Passiflora nosferatu Wettges, Kuethe & H.Garzón, 2025

Passiflora nosferatu Wettges, Kuethe & H.Garzón , sp.nov. ( Figures 1–2 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 )

Type:— ECUADOR. Bolívar province: San Miguel, Balsapamba, Vía antigua a Balsapamba , bosque neblina, 01 o 44’07.45”S, 79 o 08’20.57”W, 1852 m elev., 7 November 2023, Henry X. Garzón 248 ( holotype: HUTPL 14834 View Materials !; isotype: HUTPL!) GoogleMaps

Diagnosis:— Passiflora nosferatu is closely related to P. unipetala but differs markedly in the densely villous vestiture of the leaves and stems ( vs. glabrous to glabrescent), villous bracts ( vs. glabrous), pinkish red to red flowers ( vs. green- greenish white), and the corona having two series ( vs. one series).

Description:— Plant a large trailing to moderately climbing vine, 5–7 m long, densely tomentose throughout (except for some floral parts); trichomes yellowish-brown, 0.5–0.8(–10) mm long, straight; stems terete, densely villous with trichomes 0.8–10 mm long, greenish to greenish-brown yellow; internodal distance 4–7 cm. Stipules late-deciduous, linear to narrow lanceolate, 5–8 × 0.8–1 mm, densely pubescent, drying on plant to a blackish colour, very dark green when fresh on the younger stems; tendrils strong, pubescent; petiole terete, densely villous, 12–18 (–20) mm, glandular throughout although hidden within the vestiture; petiolar glands scattered or arranged in poorly defined (3–)4 subopposite pairs (6–8 glands total), small and stubby, 0.5–0.6 mm, sessile. Leaf three-lobed, densely villous on both surfaces, 7–10(–15) × 8–11(–17) cm, lobes broadly lanceolate to ovate, acute to acuminate at apex, slightly narrower within the sinuses, length of the lateral veins 5–7 cm, the angle of the sinus 40–45 o, base of the leaf cordate, margins serrated throughout, obscurely glandular serrated near the base of the sinuses with 3–6 symmetrically placed glands, leaf occasionally showing asymmetric 2-lobed leaves present on the flowering branches, leaf surface deep green above, dullish green beneath. Inflorescence singular, diurnal, with sub-horizontal to upright flowers borne on stout peduncles. Peduncles 8–10 cm long, stout, terete. Bracts closely wrapped around the base of the flower, foliaceous, broadly ovate, 40–45 × 18–20 mm, cuneate at base, acute at apex, green with reddish veins, tomentose on both sides, pale green inside, margins obscurely serrated in lower half becoming gradually smooth towards the apex, located at point of articulation 8–9 mm below the base of the flower. Flower tubular, reddish-pink with green, 6.5–7 cm long, 4.5–5 cm wide, no strong scent observed; hypanthium spathulate, 10–12 mm wide at base, 18–20 mm wide at apex, 30–33 mm long, green and pubescent on the outside, pale greenish on the inside, broadly tubular in outline; sepals broadly ovate to oblong, 44–46 × 15–17 mm, ridged to folded transversely at base, conspicuously keeled, rounded at apex, pinkish-red inside, green to greenish pink and scarcely pubescent on the outside, aristate sub-terminally 3–4 mm below the apex; awn 4.5–5 mm, green; petal singular, broadly ovate-oblong, 45–48 × 17–18 mm, obtuse, reddish pink on both sides, membranous; corona in two series, conspicuous, atrophic; outer series a row of irregular teeth at the base of the petals, denticulate with tooth-like structures 1–1.5 mm long, segments whitish with purple apices, teeth irregular in shape and size; inner series ca. 3–4 mm above the base of the hypanthium, very slightly membranous and soon terminating in 2–3 mm long, filiform projections, segments linear, facing slightly inwards, greenish white; operculum flat, making a dense membrane enclosing the nectar chamber, curved toward apex of flower clasping the androgynophore, basal 3/4 th membranous or fused, upper 1/4 th filamentous, filaments 3–4 mm long, white; nectar ring white; androgynophore offset to one-side of the androecium, shielded by the singular petal, 40–42 mm long, whitish-green, not speckled; ovary ellipsoid to oval, green, glabrous to very sparsely hirsute, 10–11 × 5–6 mm; anthers pseudomorph, facing downwards or away from the petal, white, 15–17 mm long; pollen yellow; stigmas 8–10 mm long, whitish green. Fruit ellipsoid to oblong, 7–10 × 4–5 cm, obscurely 3-ribbed and somewhat triangular in cross section, turning yellowish orange to deep orange at maturity, glabrous to glaucescent. Seeds reniform, 7–8 × 5–6 mm, black, shallowly pitted.

Phenology:— Passiflora nosferatu was seen with flowers, buds and ripened fruit during December, which implies a prolonged flowering period that is likely to last from November into January. The flower was seen open at midday. In its native range, this corresponds with the onset of the wet season. The pollinator has not been observed, though the structure and anthesis of the flower suggests pollination by diurnal bats.

