taxonID	type	description	language	source
975887CDFB05FFFFF0A5CEECFD25FE3A.taxon	materials_examined	Type: — ECUADOR. Morona-Santiago: Gualaquiza, Nueva Tarqui, sector de Campo Paraíso, 1350 m, 17 May 2023, H. Garzón 198 (holotype: HUTPL 14828!). Ceratostema gualaquizensis is distinguished from other members of the genus by the elliptic leaves which are convex with involute margins at the base, the axillary, solitary flowers with the turbinate hypanthium, and the magenta corolla with the apices of the lobes being black, spreading, narrowly linear-triangular, and acuminate.	en	Jiménez, Marco M., Iturralde, Gabriel A., Kuethe, J. R., Lapo-González, Nadia, Baquero, Luis E., Vélez-Abarca, Leisberth, Garzón-Suárez, Henry X. (2024): Ceratostema gualaquizensis (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), a new species from Ecuador known from previously misidentified specimens and new insights on Ceratostema loucianae. Phytotaxa 671 (2): 113-127, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1
975887CDFB05FFFFF0A5CEECFD25FE3A.taxon	description	Description. Pendant epiphytic shrubs; indumentum consisting of short, white, almost persistent, eglandular trichomes of 0.2 – 0.9 mm long, trichomes arranged unevenly, sparsely to densely on younger branches, petioles, leaf blades, inflorescences and flowers excluding stamens and style; axonomorphous roots with well-developed lignotubers, lignotubers subspherical. Stems terete to subterete, glabrous, slightly arching, arising from the lignotuber, the older stems dark brown, cracking longitudinally and exfoliating, younger branches pendant, terete to complanate, filiform, tomentose to puberulous, striate after exfoliation, dark brown, ca. 120 cm long (keeps growing continuously); axillary buds emerging up to 1 mm above the leaf node. Leaves spirally arranged, descending, petioles very short, puberulous, pale pink, 0.7 – 1.8 × 0.8 – 1.7 mm; blades coriaceous, elliptic, 3.9 – 6.0 × 2.2 – 2.5 cm, dark or pale green and somewhat lustrous adaxially, paler abaxially, slightly convex with margins partially revolute in older or throughout the younger branches, convex with margins involute at the base so to conceal flowers and fruits, base obtuse, apex acuminate, puberulent adaxially and abaxially, glabrate in the adaxial side, weakly 5 – 7 plinerved from near the base, the midrib impressed in the proximal 4 mm adaxially, raised and conspicuous abaxially, the lateral veins branching, weakly impressed adaxially and slightly raised abaxially, veinlets raised slightly, anostomose adaxially. Inflorescence axillary, solitary, sessile, bracts persistent; rachis very short, obconic, 1 mm long, 1.4 mm thick; floral bracts minute, pale green, puberulous, ovate-triangular to broadly ovate, subacute, 1.0 – 1.5 × 1.1 – 1.2 mm, long-ciliate along the margin; pedicel slightly recurved, pale green, puberulous, striate, subterete, 0.5 – 0.6 cm long, ca. 2.4 mm thick, articulate with the calyx; bracteoles 2, minute, located near the base and opposite in orientation, pale green, slightly convex, ovate-triangular, 1.7 – 1.8 × ca. 0.6 mm, apex acuminate, long-ciliate along the margin. Flowers pentamerous, descending; calyx 7.8 – 8.7 × 5.4 – 8.4 mm, tomentose, pale green with white hairs; hypanthium turbinate, truncate, obscurely 5 - winged, 3.9 – 4.2 × ca. 4.4 mm; limb open, campanulate, spreading, 4.0 – 5.0 × 5.4 – 8.4 mm; lobes 5, small, deltate, acuminate at the apex, tomentose, 3.4 – 4.7 × 2.4 – 3.0 mm, the sinuses acute. Corolla thick-carnose, bistratose, tubular, sparsely puberulous in the apical half, with white hairs, obscurely to bluntly 5 - angled, cylindric to the base, expanding slightly distally, 4.5 – 4.7 cm long, ca. 7 mm in diameter at the base and ca. 7 mm in diameter at the throat, magenta or rarely garnet, lustrous; lobes 5, 12.1 – 17.0 × 3.7 – 4.0 mm, spreading, magenta or