Justicia saccata R. Villanueva & J. R. I. Wood, 2025

Villanueva-Espinoza, Rosa, Deng, Yunfei, Scotland, Robert & Wood, John R. I., 2025, Preliminary notes on Justicia (Acanthaceae) in Peru, PhytoKeys 258, pp. 1-123 : 1-123

36. Justicia saccata R. Villanueva & J. R. I. Wood sp. nov.

Type.

Peru. Huánuco, Prov. Leoncio Prado, Dist. Rupa-Rupa, Quebrada Las Pavas, 5 km S. of Tingo María , 720 m, 24 March 1976, T. Plowman & H. Kennedy 5722 (holotype US-2728351 , isotype USM) .

Diagnosis.

Resembling Justicia chloanantha Leonard in the large leaves, panicled inflorescence with white flowers and short calyx lobes but the corolla shorter, <10 mm long, with a prominent ventral bulge (not corolla c. 15 mm long, lacking a ventral bulge), calyx lobes very narrowly oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, appressed to the corolla, (not narrowly linear-lanceolate to subulate and spreading) and the capsule glabrous (not glandular-pubescent). It might be confused with J. wallnoeferi Wassh. and J. cuzcoensis Lindau but the leaves are long-petiolate and flowers not arranged in opposite pairs, the calyx 4–5 mm long (not 3 mm long) and corolla minutely glandular-puberulent with ventral bulge (not pubescent and lacking a ventral bulge).

Description.

Isophyllous subshrub c. 1 5 m high; stem glabrous. Leaves petiolate, lamina 12–29 × 4–12 cm, broadly oblong-elliptic, apex shortly acuminate, base broadly cuneate, both surfaces glabrous with numerous cystoliths, abaxially paler, lateral veins 12 pairs; petioles 8–10 cm long, glabrous. Inflorescence of pedunculate thyrses from the upper leaf axils, these much shorter than the leaves; peduncles 1–11 cm, glabrous, rhachis mostly 4–6 cm long, secondary peduncles 2–3 cm, tertiary peduncles 5–8 mm; bracts 2–5 mm, filiform, caducous; calyx subequally 5 - lobed to base, lobes 5 × 1 mm, very narrowly oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, shortly acuminate, minutely scabrous; corolla c. 8–9 mm long, cream with purplish veins, minutely glandular-puberulent, tube c. 4 × 2 mm, stout with prominent ventricose bulge, 2 - lipped, upper lip c. 3 mm long, bidentate, lower lip with purplish “ herring bone ” patterning, c. 4 mm long, 3 - lobed, the lobes obovate, rounded; filaments glabrous, anthers included in the upper lip, thecae superposed, c. 1 × 0.75 mm, basally muticous, glabrous; pollen prolate, 25–28 × 16–19 μm, 3 - aperturate, colporate, 1 row of c. 6 insulae on either side of the aperture (Fig. 51 E ). Capsule 10–12 × 3–4 mm, clavate, glabrous, 4 - seeded; seeds lenticular, 1.75 mm diam., dark brown, smooth.

Illustration.

Figs 35 E – G , 36 .

Etymology.

The epithet “ saccata ” refers to the distinctive saccate or ventricose corolla, which is a characteristic feature of this species.

Phenology.

Flowering from March to September.

Habitat.

In forest shade along rocky river banks and river cliffs, c. 380– 950 m.

Distribution.

Endemic to Peru, where it is known from Huánuco and Pasco. Fig. 65 .

Material examined.

Peru • Huánuco: Prov. Leoncio Prado, Dist. Rupa-Rupa, Cueva de las Pavas, 5 km S of Tingo María, [9°19'19"S, 75°59'36"W] 672 m, 4 July 1969, J. Schunke Vigo 3264 (F, K, US, USM) ; • ibid., quebrada Las Pavas, 5 km S. of Tingo María, 720 m, 24 March 1976, T. Plowman & H. Kennedy 5722 ( US, USM) ; • ibid., Cueva de las Pavas, 700–750 m, 11 July 1948, R. Ferreyra 4133 ( USM) ; • ibid., Dist. Mariano Damaso Beraun, Catarata Derrepente, 09°29'57"S, 75°58'38"W, 938 m, 9 Aug. 2023, R. Villanueva et al. 997 ( HOXA) ; • ibid., cerca de la Poza de la Doncella, Cueva de las pavas, 9°22'15.3"S, 75°58'28.1"W, 694 m, 10 Aug. 2023, R. Villanueva et al. 1018 ( HOXA) . • Pasco: Prov. Oxapampa, Dist. Palcazú, quebrada Ataz, 10°10'06"S, 75°19'23"W, 407 m, 28 May 2009, L. Valenzuela et al. 13027 ( HOXA, MO, USM) ; • ibid., Ataz, camino al convento, 10°09'30"S, 75°19'34"W, 375–635 m, 28 May 2009, L. Valenzuela et al. 12009 ( HOXA, USM) ; • ibid., P. N. Yanachaga-Chemillén, Est. Biológica Paujil Pozo Tigre, 10°20'16"S, 75°15'07"W, 450 m, 31 March 2006, R. Vásquez et al. 31357 ( HOXA) ; • ibid., 10°19'55"S, 75°15'58"W, 400 m, 10 March 2007, R. Vásquez et al. 32095 ( HOXA) ; • ibid., 10°19'31"S, 75°15'51"W, 380 m, 10 March 2009, R. Vásquez et al. 35533 ( HOXA, HUT, MOL, USM) ; • ibid., Estación Paujil-camino a la quebrada Ozus, 10°18'20"S, 75°16'52"W, 479 m, 17 March 2009, R. Vásquez et al. 35664 ( HOXA, MOL, USM) ; • ibid., camino a parcela permanente ubicada en el Cerro Ozus, 10°18'37.5"S, 75°17'18.8"W, 850–1010 m, 26 Sept. 2005, Vilca 371 ( HOXA, USM) .

Note.

L. Valenzuela & J. L. Mateo 13175 ( MO) is close to Justicia saccata . It has the same ventricose corolla but differs in the more prominently hirtellous corolla and the subsessile leaves which are basally truncate.

Figures

Figure 35. Justicia spathuliformis A habit B bracts C calyx D corolla. Justicia saccata E habit F bracts and bracteoles G corolla. A, D drawn from Ferreyra 12739, E, G from Schunke 3264 by Cathy Pasquale.

Figure 36. Photographs of Justicia saccata (Villanueva 1018) by Rosa Villanueva.

Figure 51. Pollen images A Justicia warmingii (Villanueva 920) B J. werffii (Van der Werff 15565) C J. schunkei (Schunke 7599) D J. spathuliformis (Villanueva 1028) E J. saccata (Villanueva 997) F J. lactiflora (Woytkowski 34339). Scale bars: 10 μm.

Figure 65. Distribution of Justicia saccata (green squares) and J. chamaecaulis (red circles) in Peru.