Lycianthes coloradensis E. Dean and H. Kang

1. Lycianthes coloradensis E. Dean and H. Kang View in CoL ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ).

— Type: PANAMA. [Ngäbe-Buglé] Chiriquí: Cerro Colorado, border of Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro provinces , [8.5406, -81.8233], 1500–1750 m, 13 Aug 1977, J. P. Folsom 4701 (holotype: MO acc. # 6878818 GoogleMaps ; isotype: MO acc. # 2624365 GoogleMaps )

Diagnosis. Endemic to Panama; most similar to Lycianthes purpusii , but differing in often having multangulatestellate trichomes with rebranched rays (rather than unbranched), shorter calyx appendages to 5.5 mm long in flower and to 6 mm long in fruit (rather than 7–17 mm in flower and to 20 mm long in fruit), subequal stamens with filaments ca. 1.5 mm long (rather having four equal filaments and one longer filament), and smaller fruit to 12 mm long and 15 mm in diameter (rather than 15–30 mm long and 15–30 mm in diameter).

Usually a vine (rarely a shrub), sometimes creeping or low to the ground, to 1 m tall. Indument of pale yellow, orange, or brown, uniseriate, multicellular, simple, dendritically branched or multangulate-stellate, long-stalked, eglandular, spreading trichomes, the rays often rebranched. Stems greenish-tan when young, terete in cross section, not compressed upon drying, becoming woody with age, moderately to densely pubescent with trichomes 0.5–2 mm long, 0.5–1.1 mm in diameter; upper sympodial branching points usually monochasial, sometimes dichasial, not widely divaricate, the sympodial units shallowly zigzagging, the upper sympodial units 1–12 cm long, 2–4 mm in diameter. Leaves of upper sympodia simple, usually paired and unequal in size, the smaller leaf of the pair sometimes not developing, or abscising early, larger ones with blades 7–14 × 2.7–7.5 cm, the smaller ones with blades 3.2–7.5 × 2–4.5 cm, the leaf pairs similar in shape, the blades ovate to elliptic, thick chartaceous, moderately to densely pubescent with trichomes like those of the stem, the primary veins 3–7 on each side of the midvein, the base widely cuneate, truncate, rounded, or slightly cordate, sometimes slightly oblique, the margin entire, usually undulate, the apex acute to acuminate, the petioles 0.5–3 (3.5) cm long. Flowers solitary or in groups of 2–3, axillary, the inflorescence axes moderately to densely pubescent with trichomes to 2 mm long; peduncles absent; pedicels 17–41 mm long and erect to arching in flower, to 40 mm long (probably longer) and erect to arching in fruit; calyx 3–5 mm long, 6–7 mm in diameter, campanulate, moderately to densely pubescent (the surface sometimes obscured) with trichomes like those of the stem, the margin truncate, the 10 linear appendages 2–5.5 mm long emerging ca. 0.5 mm below the calyx margin; fruiting calyx enlarged, widely bowl-shaped, 2–5 mm long, 5–11 mm in diameter, the appendages to 6 mm long; corolla oriented horizontally to ascending, 1.1–1.3 cm long, rotate, nearly entire, the lobes with abundant interpetalar tissue, the adaxial side white (sometimes reported as having green markings on the lobes at the base), the abaxial side of the lobes moderately pubescent with long, shaggy trichomes to 1 mm long; stamens subequal, the filaments ca. 1.5 mm long, glabrous, the anthers 4.5–6 mm long, narrowly oblong to lanceolate, yellow, sparsely pubescent, sometimes one or more of the anthers connivent at the basal edges to the adjacent anther, poricidal at the tips, the pores obovate, dehiscing distally, not opening into longitudinal slits; pistil with glabrous ovary, the style 8–9 mm long, linear, straight to slightly curved, glabrous, the stigma oblong, decurrent down two sides. Fruit a berry, 5–12 mm long, 7–13 mm in diameter, globose to depressed globose, green when immature, orange to red at maturity, glabrous, lacking sclerotic granules. Seeds ca. 30 per fruit, 3–3.75 × 2–2.75 mm, flattened, slightly thickened on edges, circular to depressed ovate in outline, sometimes slightly notched on one side, the center orange to orange-brown, the rim yellow, the surface reticulum with densely arranged cells with wavy cell walls and shallow lumina.

Distribution and habitat: — Lycianthes coloradensis is endemic to Panama,originally in Bocas del Toro and Chiriquí provinces, now located in the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ), growing in lower montane rainforest, cloud forest, and disturbed primary forest, 1100–2200 m in elevation. Most specimens are from Cerro Colorado on the border of what was originally Bocas del Toro and Chiriquí provinces.

Phenology: — Specimens with flowers have been collected April and May; specimens with mature fruits have been collected March through November. The corollas on flowering specimens are usually closed, indicating that the corollas are not open for an extended time during the day.

Etymology: — This species is named after Cerro Colorado in Panama where this plant has been most heavily collected.

Notes:— Lycianthes coloradensis is most similar to L. purpusii of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Both species are densely pubescent with yellow, orange or brown simple or long-stalked dendritic or multangulate-stellate trichomes, have relatively long pedicels, and entire corollas ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 ). Lycianthes coloradensis differs from L. purpusii in usually having the rays of the stellate trichome rebranched (versus rarely rebranched), having much shorter appendages to 5.5 mm in flower (vs. to 17 mm long in flower), and having subequal stamens (vs. unequal) ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 ). This species is also similar to L. furcatistellata of Costa Rica and Panama but differs in having denser pubescence and only having dendritic or multangulate-stellate trichomes on the adaxial leaf surface (vs. mostly simple trichomes in L. furcatistellata ) ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 ). It is somewhat similar to the Colombian species L. dendriticothrix , only known to the authors from the type material; it differs from that species in having equal stamens (vs. unequal) ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 ) and coarser trichomes (vs. fine trichomes).

Representative Specimens Examined (paratypes):— PANAMA. Ngäbe-Buglé: Cerro Colorado, mining road 20 mi above bridge over Río San Félix , [8.5597, -81.7878], 2000 m 21 Nov 1979, T. Antonio 2589 ( MO acc. # 3695500 ) GoogleMaps ; Cerro Colorado, 31.6 km beyond bridge over Río San Félix (10.6 km beyond turnoff to Escopeta) , [8.5239, -81.7878], 1690 m, 15 Jul 1976, Thomas B. Croat 37192 ( MO acc. # 2474939 ) GoogleMaps ; Cerro Colorado: 9.2 mi W of Chamé, along trail E of road which leads down to stream , 8°35’N, 81°50’W [8.5833, -81.8333], 1450–1480 m, 6 Jul 1988, Thomas B. Croat 69035 ( MO acc. # 3624096 ) GoogleMaps ; N of San Félix at Chiriquí-Bocas del Toro border, on Cerro Colorado copper mine road along continental divide , [8.5406, -81.8233], 5000–5500 ft, 5 May 1975, S. Mori 5917 ( MO acc. # 3673785 ) GoogleMaps ; Cerro Colorado. 50 km. N of San Félix on the continental divide , [8.5319, -81.8139], 1200–1500 m, 18 Aug 1975, S. Mori 7870 ( MO acc. # 6878822 , MO acc. # 3673812 ) GoogleMaps ; Cerro Colorado, 35.6 km. from Río San Félix bridge , [8.5381, - 81.8122], 1690 m, 15 Jul 1976, G. A. Sullivan 347 ( MO acc. # 3698398 ) GoogleMaps .