Passiflora chaskajina Kuethe & Balderrama, 2025

Kuethe, J. R., Balderrama, José A., Fuentes, Alfredo, Justiniano, Hermes & Lanas, Mattias, 2025, Resolving the Passiflora guentheri and P. mapiriensis enigma: identifying a third member of Passiflora sect. Simplicifoliae from the eastern Yungas, Bolivia, Phytotaxa 697 (2), pp. 166-176 : 172-174

Passiflora chaskajina Kuethe & Balderrama sp. nov. ( figure 3 , 4 )

Type:— BOLIVIA. Cochabamba department, Carrasco National Park. Found along the Río Ivirizu just north of Sehuencas, 17 o 29’48.2” S, 065 o 16’20.4” W, 2224 m, 18 October 2021, M. H. Porcel, J. A. Balderrama, F. Bayá, B. Céspedes 102 (holotype: BOLV! [no barcode]. isotypes: BOLV!, USZ!).

Diagnosis. Passiflora chaskajina is similar to P. dalechampioides and P. mapiriensis . It differs from the former by its consistently unlobed leaves, and numerous petiolar glands, and from the latter by the colour of the flower, the likewise larger number of glands along the petiole, and their glandular shape (stipitate vs. sessile).

Description. Plant a strong tendrillate vine with 5–6 m long branches, glabrous throughout; stem terete, fresh green; stipules semi-ovate to reniform, 1.3–2.0 × 0.8–1.2 cm wide at widest point, acuminate at apex, entire to marginally serrate along the lower half, membranous, persistent on the younger branches only; petioles 3.0– 5.8 cm long, slightly caniculate in apical 3/4 th, glandular with (4–) 6–10 (–18) stipitate glands located along the upper half, glands placed in (sub-)opposite pairs, about 1.5–2.5 mm long, slightly hooked towards apex. Leaves oblong-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 10–22 × 7–9 cm wide at widest point, gradually acute towards apex, cordate to shallowly cordate at base, septupleveined, conspicuously reticulate-veined, margins entire except for very obscure serration within the basal sinuses only, texture membranous to sub-coriaceous, deep green above, a dullish green beneath. Peduncles solitary, 0.8–1.3 cm long, subhorizontal to slightly pendent; bracts foliaceous, ovate, 1.1 cm long, about 0.7 cm wide, acute to acuminate at apex, terminating into a short mucro about 2 mm long, dissitate positioned about 3–5 mm below the base of the flower. Flowers very showy, white with purple-red, about 8.2 cm wide, strongly scented; hypanthium deeply campanulate, about 5 mm wide, about 3 mm deep, green externally; sepals linear-oblong, 3.6 cm long, about 0.7 cm wide, obtuse at apex, white adaxially, a light green abaxially, dorsally corniculate with a fleshy green awn just below apex, awn 9 mm long, green, acute; petals subequal to sepals, 2.2 cm long, about 0.9 cm wide, oblong, obtuse to rounded at apex, white on both sides, membranous; corona filaments in 4–5 series, white with purple stripes and reddish accents; outer series filiform, 0.8–1 cm long, radiate, reddish-pink in the basal quarter followed by white, becoming white-purple striped in the dorsal half; those of the succeeding 2–3 series much shorter, filiform, 3–5 mm long, capitellate, erect to slightly curved, reddish-pink in basal half becoming white to whitish in upper half; operculum fused into linear segments, slightly curved inwards over the edge of the raised limen floor, reddish with whitish apex, 3–4 mm high, cleft along the base of the androgynophore; limen floor raised, becoming a whitish-yellow disk at the base of the androgynophore; androgynophore greenish-yellow, about 5 mm tall; ovary ovoid to ellipsoid, very minutely ribbed with 5 swollen ridges, glabrous to glabrescent; pollen light yellow; anthers light greenish-yellow; stigma green throughout. [Immature] Fruit ellipsoid, glaucous, green.

Phenology. Passiflora chaskajina was seen in flower between September and October, which in its native Carrasco corresponds with the onset of the wet season. Early fruiting was seen in the September.

Etymology. The epithet derives from the Quechua “ch’aska jina”, meaning “like a star”. This is a reference of the brilliant white flowers contrasting against the dark foliage of the dense forest.

Distribution, habitat and conservation. This new species has been found across several locations scattered across the eastern Yungas of central Andean Bolivia. All of the locations fall within the department of Cochabamba, where the species were seen in valleys of the Carrasco National Park. The largest population of Passiflora chaskajina was found around the small Carrasco township of Sehuencas, where it grows in low river forests, mostly restricted to the understory of the umbriferous forest. Smaller populations were seen along the Río Espiritu Santo north of Villa Tunari, near to Cristal Mayu in the western quadrant of the Carrasco, and north of Comarapa, which marks the far eastern extreme of where this species has been sighted. At all these locations the plants were seen within similar habitats at elevations between 1600 and 2400 m, mostly in the vicinity of a small river or mountain creek.

Conservation. In total, five populations of Passiflora chaskajina were seen across an extend occurrence (EOO) of 750–800 km 2, with an area of occupancy (AOO) of 20 km 2, scaling the new species as Endangered (EN) in accordance with the IUCN (2022) criteria B2ab(i,ii) and C. Given the mining and habitat fragmentation present within the natural area, combined with the low abundance of the species in situ, the authors deem this an appropriate assessment for the new species.

Notes. First seen during a new road opening in as recent as 2020, Passiflora chaskajina marks the third Bolivian endemic member of P. sect. Simplicifoliae . The stipitate petiolar nectaries, positioned in poorly arranged pairs that are mostly distributed among the upper half of the stalk, can be as numerous as 18, making it the highest number of petiolar nectaries seen in any member of P. subg. Passiflora (thus by extension, P. sect. Simplicifoliae ). The length of the peduncle is remarkable, reaching up to 14 cm long with a subhorizontal to slightly pendent orientation suggesting affinity to P. sect. Kermesinae (Killip ex Cervi) Feuillet & J.M. MacDougal (2003: 38). These two traits alone, make P. chaskajina stand out easily from any of the other members of P. sect. Simplicifoliae or even P. sect. Stipulatae native to Bolivia.

The structure of the flower is rather unusual for its taxonomic alliance. The limen floor is noticeably raised forming what appears to be a physical barrier, loosely protected by the operculum and 2–3 filiform coronal series. Similar structures are seen only in some members of Passiflora supersect. Stipulatae such as P. urubicensis Cervi (2003: 53) and P. subulata Mast. (1872: 567) , neither of which are native to Bolivia. By floral colour and size, the nearest related species seem to be P. dalechampioides Killip (1927: 429) , which shares a Bolivian distribution albeit endemic to the western department of La Paz. P. chaskajina is easily distinguished however, by its unlobed foliage whereas P. dalechampioides is three-foliate; and by the inner structure of flower. Although the effective pollinator has not been observed within its habitat, from the position of the pollen it is likely that the pollinator is a medium to large species of bee.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Lankaster Composite Dissection Plate (LCDP) for Passiflora chaskajina sp.nov. Composed of photographs taken by J.R. Kuethe and Jose Balderrama.All photographs taken in situ.

FIGURE 4. Distribution map showing the three members of sect. Simplicifoliae distributed across Bolivia. Passiflora guentheri (green squares); Passiflora mapiriensis (blue triangles); Passiflora chaskajina (red circles). Shaded areas given for their possible distribution extents.