Etymology:—The epithet “nosferatu ” is derived from the eponymous archaic Romanian word, synonymous with modern depictions for the word “vampire”. This is a reference given to the blood-red colour of the flower combined with the fuzzy vegetative vestiture that resembled the fur of a bat, the potential pollinator.

Distribution:— Passiflora nosferatu was found as a small, localized population along the Via El Torneado just south of Chapacoto in the Bolívar province of central Andean Ecuador. The population was seen between Balsapamba and Guaranda at elevations between 1800 and 2200 m, where the west-facing Andes is characterized by submontane wet cloud forest. A total of three plants were found across the area, all carrying both flowers and fruit indicating the presence of the effective pollinator. A single sterile plant was seen along the road between Balsapamba and Las Guardias, few kilometers south from the other population. This species may be present at similar elevations in the surrounding hillsides, although a wider survey would be necessary to map out its full extent.

Preliminary conservation assessment:—Based on the four plants collected within an Extent of Occurrence (EOO) of 2.83 km 2 and an Area of Occupancy (AOO) of 12 km 2 the species could be considered a very narrow endemic. The habitat where this narrow endemic is found is fragmented, and only little remnants of the original forest remaining. For this reason, the species could easily be classed as critically endangered (CR) based on the IUCN criteria B1, B2a,b, C1 and D. A single fruit was collected, and the plant is presently cultivated both in Latin America and at two scientific collections within Europe.

Notes:— Passiflora nosferatu belongs to P. supersect. Tacsonia where it straddles an interesting boundary between the members of P. sect. Elkea (de Candolle 1828: 334) Escobar (1988: 70) or P. sect. Rathea (Karsten 1860: 77) Harms (1925: 506) . Under the current taxonomic system, P. unipetala (which was similarly difficult to place, Jørgensen et al. 2012), is located next to P. ampullacea (Masters 1872: 539) Harms (1893: 91) , for both species sharing a similar floral colour, similar foliar shape and texture, and roughly ubiquitous flowers except for the strongly developed single petal in P. unipetala . As for the members of P. sect. Rathea , the species share the gullet-shaped flowers with a corona series present on the inner wall of the floral tube but differ markedly in the shape and texture of the vegetative morphology. Jørgensen et al. (2012) coined the possible convergence and reductions often seen in the phylogenetic position of similar congruous taxa but concluded that Passiflora unipetala must have been derived from the hummingbirdpollinated relatives in P. supersect. Tacsonia ..

Passiflora nosferatu resembles P. unipetala in several aspects, alluding it to be a very near sister species and the second known member of the genus Passiflora with only a singular petal present in the corolla. P. nosferatu differs by its vegetative and floral vestiture, inflorescence, floral colour, inner structure of the flower. The distribution, additionally, is widely allopatric. Unlike the fully glabrous P. unipetala , P. nosferatu is notable for its dense villous rusty yellow indument that covers all vegetative parts including the bracts, petioles and peduncles. The outer surface of the sepals and hypanthium are slightly pubescent in texture, and the red to pinkish-red coloration of the sepals and singular petal mark a very distinct contrast to the otherwise green to whitish-green flowers of P. unipetala . Furthermore, the inner structure of the new P. nosferatu differs in having two corona series present, with the outermost series conspicuous, denticulate and located at the base of the sepals, whereas in P. unipetala there is none (figure 1A). The inner corona, positioned near the base of the hypanthium 3–4 mm above the operculum in P. nosferatu , but located about 5 mm above the operculum in P. unipetala , is different in size and structure by being partially membranous and 2–3 mm (opposed to 1 mm) in length. Finally, P. nosferatu is found only in the area south of Guaranda, which is over 200 km south from the Bellavista reserve where P. unipetala can be found.

Although both Passiflora nosferatu and P. unipetala are clearly chiropterophilous in floral architecture, the new species exhibits some unusual characteristics that are normally not conceived as being bat related. The flowers of P. nosferatu are diurnal with their anthesis around the early afternoon, a stark contrast to the nocturnal inflorescences of P. unipetala in which the flowers open only after dark. The sepals and petal are a red to pinkish red (a coloration not beneficial to [blind] bats), and there is no distinct scent to help attract the pollinator locate the flower. However, Von Helversen et al. (2003) has observed similar hues of pinkish red being seen in flowers pollinated by Glossophaginae species, but unappreciative for birds. The inner structure of the flower and operculum would not permit easy access for a bird’s beak to reach the nectar, but instead shares a similar structure to P. unipetala that demonstrably was optimized for chiropterophily pollination ( Jørgensen et al. 2012, Varassin et al. 2001, Avila et al. 2022). P. unipetala also lacks the expected scent for bat-pollination, yet it has been shown to successfully attract Glossophagine bats such as Anoura caudifer Geoffroy (1818: 418) , A. geoffroyi Gray (1838: 490) and A. fistulata Muchhala, Mena & Albuja (2005: 458) .