Justicia falcifolia 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

44. Justicia falcifolia J. R. I. Wood & R. Villanueva sp. nov.

Type.

Peru • Pasco, Prov. Oxapampa, Dist. Villa Rica, Antiguo camino hacia Cacazú, Centro Poblado Palma, zona de Amortiguamiento, P. N. Yanachaga-Chemillén , 10°39'57"S, 75°10'41"W, 1760–1850 m, 29 May 2005, E. M. Ortiz 660 (holotype MO-6409873 , isotypes MOL, HOXA, US, USM) .

Diagnosis.

Bears a superficial resemblance to Justicia squarrosa Griseb. in the size and shape of the leaves and the size, shape and colour of the corolla, but leaves reticulate beneath, the inflorescence elongate, clearly spicate (not subcapitulate) and the bracts and bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 8–9 mm long, straight (not filiform, mostly 10–20 mm long, and curled).

Description.

Liana to 5 m in height; stems roughly hirsute, glabrescent when old and woody. Leaves shortly petiolate, lamina somewhat coriaceous, 3–9.5 × 1–3 cm, ovate, apex long-acuminate and strongly falcate, base rounded, somewhat oblique, margin obscurely crenulate, both surfaces roughly pilose with scattered hairs, adaxially weakly bullate, with cystoliths, abaxially somewhat reticulate with raised venation, lateral veins 6–7 pairs; petioles 0.3–1 cm, pubescent. Inflorescence of dense, shortly pedunculate axillary and terminal spikes 2–6 cm long; flowers imbricate; peduncles 0.4–1 cm, villous; bracts 8–9 (– 12) × 1–1.25 mm, linear-lanceolate, pilose; bracteoles similar but smaller, 7 × 1 mm; calyx subequally 5 - lobed, lobes 9–11 × 0.75 mm, very narrowly linear-lanceolate, pilose with gland-tipped hairs; corolla c. 2.5–2.7 cm long, deep pink, glandular-pilose on the exterior, basal tube 12–15 mm long, slightly widened upwards from c. 1 mm at base, upper lip c. 12 mm long, notched, lower lip, shallowly 3 - lobed, lobes ovate, rounded, 1–2 mm long and wide; filaments 10–11 mm long, glabrous, anther thecae elliptic, glabrous, superposed, the upper theca 1 × 0.75 mm, the lower half the size; pollen prolate, 33–34 × 21–22 μm, 2 - aperturate, colporate, 1 row of c. 7–8 distinct insulae on either side of aperture (Fig. 52 E ); style glabrous, c. 2.5 cm long. Capsule 9 × 2 mm, clavate, pubescent, 4 - seeded; seeds 2 × 1.5 mm rugose.

Illustration.

Fig. 45 .

Etymology.

The epithet “ falcifolia ” refers to the distinctive falcate leaves, which are characteristic of this species.

Phenology.

Found in flower from March to July.

Habitat.

Montane forest from approximately 1500 and 2300 m. Fig. 69 .

Distribution.

Endemic to Peru in the zone of the Parque Nacional Yanachaga-Chemillén.

Material examined.

• Pasco: Prov. Oxapampa, Dist. Villa Rica, the type collection ; • ibid., Comunidad Centro Bocaz, Zona de amortiguamiento del Parque Yanachaga , 10°39'16.8"S, 75°10'39.2"W, 1300–1700 m, 12 April 2006, S. Vilca et al. 664 ( HOXA) ; • ibid., Dist. Oxapampa, sector Santa Cruz, Fundo Pocras , 10°39'06"S, 75 20'36"W, 2306 m, March 2010, Y. Ojeda & J. Vargas 1433 ( USM) . • Junín / Pasco: Pichis trail, Porvenir [11°36'S, 74°03'W approx], 1500–1900 m, 3–4 July 1929, E. P. Killip & A. C. Smith 25936 ( F, US) .

Figures

Figure 45. Justicia falcifolia A habit B detail of stem indumentum C abaxial surface of leaf showing indumentum D bract E bracteole F calyx G corolla opened out to show lips and androecium H anther J capsule valves, exterior (left), interior (right) K. seed. A, H drawn from Ortiz 660, J, K from Killip & Smith 25936 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.