Justicia hyalina J. R. I. Wood & R. Villanueva, 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

45. Justicia hyalina J. R. I. Wood & R. Villanueva sp. nov.

Type.

Peru • Cusco, Prov. Quispicanchis, Dist. Camanti, Quincemil – Camanti, Río Tunquimao , 13°15'76"S, 70°80'78"W, 801 m, 7 Feb. 2011, J. D. Wells, P. Centeno & M. Hammett 1258 (holotype USM, isotype BRIT) .

Diagnosis.

An apparently isolated species, not obviously comparable with other species of Justicia but distinguished by the very large oblong-elliptic leaves, by the short, rather delicate, usually paired inflorescences arising in each leaf axil, the large, pale yellow corollas and especially the linear-oblanceolate hyaline floral bracts.

Description.

Shrub 1–5 m high; stems bifariously scurfy-hirtellous. Leaves petiolate, lamina 13–25 × 2.8–7.3 cm, narrowly oblong-elliptic, apex acuminate to a fine point, base cuneate, margin entire, sparsely to densely ciliolate with multicellular hairs; adaxially glabrous apart from scurfy-pubescent veins towards the base, abaxially paler, the veins puberulent, sometimes when young thinly pubescent with multicellular hairs, venation somewhat prominent, the laterals 9–10 pairs; petioles 1.8–4.5 cm, scurfy-hirtellous. Inflorescence terminal, with 2–3 cymes arising from each of the uppermost leaf axils, the whole inflorescence dense and fragile in texture; cymes 5–6 cm long; primary peduncles 1–2.3 cm, crisped-pubescent; secondary peduncles and pedicels shorter but similar in indumentum; bracts linear-oblanceolate to spathulate, 8–9 × 1–2 mm, dotted with minute glands, subglabrous to sparsely ciliolate especially apically, thin and hyaline in texture; bracteoles linear, 5 × 0.75 mm; calyx lobes 13–14 × 2–3 mm, lanceolate, tapering to a fine point, subglabrous to ciliolate apically; corolla 3.5–4.5 cm long, cream to yellowish, in bud minutely puberulent on the exterior towards base, strongly 2 - lipped, tube c. 1.2 cm long, upper lip 1.8 cm long, bilobed, lower lip 1.8 cm long, 3 - lobed, lobes c. 3 mm long, the laterals c. 2 mm wide, the central lobe c. 3 mm wide; anther thecae superposed, narrowly oblong, c. 2 × 0.25 mm, both with a white basal appendages c. 0.5 mm long; pollen prolate-perprolate, 59–63 × 25–26 μm, 3 - aperturate, colporate, insulae in 1 row on each side of the aperture (Fig. 52 F ); ovary oblong, glabrous, c. 1.5 × 0.5 mm; style glabrous above, strigose below. Capsule and seeds not seen.

Illustration.

Figs 46 , 47 .

Etymology.

The epithet “ hyalina ” refers to the distinctive hyaline bracts, which are characteristic of this species.

Phenology.

Found in flower in February and May to August.

Habitat.

Low altitude humid cloud forest, 800 to 950 m.

Distribution.

Endemic to Peru and only known from a few locations in Cusco. Fig. 69 .

Material examined.

Peru • Cusco: Prov. Paucartambo, Keros – Valle de Kosñipata [13°31'30"S, 71°58'20"W], ca. 950 m., 23–31 June 1948, R. Scolnik 909 ( MO) ; • ibid., Dist. Kosñipata, Patria, 900 m, 5 Aug. 1951, C. Vargas 10235 ( CUZ) ; • ibid., Consuelo, aguada de Asunción, 850 m, 24–30 July 1948, C. Vargas 07355 ( CUZ). Prov. Quispicanchis, Dist. Camanti, Propiedad del sr. Bustamante, 13°13'52.32"S, 70°46'45.12"W, 600–1700 m, 19 March 2008, B. Chambi 797 ( CAS) ; • ibid., propiedad privada, 13°14'09.96"S, 70°47'47.4"W, 600–1700 m, 19 March 2008, B. Chambi 924 ( CAS) ; • ibid., Quincemil – Camanti , the type ; • ibid., cima de la Montaña de Camanti, [13°15'28"S, 70°46'52"W], 800 m, 28 May 2008, B. R. Chambi et al. 1310 ( BRIT) ; • ibid., trail to mining camp at Río Yanaurco , SE of Quincemil, km 234 Interoceanica-Transamazonica highway, 13°14'37"S, 70°48'45"W, 840–900 m, 18 May 2010, J. L Clark et al. 11525 ( MO, US) ; • ibid., 1–2 km west of Quincemil , 872 m, 12 May 2010, J. L. Clark 11368 ( CAS) . • Madre de Dios: Prov. Manu, Dist. Madre de Dios, Pantiacolla Ridge, around and up mountain from Pantiacolla Lodge, 18 April 2006, J. P. Janovec 3246 ( BRIT) .

Figures

Figure 46. Photographs of Justicia hyalina A, B (Chambi 79), E (Chambi 924) by B. Chambi, C, D, F (Janovec 3246) A, B, E B. Chambi; C, D, F J. Janovec.

Figure 47. Justicia hyalina A habit B cross section of stem C bract D bracteole E calyx F corolla opened out to show androecium G anther H ovary and base of style. A, C, H drawn from Chambi, P. Centeno & J. P. Janovec 1310 B from Scolnik 909 by Margaret Tebbs.

Figure 52. Pollen images A Justicia bambusiformis (Dudley 10440) B J. valenzuelae (Valenzuela 8722) C J. huallagensis (Knapp 7879) D J. oxapampensis (Villanueva 963) E J. falcifolia (Ortiz 660) F J. hyalina (Scolnik 909). Scale bars: 10 μm.

Figure 69. Distribution of Justicia bambusiformis (pink polygons), J. valenzuelae (red triangles), J. falcifolia (yellow squares) and J. hyalina (green circles) in Peru.