Justicia spathuliformis 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

35. Justicia spathuliformis R. Villanueva & J. R. I Wood sp. nov.

Type.

Peru • Huánuco, Prov. Leoncio Prado, Dist. Hermilio Valdizán, Río Azul, 30 km from Tingo María , 750–850 m, 15 Oct. 1957, R. Ferreyra 12739 (holotype US-2267252 , isotype USM) .

Diagnosis.

Resembling Justicia morona-santiagoensis Wassh. but the inflorescence is clearly terminal (not axillary), with verticillate branching, the bracts at the inflorescence branching points oblong, (not spathulate), floral bracts ciliate (not glabrous) and corolla glabrous (not with hirtellous upper lip).

Description.

Isophyllous shrub 0.6–1.5 m high, habit unknown but probably erect, branched; stems crisped-pubescent with multicellular hairs. Leaves petiolate, lamina 10–19 × 2–9.5 cm, narrowly oblong-elliptic, apex acuminate, base cuneate, adaxially dark green, thinly pilose with multicellular hairs, the veins pubescent, abaxially paler, sometimes reddish-purple, glabrous except for pubescent veins, lateral veins 6–8 pairs; petioles 1–5.5 cm, densely pubescent. Inflorescence terminal, noticeably shorter than the subtending leaves, consisting of a relatively stout rhachis, from which arise verticillate branches with relatively slender secondary peduncles from the upper leaf axils; primary peduncles 3.2–5.2 cm (including rhachis to 10 cm), weakly quadrangular, densely but somewhat bifariously pubescent; secondary peduncles 1.5–3.6 cm; bracts at inflorescence branching points shortly petiolate, 10–12 × 2.5 mm, oblong, foliose, glabrous, somewhat caducous, the petioles up to 2 mm long; pedicels 5–15 mm flowers clustered in short dense spikes at apex of pedicels; floral bracts 6–10 × 2.5 mm, obovate-spathulate, ciliate; calyx subequally 5 - lobed to base, lobes 4 × 1.5 mm, lanceolate, acuminate, ciliolate; corolla yellow-green, minutely puberulent, tube 5 × 3 mm, stout, somewhat ventricose, mouth gaping, upper lip 4–5 mm, bidentate, lower lip purple-spotted, 3 - lobed, the lobes oblong-ovate rounded; anthers included but prominent, the thecae 2.25 × 1.5 mm, oblong-elliptic, glabrous, weakly superposed, lower with a small basal appendage; pollen prolate, 27–33 × 19–22 μm, 3 - aperturate, colporate, 1 row of c. 4–5 insulae on either side of the aperture (Fig. 51 D ). Capsule 11 × 3 mm, weakly clavate, glabrous, 4 - seeded; seeds lenticular, 2 × 2 mm.

Illustration.

Figs 34 , 35 A – D .

Etymology.

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

Phenology.

Found in flower from June to October.

Habitat.

c. 350– 800 m. Primary Forest, often near streams.

Distribution.

Endemic to Peru but relatively widely distributed on the eastern Andean slopes from San Martin south to Cusco. Fig. 64 .

Material examined.

Peru • Cusco: Prov. La Convención, Dist. Echarate, Sepriato, margen derecha del Río Camisea, Reserva Nacional Nahua Kogapakori , 11°49'S, 78°33'W, 430 m, 19 July 2007, H. Beltrán et al. 6413 ( USM) . • Junín: Prov. Chanchamayo, Dist. Chanchamayo, La Merced , 400–500 m, 14 Aug. 1948, R. Ferreyra 4470 ( USM) . • Huánuco: Prov. Leoncio Prado, hills east of Tingo María [9°18'S, 75°59'W], 5 Oct. 1972, T. B. Croat 21176 ( US) ; • ibid., Dist. Hermilio Valdizán, Río Azul, 30 km from Tingo María , 750–850 m, 15 Oct. 1957, R. Ferreyra 12739 ( US, USM) ; • ibid., Dist. Daniel Alomias Robles, oeste del Restaurante Canabraba, cerca de Delicios , 800–900 m, 17 June 1976, J. Schunke V. 9296 ( MEXU, MO, US) ; • ibid., Dist. José Crespo y Castillo, 8°40'S, 76°05'W, 673 m, 11 Aug. 2023, R. Villanueva et al. 1028 ( HOXA, IBSC) ; • ibid., Dist. Rupa-Rupa, Tingo María , 625–1100 m, 1949–1950, H. A. Allard 20611 ( US) ; • ibid., H. A. Allard 21902 ( US) . • San Martin. Prov. Tocache [Mariscal Cáceres], Dist. Tocache [Nuevo], desembocadura del Río Mishollo en Río Huallaga , 350–380 m, 25 July 1973, J. Schunke V. 6423 ( US) ; • ibid., el este del puente , 500 m, 27 July 1974, J. Schunke V. 7816 ( F, MO, US, USM) . • Ucayali: Prov. Padre Abad, Dist. Padre Abad, Cuenca del Río Aguaytía, carretera al Río Yurac 9°04'S, 75°36'W, 350 m, 9 Oct. 2004, J. Schunke V. & J. G. Graham 16322 (F, US, MOL) .

Note.

This species has a gaping corolla, so giving the appearance of having strongly exserted anthers. Schunke 7816 has large ovate, subcordate, somewhat oblique leaves, the other cited specimens have broadly oblong-elliptic leaves with cuneate base.

Figures

Figure 34. Photographs of Justicia spathuliformis (Villanueva 1028) by Rosa Villanueva.

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 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 64. Distribution of Justicia chlamydocardioides (red polygons), J. schunkei (blue circles), J. werffii (yellow square) and J. spathuliformis (green triangles) in Peru.