garnet with black apices, puberulous, narrowly linear-triangular, acuminate, recurved; internally black, puberulous, lustrous, papillose. Stamens 10, as long as the corolla in overall length, each pair unequal with each other, longer stamens 4.6 – 4.7 cm long, shorter stamens 4.4 – 4.5 cm long; filaments equal, connate, glabrous externally, white to the base and apex, magenta around the middle, 7.6 – 8.2 mm long; anthers 3.8 – 4.0 cm long overall, thecae ca. 5.1 mm long, conspicuously papillose, tubules distinct, flattened, but seemingly connate near the proximal half, glabrous, 3.4 – 3.5 cm long, dehiscing by terminal pores ca. 0.7 mm long; style slightly exserted, 4.8 – 5.1 cm long, glabrous, pale green, brownish red to the apex; stigma truncated. Fruits not seen.	en	Jiménez, Marco M., Iturralde, Gabriel A., Kuethe, J. R., Lapo-González, Nadia, Baquero, Luis E., Vélez-Abarca, Leisberth, Garzón-Suárez, Henry X. (2024): Ceratostema gualaquizensis (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), a new species from Ecuador known from previously misidentified specimens and new insights on Ceratostema loucianae. Phytotaxa 671 (2): 113-127, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1
975887CDFB05FFFFF0A5CEECFD25FE3A.taxon	distribution	Distribution and habitat: — Ceratostema gualaquizensis is known only from two localities near Gualaquiza in southern Morona-Santiago Province, Ecuador. The type locality of the new species is located near Nueva Tarqui and another individual was observed 15 km northwest of the mentioned locality (Figure 2). The new species is found growing epiphytically on trees of Celtis iguanaea (Jacquin 1760: 16) Sargent (1895: 64) (Cannabaceae), Protium sp. (Burseraceae), Piptocoma discolor (Kunth 1818: 35 – 36) Pruski (1996: 97) (Asteraceae) and Tachigali sp. (Fabaceae). It grows in the branches near the tree canopy in primary forests and relict trees near pastures (Figure 3). Conservation status and illegal export from Ecuador: — At the moment, the new species has not been found in any protected area, but rather it has been registered only in the buffer zone of the Runahurco Municipal Conservation Ecological Area (AECMR) (Figure 2). The habitat of Ceratostema gualaquizensis is threatened by deforestation for livestock activities. This species is presently known only from two localities near the town of Gualaquiza in south-eastern Ecuador. The Extent of Occurrence (EOO) calculated for the new species resulted in an area of 15 km 2 with an area of occupancy (AOO) of 20 km 2. This scales Ceratostema gualaquizensis as CR (Critically Endangered) following IUCN (2022) criteria B 2 ab (i, ii) and C, evidenced by its very restricted distribution and very few specimens known to represent this species. In addition, the close vicinity to the town of Gualaquiza and its urban expansion means great uncertainty to the longevity of the habitats, especially given the stress imposed by the discovery of mining in the area. This species is sold by nurseries in Ecuador and is known in private collections and commercial nurseries in the United States, Europe and Asia under the erroneous name “ Ceratostema pendens ”. What appears to be an “ honest mistake ” due to the complicated taxonomy of this group of plants is addressed by several authors as a conscious and predetermined practice (Parra-Sánchez et al. 2004, Yeager et al. 2020). These practices are not limited to just one plant family and have been most commonly reported in plants of the Orchidaceae family illegally exported during the last decades using permits, including CITES, of other species. Such is the case of Dracula trigonopetala Meyer & Baquero ex Doucette in Doucette (2012: 59), Scaphosepalum luanneae Baquero (2019: 272), Scaphosepalum tarantula Baquero & Hirtz in Baquero et al. (2018: 231) and Trisetella pachycaudata Mogrovejo-Herrera & Baquero in Baquero & Mogrovejo (2021: 272) where the authors already mention the illegal export of new species from Ecuador as a common practice. By having these ornamental plants at a certain price on the market for ornamental purposes, illegal collections put the natural populations of these species at risk.	en	Jiménez, Marco M., Iturralde, Gabriel A., Kuethe, J. R., Lapo-González, Nadia, Baquero, Luis E., Vélez-Abarca, Leisberth, Garzón-Suárez, Henry X. (2024): Ceratostema gualaquizensis (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), a new species from Ecuador known from previously misidentified specimens and new insights on Ceratostema loucianae. Phytotaxa 671 (2): 113-127, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1
975887CDFB05FFFFF0A5CEECFD25FE3A.taxon	etymology	Etymology: — This new species is named after Gualaquiza, the name of the township and municipality where the new species was found. Taxonomic discussion: — Ceratostema gualaquizensis is most similar to C. pendens by sharing its long-pendent branches; the spirally arranged leaves with very short petioles; the convex blades, of which the sides are involute at the base; the sessile inflorescences and the axillary flowers with corollas expanding slightly distally. The new species can be distinguished from the latter by the smaller, non-amplexicaul leaves, measuring 3.9 – 6.0 × 2.2 – 2.5 cm (vs. amplexicaul, 7.0 – 10.0 × 4.0 – 7.0 cm); the leaf base obtuse (vs. deeply cordate and auriculate); the inflorescence exclusively 1 - flowered (vs. 1 – 4 - flowered); the ovate-triangular and acuminate bracteoles (vs. ovate and acute); the calyx with a longer turbinate hypanthium, 3.9 – 4.2 mm long (vs. obconic, 2.7 – 3.5 mm long), the magenta and tubular corolla that is sparsely puberulous in the apical half (vs. dark maroon, cylindric and short-pilose throughout) with narrowly linear-triangular and acuminate, recurved lobes (vs. narrowly-triangular, long-acuminate and straight lobes) having black (vs. dark maroon) apices and the shorter thecae (up to 5.1 mm long vs. ca. 7.0 mm long) (Luteyn 2005). Another relevant feature observed in C. gualaquizensis is the leaves abaxially green (vs. suffused with purple) and the glabrous style (vs. pilose) in C. pendens (Figure 4).	en	Jiménez, Marco M., Iturralde, Gabriel A., Kuethe, J. R., Lapo-González, Nadia, Baquero, Luis E., Vélez-Abarca, Leisberth, Garzón-Suárez, Henry X. (2024): Ceratostema gualaquizensis (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), a new species from Ecuador known from previously misidentified specimens and new insights on Ceratostema loucianae. Phytotaxa 671 (2): 113-127, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1
975887CDFB02FFF2F0A5C9C2FA7EFB5B.taxon	materials_examined	Type: — ECUADOR. Morona-Santiago: Macas, 0.2 km N of San Isidro, lower Sangay National Park, eastern Andean slopes, 2 ° 12 ′ 33.51 ″ S, 78 ° 10 ′ 1.94 ″ W, ca. 1165 m, montane wet forest, 29 Dec 2023 (fl), X. Cornejo & G. Tello 10152 [holotype: GUAY (mounted and spirit); isotype: QCA].	en	Jiménez, Marco M., Iturralde, Gabriel A., Kuethe, J. R., Lapo-González, Nadia, Baquero, Luis E., Vélez-Abarca, Leisberth, Garzón-Suárez, Henry X. (2024): Ceratostema gualaquizensis (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), a new species from Ecuador known from previously misidentified specimens and new insights on Ceratostema loucianae. Phytotaxa 671 (2): 113-127, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1
