Justicia yariguiorum P.Gallego & J.R.I.Wood, 2023

Justicia yariguiorum P.Gallego & J.R.I.Wood View in CoL , sp. nov. Fig. 1 View Fig

Amongst Colombian species of Justicia , the strong anisophylly of J. yariguiorum merits comparison with Justicia magdalenensis J.R.I.Wood , but J. yariguiorum is probably unrelated and distinguished inter alia by the pubescent inflorescence of only 2–5 flowers (which lack spreading hairs), calyx 2–3 mm long (not 11–14 mm) and capsule glabrous (not pubescent). The new species will key out in Leonard (1951 – 1958) as J. leptochlamys Leonard in terms of leaf shape and indumentum, bract size and glabrous capsule, but the bracts are ovate, rather than oblong-elliptic, the bracteoles lanceolate to narrowly ovate (not linear) and the corolla orange-red (not white). It also shows some affinity to J. erythrantha Leonard in flower colour, leaf shape, bract size and obtuse glabrous capsule, but is herbaceous (not shrubby) the spikes few-flowered, lax (not many-flowered and dense), the bracts are ovate, obtuse (not lanceolate, acuminate) and the bracteoles narrowly ovate, obtuse (not linear-lanceolate, acuminate).

Type: COLOMBIA, Santander, Mun. Girón, Vereda Parroquia, Caño Piedras, Via Lisboa-San Vicente de Chucurí, S 7°03’40.1”, W 73°21’10.1”, 320 m, March 2017, Juan Pablo Tobón & Luis Torralba 2233 (holo JAUM [ JAUM 091799!]).

Anisophyllous herbs or subshrubs to 80 cm. Stems terete, pale brown, adpressed pubescent, ±glabrescent, upwards subquadrangular, weakly zigzag, dark green, lenticels 0.3–0.5 mm diam. circular, prominent. Leaves very unequal, petiolate; larger leaves 5–11.5 × 2–4 cm, ovate-elliptic, acuminate to an obtuse apex, base slightly oblique, cuneate, margins entire, lateral veins 4–6 pairs, both surfaces glabrous except for the pubescent veins and margins; smaller leaves 0.6–1.1 × 0.2 cm, narrowly oblong-elliptic, acute, slightly falcate, caducous. Petioles 0.4–0.7(–1) cm long, sulcate, thinly hirsute in channel and on margins. Inflorescence of few-flowered pedunculate cymes arising in the uppermost leaf axils, flowers 1–5, subsessile; peduncles 1.5–2.5 cm, slender bifariously pubescent. Bracts 6–11.5 × 3–5.5 mm, ovate, obtuse, entire, pubescent and ciliolate. Bracteoles 5.0–7 × 1–2.5 mm, narrowly ovate, obtuse, entire, pubescent and ciliolate. Calyx 3–4.5 mm long, 5-lobed; lobes 2.2–2.8 × 0.7–1.2 mm, lanceolate, acute, ciliolate. Corolla orange-red, 2.8–5 cm long, exterior pubescent, inner surface scabridulous; 2-lipped, tube 15–20(–30) mm long, slightly widened upwards to 6 mm, lips subequal, 10–15(–20) mm long, upper lip notched with small triangular lobes c. 0.5 mm long, lower lip very shallowly 3-lobed, the lobes ovate, rounded, c. 2 mm long. Stamens 2, 2.2–4.7 cm long, glabrous, except for pilose base; thecae 2–2.5 × 1 mm, oblong-elliptic, superposed. Ovary ovoid c. 1.75 mm long, glabrous;

style 2.5–4.5 cm long, glabrous, stigma 0.15–0.2 mm wide; nectary disk oblate, glabrous. Capsules 9–10 × 4.0 mm, clavate, glabrous, dark brown, apex obtuse. Seeds suborbicular, c. 2.5 × 2 mm, light brown.

Flowering & fruiting: Not accurately known but collected in flower in March and April and in fruit in October.

Habitat: On rocky soils, sometimes riparian, in the transition zone between tropical moist forests of the Magdalena River basin and tropical dry forest with influence of the xerophytic vegetation of the Chicamocha canyon. It has been recorded between 320 and 500 m.

Distribution: Endemic to a small area of the Río Sogomoso valley in Santander in northeastern Colombia ( Fig. 2 View Fig ).

Etymology: This species is named after the Yarigui people who in pre-colonial times occupied the territory where this species grows. They long resisted conquest but repeated incursions into their territory resulted in their extinction over a century ago.

Specimens examined: COLOMBIA, Santander, Finca Cruces , debajo de la vía nueva, N 07°05’31’’, W 73°22’25’’, 500 m, 22.04.2014, Heriberto David & José Miguel Torres 4906 ( HUA) GoogleMaps ; Mun Girón, Vereda Parroquia, Caño Piedras , vía a San Vicente de Chucurí , N 07°03’35’’, W 73°19’59’’, 334 m, 10.10.2016, Diego A. Zapata C. et al. 1858 ( JUAM) GoogleMaps ; Ibid., N 07°03’33’’, W 73°19’49’’, 465 m, 10.10.2016, Diego A. Zapata C. et al. 1865 ( JUAM) GoogleMaps .

Conservation status: Justicia yariguiorum is only know from a single population in the dry forests of northeastern Colombia. This ecosystem has experienced a loss of at least 90% of its original cover in the country, and about 30% of the remaining fragments comprise mostly early and intermediate successional stages, with barely 4% of the original cover represented by mature forest ( García et al., 2014; González-M et al., 2018). According to González-M et al. (2018) tropical dry forests in Colombia are highly fragmented and are threatened by high impact disturbances such as cattle ranching, human infrastructure, agriculture and fires. In view of this scenario and considering that this species occurs in small, fragmented forest patches, outside of protected areas, with an Area of Occupancy ( AOO) of only 12 km ², we propose that it should be considered as Endangered ( EN) B2ab(iii).