Paronychia sanchez-vegae Montesinos & Kool, 2018

Montesinos-Tubée, Daniel B., Cano, Asunción, García-Llatas, Luis F., Ju, Yingzi & Kool, Anneleen, 2018, Paronychia sanchez-vegae (Caryophyllaceae), a new woody species of Paronychia from North Peru, Phytotaxa 334 (1), pp. 41-48 : 44-47

Paronychia sanchez-vegae Montesinos & Kool , sp. nov. ( Figs. 2 − 3 )

Type:— PERU. Amazonas, Luya, Lamud, Cerro Mito, path to the archaeological site of Pueblo de los Muertos , 2504 m, 6°06’13” S, 77°54’14” W. 11 August 2016, Montesinos & Garcia 4924 (holotype HSP! , isotypes B , CPUN , CUZ , F , HCSM , HUSA , HUT , MOL , O ).

Diagnosis: — Paronychia sanchez-vegae differs from P. andina in having woody ramified stems, narrowly spathulate to gladiate leaves, larger mucro and both sides of the leaves glabrous, ovate-cylindrical flowers often on the mid lower portion lanate and the mid upper portion glabrous, larger ovary, orbicular and with a long style (almost equal the size of the ovary) and 10 stamens.

Description: —A perennial shrub with a thick woody caudex; stems decumbent, prostrate or suberect, some stems radicant and rooting on the nodes, up to 1.80 m long, densely congested, spreading from the base and much branched over their whole length, bark reddish brown, flaky when older, internodes 2–14 mm long, stout, shortly and densely puberulous to almost glabrous with age, branches often leafless in the basal part, and usually pale brown. Leaves sessile, linear, narrowly spathulate to gladiate, stiff, 2.5–7.5 × 0.8–1.5 mm, coriaceous, pale green turning yellowish-green to red brown with age (older leaves dark brown and persistent), on both sides glabrous, lustrous and with a shortly hispidulous margin, apex acute and shortly mucronate, with the margin tapering towards the apex, often clustered covering the stems and forming dense and short fascicules; stipules ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 2–7 × 0.7–1.5 mm, shorter than the leaves, with sparse long hairs and shortly mucronate at the tip; glomerules in spike-like fascicules, subterminal, 5–10 cm long, 2 − 3 mm in diameter, congested; flowers subsessile or rarely pedicellate, ovate-cylindrical to urceolate (swollen in the perigynous section and below the middle portion, glabrous from the middle portion to the top), yellow, pale brown with age, 1.2–2.0 mm long (including the membranous hoods); sepals 1.2–2.0 × 0.4–0.7 mm, oblong, base lanate, awns obtuse (0.4–0.6 mm long), glabrous in the upper-mid section; petals absent; receptacle ca. 0.7 mm long, obconical; filaments 0.5–0.7 mm long; stamens 10; anthers 0.2–0.3 × 0.1 mm, oblong and yellow orange; ovary ovoid to orbicular, 0.7–0.9 mm, smooth, with a thick, long style, 0.3–0.6 mm, nearly one third its length split but the stigmas only 0.1–0.2 mm long, the branches often curling down in the fruiting state. Fruits and seeds unknown.

Etimology: —The specific epithet refers to Isidoro Sánchez Vega (1938–2015), a Peruvian botanist who dedicated his life to studying the flora of N-Peru.

Habitat and distribution: — Paronychia sanchez-vegae is found in the mountain regions of N- and NE-Peru. This species grows in scrublands with superficial rocky soils, often on cliffs, open rocky hills and heavily overgrazed rangelands with rock exposure.

Conservation status: —On the basis of the criteria and categories of IUCN (2001), a preliminary status of Critically Endangered (CR) is here assessed. The new species deserves protection because its total area of occupancy is less than 100 km ² (ca. 50 km ²) (criterion B1); only three populations are known (B1b); habitat inferred to be continuing to decline [B1b(i-iii)]; population estimated to number fewer than 300 individuals (D). The suitable habitats for Paronychia sanchez-vegae on the mountain summits near the Utcubamba river mountain slopes and the Trujillo-Huamachuco road are regarded as endangered because overgrazing of grasslands, changes in annual rainfall, landslides, forestation with exotic species, exploitation of natural resources and fire may all potentially reduce their extent.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — PERU. Amazonas, Cerro de Fraijaco, northeast of Tambo de Ventilla , 3300–3450 m, 7 July 1948, Pennell 15876A ( USM!) . Amazonas, west of Chachapoyas , 2400–2450 m, 12–13 July 1948, Pennell 15894 ( USM-18921 !) . Amazonas, alrededores del campo de aviación de Chachapoyas , 13 April 1950, Ferreyra 7149 ( USM!) . La Libertad, Sánchez Carrión province, Trujillo-Huamachuco road, 20 km west of Huamachuco , 3750 m, 78°10 ʹ W 7°55 ʹ S, 14 February 1983, Smith & Vasquez 3316 ( USM!, MO-491495 !) . Amazonas, Luya, Lamud, Cerro Mito, path to the archaeological site of Pueblo de los Muertos , 2467 m, 6°06 ʹ 13 ʺ S, 77°54 ʹ 11 ʺ W. 11 August 2016, Montesinos & Garcia 4936 ( B!, CUZ!, HSP!, HUSA!, HUT!, F!, K!, L!, MOL!, O!, USM!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. A Habit X 3, B Branch X 10, C Leaf abaxial side X 25, D Leaf adaxial side X 25, E Detail of the leaf margin, X 100, F Stipule adaxial side X 25, G Stipule abaxial side X 25, H Node with leaf and bracts and flower X 25, I Flower X 55, J Flower opened X 40, K Section of ovary X 55.

FIGURE 3. Paronychia sanchez-vegae. A. Habit of the plant (bottom left), B. Ramified stems, C. Detail of the rooting stems.