975887CDFB02FFF2F0A5C9C2FA7EFB5B.taxon	description	Description. Pendant epiphytic shrubs; axonomorphous roots with well-developed lignotubers, lignotubers broadly fusiform to globose, 10.0 – 23.0 × 10.0 – 24.0 cm in circumference. Stems terete to subterete, up to 44.5 – 50 cm long arising from the lignotuber, glabrous, slightly arching, the older stems maroon, cracking longitudinally and exfoliating; branches pendant, terete to complanate, filiform, up to 200 cm long (and keeps growing continuously), green, striate after exfoliation, villose, trichomes eglandular, 1.8 – 2.8 mm long, light brown, deciduous; axillary buds compressed, emerging up to 1 mm above the leaf node; bracts 2 – 3, villose. Leaves alternate, spirally arranged, subpendulous, minutely glandular, new leaves salmon in color; petioles subterete, 1.2 – 1.5 × 2.0 – 2.5 mm, pale green sometimes suffused with pink, rugose, villose, trichomes to 0.4 mm long; blades ovate to lanceolate, 2.5 – 6.0 × 1.5 – 3.3 cm, dark green adaxially, paler abaxially, somewhat lustrous adaxially, pilose and glabrescent adaxially, villose and scabrid abaxially, canaliculate, thinly-coriaceous, base subcordate to truncate, apex attenuate to long-attenuate, margins slightly revolute, trichomes 0.4 – 1.8 mm long; weakly 5 – 7 plinerved near the base, the midrib impressed in the proximal 15 mm adaxially, raised and conspicuous abaxially, the lateral nerves branching, weakly impressed adaxially and plane abaxially, veinlets slightly raised, finely anastomose adaxially. Inflorescence axillary or supraxillary, congested, 1 – 2 - flowered, very short-pedunculate; peduncle subterete, 1 mm long, pale green, covered by up to 4 persistent bracts, bracts broadly ovate, small, 0.6 – 1.1 × 0.7 – 0.9 mm, sparsely villose, apiculate; rachis obconic, very short, 0.1 cm long, 2 mm thick, glabrous; floral bracts ovate-triangular, small, 1.0 – 1.2 × 1.0 mm, pale green, caducous, subacute, long-ciliate to the margin; pedicel subterete, 0.6 – 1.1 cm long, 2.6 – 3.0 mm thick, pale green suffused with magenta to the apex, mostly straight to slightly incurved, striate, articulate with the calyx, sparsely villose, trichomes to 1.9 mm long; bracteoles 2, ovate-triangular, 0.9 – 1.0 × 0.5 – 0.6 mm, pale green, flat, minute, located near the base and opposite, apex acuminate, long-ciliate to the margin. Flowers pentamerous, divergent to pendulous; calyx 4 – 5.3 × 5.4 – 6.1 mm, green or green suffused with red with white hairs, densely villose, trichomes to 1.9 mm long; hypanthium obconic, 2.9 – 3.5 × ca. 3.9 mm, truncate, subterete to bluntly 10 - costate; limb campanulate, 1.6 – 3.0 × 4.8 – 5.4 mm, open, spreading; lobes 5, broadly deltoid to hemiorbicular, 0.7 – 2.0 × 1.6 – 2.9 mm, minute, short acuminate to apiculate, villose, the sinuses rounded. Corolla thick-carnose, bistratose, cylindric-urceolate to tubular, 1.8 – 2.8 cm long, 6.0 – 9.0 mm in diameter at the base and 6 – 8 mm in diameter at the throat, crimson red or rarely pink cream, somewhat ventricose to the base, slightly narrowing distally, bluntly 5 - angled, villose with white hairs, trichomes 0.9 – 2.4 mm long; lobes 5, narrowly linear-triangular, 11.5 – 17.8 × 2.6 – 3.3 mm, spreading, black, acuminate, recurved; internally black, sparsely villose and verruculose, lustrous, papillose. Stamens 10, 2.6 – 3.1 cm long, nearly equaling the corolla in overall length, each pair slightly unequal with each other; filaments equal, 4.7 – 6.9 mm long, connate in the basal ca. 4.3 mm, white, glabrous; anthers 1.9 – 2.4 cm long overall, thecae 6 – 10 mm long, conspicuously papillose; tubules 1.2 – 1.5 cm long, glabrous, distinct, but seemingly connate near the proximal 1 / 2, dehiscing by terminal pores 0.5 – 1.2 mm long; style exserted, 3.0 – 3.5 cm long, dark green to greenish, glabrous, stigma truncated. Fruits a subovoid to subglobose berry, ca. 1.5 × 1.4 cm, white or pearl-white berry when ripe, villose; mesocarp white; seeds cream-colored with embryos deep green.	en	Jiménez, Marco M., Iturralde, Gabriel A., Kuethe, J. R., Lapo-González, Nadia, Baquero, Luis E., Vélez-Abarca, Leisberth, Garzón-Suárez, Henry X. (2024): Ceratostema gualaquizensis (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), a new species from Ecuador known from previously misidentified specimens and new insights on Ceratostema loucianae. Phytotaxa 671 (2): 113-127, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1
