Odontonema bracteolatum var. parviflorum Leonard, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb.

Odontonema bracteolatum var. parviflorum Leonard, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. View in CoL 31(3):399. 1958. Type: COLOMBIA, H.H. Smith 1389, p.p. (holo US [ US 00136951!]). FigS. 12 View Fig & 14 View Fig

Notes: The type of Odontonema rubrum (Vahl) Kuntze is a specimen collected by Rohr at Santa Marta in Colombia and named Justicia rubra by Vahl (1798). All specimens from Colombia identified by Leonard (1951 –1958) as Odontonema bracteolatum should be treated as O. rubrum . Leonard also described a variety parviflorum of O. bracteolatum which likewise should be included in O. rubrum . The presence of O. bracteolatum in Colombia awaits confirmation.

Odontonema rubrum is relatively common in Panama, northern Colombia and adjacent parts of Venezuela. It is known from Choco, Antioquia , Atlántico , Bolivar, Magdalena , Cesar and Norte de Santander with an anomalous but apparently correct record ( Betancur & Churchill 2257) from further south in Caquetá ( Fig. 13 View Fig ). There is considerable variation in leaf size as noted by Leonard (1951 –1958) but there is also variation in the relative size of the leaves in each pair, something that Leonard did not note. Both the type of O. bracteolatum var. parviflorum ( H.H. Smith 1389, p.p.) and another specimen cited by Leonard under that name ( Dugand & Jaramillo 4153) are moderately anisophyllous as are a few other specimens, such as Al Gentry 78443 (US) from Bolivar. None, however, is so remarkably anisophyllous as two specimens from Antioquia, Yeison Londoño & Ana M. Trujillo 221 ( HUA) and 239 ( HUA), both from Mun. Remedios, Vereda Río Negrito at 350 m. This plant is illustrated in Figs. 12 View Fig and 13 View Fig .

The existence of this strongly anisophyllous form of Odontonema rubrum underlines the point we made earlier in this paper that anisophylly in the absence of other characters is not a character that can be used to delimit a species. Odontonema rubrum is a species that exhibits the complete range of variation in its leaves from isophylly to strong anisophylly.