Burmeistera orientalis Garzón & F.González, Caldasia, 2012

38. Burmeistera orientalis Garzón & F.González, Caldasia View in CoL 34: 317. 2012.

Type:— COLOMBIA. Santander: Límites entre los departamentos de Santander y Boyacá, corregimiento de Virolín, finca “La Sierra”, 2500‒2600 m, 12 May 1976 (fl, fr), G. Lozano, J. Torres & S. Díaz 2390 ( holotype: COL!). Figs. 19E, F View FIGURE 19 , 20 View FIGURE 20 .

Upright, terrestrial herbs to shrubs up to 2 m tall. Stem sparsely puberulous with maroon trichomes. Petiole 1–5(–8) mm long; blade obovate, 4–9(–10.5) × 2–4.8 cm, glabrous above, sparsely puberulous beneath, base symmetric, cuneate, apex convex to rounded, margin revolute, subentire to slightly serrulate, teeth in one-size class, each < 1 mm long, hydathodes 8 to 14 per side, marginal, secondary veins 5 to 7 per side, higher order venation reticulate, intramarginal vein present, discontinuous. Peduncles 5–6 cm long, sparsely puberulous, with two filiform bracteoles, 2–3 × 0.4–0.7 mm each. Hypanthium subglobose, 6–8 × 5–7 mm, sparsely puberulous. Calyx lobes narrowly ovate, 5–8 × 2–3 mm, patent, glabrescent, basally spaced by sinuses 1.0– 1.5 mm wide, margin subentire, with 2 or 3 inframarginal projections per side. Corolla pale green-yellow, occasionally suffused with maroon, glabrous to sparsely puberulous; tube 1.8–2.4 cm long, 3–4 mm in diameter at its mid-level, slightly inflated proximally and distally, lobes ovate, falcate, apex acute, dorsal lobes 10–12 × 3–5 mm, lateral lobes 5–7 × 4–5 mm, ventral lobe 6–7 × 4–5 mm. Synandrium 3.3–4.0 cm long, exserted up to 1.5 cm; filament tube 2.8–3.5 cm long, glabrous; anther tube 4–8 mm long, densely woolly, ventral anthers barbate, with an apical tuft of white woolly trichomes up to 3 mm long. Berries globose, 1.0–1.5 × 1.0– 1.4 cm, not inflated, sparsely puberulous, green suffused with maroon.

Phenology: —Flowering and fruiting specimens of Burmeistera orientalis have been collected in May and November.

Distribution, ecology and conservation status: — Burmeistera orientalis has been collected only in the type locality, a narrow area south of the department of Santander, in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. It occurs in the understory stratum of montane wet forests between 1980‒2600 m of elevation. Following the IUCN´s (2022) criteria [B1(EOO) and B2(AOO), conditions (a) and (b), and C2(a)(i)], this species qualifies as Critically Endangered.

Notes: — Burmeistera orientalis differs from its congeners by the obovate leaf blades with few (five to seven) secondary veins, the presence of two bracteoles on the peduncle, and the long ( 1.8‒2.4 cm) corolla tube. It is similar to B. variabilis , from which it differs by the petioles 1–5(–8) mm long; the leaf blades with convex to rounded apex, and revolute, subentire to slightly serrulate margin, with 8 to 14 teeth per side, teeth in one-size class, each < 1 mm long; the berries 1.0– 1.5 cm in diameter; and the distribution restricted to the Eastern Cordillera ( versus the petioles 1.0– 3.5 cm long; the leaf blades with acute to acuminate apex, and non-revolute, loosely and irregularly repandous margin, with teeth in two sizes, the large teeth 5–10 mm long each, intermingled with short teeth 10–20 mm long each; the berries 2.0– 2.5 cm in diameter; and the distribution in the Western and the Central cordilleras).

Additional specimens examined:— Santander. Charalá, vereda El Palmar, 1980 m, 13 Nov 1981 (fl, fr), C . Caro et al. 107 ( COL); vía Virolín , 2000 m, 14 Nov 1996 (fl, fr), Y . López et al. 96-30 ( COL); Charalá , vereda El Volcán, 2180 m, 8 May 1986 (fl, fr), L . Moreno et al. 93 (COL).