975887CDFB02FFF2F0A5C9C2FA7EFB5B.taxon	distribution	Distribution and habitat: — Ceratostema loucianae has been reported in the southeastern Ecuadorian provinces of Morona Santiago and Zamora Chinchipe (Figure 2). The species is known only from the eastern Andean foothills surrounding the towns of Macas (Cornejo et al. 2024), Limón, Santiago de Méndez, Sucúa and Zamora at elevations between 1100 – 1400 m, where it grows both in primary forests and in disturbed secondary areas (Figure 6). Additional specimens were observed 8.5 km northwest of Macas, 8 km south of Sucúa and 3.6 km northwest of Limón and were vouchered with photographs (Figure 6). In the area of Santiago de Méndez, the species was found in pastures growing epiphytically on relict trees of Pouteria caimito (Ruiz & Pavón 1802: 18) Radlkofer (1882: 333) (Sapotaceae) and Protium sp. (Burseraceae). Near Zamora it was seen growing on phorophytes of Alchornea sp., Centronia laurifolia Don (1823: 314), Graffenrieda sp. and Protium sp. within its natural habitat, it has been seen on tree branches from near the canopy to the understory (up to 2 m aboveground). Conservation status: — This species is currently known only from 11 localities across south-eastern Ecuador. The Extent of Occurrence (EOO) calculated for the species resulted in an area of 1,650 km 2 with an area of occupancy (AOO) of 32 km 2. This scales C. loucianae as EN (Endangered) according to IUCN (2022) criteria B 2 ab (i, ii), focusing on restricted distribution and stability of habitat. Ceratostema loucianae has been registered only in the lower part of the Sangay National Park (Cornejo et al. 2024), the buffer zone of the Podocarpus National Park and the surrounding area of the Río Negro-Sopladora National Park. Nevertheless, the populations outside these areas are highly threatened by deforestation in favor of cattle pastures, slash-and-burn agriculture and infrastructure activities. Ex situ, the species is being sold by nurseries in Ecuador and is known in private collections and commercial nurseries in the United States, Europe and Asia under incorrect names such as “ Ceratostema villosa ” and “ Ceratostema rauhii var. villosa ”. Notes: — Ceratostema loucianae is similar to C. rauhii (1992: 314), C. glans Luteyn (1996: 54) and C. lanigera (Sleumer 1941: 398) Luteyn (1984: 367) by the epiphytic habit, the vegetative and floral parts variously covered with indumentum, the plinerved leaves that are arranged in a spiral manner, the axillary to supraxillary inflorescences that are sessile to short-pedunculate and the red colored corollas with triangular, spreading to slightly recurved, acuminate lobes (being black in C. loucianae and the two latter species). A summary of the morphological differences between the aforementioned species is presented in Table 1. Additional specimens examined: — ECUADOR. Morona-Santiago: Santiago de Méndez, Chupianza, vía a la reserva municipal, 1367 m, 6 May 2023, H. Garzón 197 (HUTPL 14828!). Zamora Chinchipe: Zamora, vía Zamora-Parque Nacional Podocarpus, 1070 m, 14 May 2023, M. M. Jiménez & M. Jiménez Villalta 1770 (HUTPL 15001!); Zamora, vía Zamora-Parque Nacional Podocarpus, 1117 m, 9 Jun 2023, M. M. Jiménez León 1927 (HUTPL 15032!).	en	Jiménez, Marco M., Iturralde, Gabriel A., Kuethe, J. R., Lapo-González, Nadia, Baquero, Luis E., Vélez-Abarca, Leisberth, Garzón-Suárez, Henry X. (2024): Ceratostema gualaquizensis (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), a new species from Ecuador known from previously misidentified specimens and new insights on Ceratostema loucianae. Phytotaxa 671 (2): 113-127, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.671.2.1
