm long, white, limb 4.6– 6.9 × 4.8–7.2 mm, widely sagittate, entire, concave, opaque, concolourous with the paired petals, opaque, glabrous on both sides, apex obtuse to round; staminodes 2, medial staminode completely absent, filaments 2.4–4.6 mm long, straight to arcuate-decurved, white, base light green, antherodes 0.5–0.8 × 0.9–1.4 mm, X-shaped, yellow, minute pollen sacs between the upper and lower lobes present, non-polliniferous or producing very few grains, not apiculate between the upper lobes, upper lobes conspicuous, spathulate to obovate, smaller than the lower, lower lobes spathulate to obovate; lateral filaments 5.2–7.1 mm long, gently sigmoid, geniculate distal to the middle, apex recurved, white, base light green, anthers 1.1–1.7 × 0.6–0.9 mm, held near the antherodes and medial anther, sagittate, yellow, connective pale yellow to yellow, pollen pale yellow, drying yellow; medial filament 3.1–4.4 mm long, straight to gently arcuate-recurved, apex decurved, white, base light green, anther 3.5–4.7 × 1.2–1.9 mm, held near the antherodes and lateral anthers, linear-hastate, strongly curved, yellow, connective hastate, yellow, anther sacs appressed to each other for the upper ⅔, basal third with divergent anther sacs, pollen pale yellow, drying yellow; ovary 2.3–3.5 × 1.2–2.3 mm, 3-carpellate, 5-ovulate, ellipsoid to widely ellipsoid, green, smooth, glabrous, style 4.8–7.1 mm long, twice as long as the stamens, sigmoid, base tapering into the ovary, apex recurved, white, base light green, persistent in fruit, stigma truncate, tan-coloured to brownish-mauve. Capsules 1–3 per spathe, 5.2–8.4 × 4.8–8.2 mm, subglobose to globose, sessile, fruit wall thick, apex apiculate due to the persistent style base, not constricted between the seeds when mature, dark burgundy to atro-vinaceous to black when mature, glaucous, smooth, 3-locular, indehiscent, dorsal locule 1-seeded, indehiscent, ventral locules 2-seeded, indehiscent. Seeds monomorphic, 3–4.2 × 3.2–3.6 mm, free from the capsule wall, widely triangular to triangular-ellipsoid, dorsally flattened, ventrally flattened, slightly cleft towards the embryotega, dark grey to black, testa rugose, densely farinose, farinae white, embryotega semilateral to semidorsal, inconspicuous, without a prominent apicule, hilum linear, on a strong ridge, ca the same length as the seed.

Distribution

Commelina efoveolata ranges from southern Honduras to Colombia and Venezuela ( Fig. 6 View Fig ).

Ecology

It grows in the understory of montane forests of Central America and northern South America.

Phenology

It was found in bloom and fruits from November to January.

Vernacular name

Canutillo morado ( Venezuela).

Conservation

Commelina efoveolata presents a wide EOO (1 042 015 km 2) but a considerably narrow AOO (ca 444 km 2). This difference can be explained by the relatively small number of known records. Almost all known collections were made before 1990, with few extant populations confirmed by photographic records (iNaturalist observations 101449082; 106104484; 101678538; 247428520; 99267736). There is no further information on its populational trends. However, the montane forests of Central and northern South America are currently threatened by deforestation and urban growth. Thus, following the IUCN (2012) criteria and the IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee (2024) recommendations, we suggest C. efoveolata be assessed as Vulnerable [VU, B2b(iii, iv, v), c(iii, iv)].

Remarks

Commelina efoveolata has been historically considered a synonym of C. leiocarpa , exclusively due to their indehiscent, glaucous and dark-coloured fruits. Campbell (2008) transferred Phaeosphaerion efoveolatum C.B.Clarke to Commelina as distinct from C. leiocarpa but provided no explanation or rationale for that decision. Nonetheless, both species are morphologically distinct ( Figs 5 View Fig , 9 View Fig ), with their distribution overlapping slightly only in Honduras and Nicaragua ( Fig. 6 View Fig ). They differ in stem branching pattern and pubescence (branched from the base or almost so, sparsely to densely hispid with acicular hairs in C. efoveolata vs branched in the upper half or upper third, scabrid with a mixture of prickle- and hook-hairs in C. leiocarpa ), leaf-blade pubescence (adaxially sparsely to densely hispid with acicular hairs, abaxially sparsely to densely hispid with acicular hairs, hairs generally congested along the midvein vs adaxially glabrous to scabrid with a mixture of prickle- and hook-hairs, sometimes also sparsely pilose along the midvein, abaxially scabrid with a mixture of prickle- and hook-hairs and pilose along the midvein), leaf-blade margin (ciliate with a mixture of prickle- and acicular hairs vs papillose), spathe pubescence (externally sparsely to densely hispid with acicular hairs, margin scabrid or ciliate with prickle- or acicular hairs vs externally glabrous to scabrid with a mixture of prickle- and hook-hairs), sepal pubescence (dorsal sepal pilose along the midvein vs glabrous), petal colouration (white to light blue vs sky blue), antherodes colouration and morphology (yellow, upper lobes conspicuous, lower lobes spathulate to obovate vs white, upper lobes absent, lower lobes filiform), mature fruit colouration (dark burgundy to atro-vinaceous to black vs dark blue to bluish-black to black), and seed morphology (not cleft towards the embryotega, testa shallowly rugose vs cleft towards the embryotega, testa foveolate) ( Table 1 View Table 1 ). Thus, we reestablish C. efoveolata as an accepted and morphologically diagnosable species.