Ceratostema gualaquizaensis M.M. Jiménez & H. Garzón var. lucida (Cornejo & Luteyn) Cornejo & Luteyn, 2025

Cornejo, Xavier & Luteyn, James L., 2025, A New Combination And Two Nomenclatural Updates In Ceratostema (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae) From Southeastern Ecuador, Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 19 (1), pp. 35-37 : 35-36

1. Ceratostema gualaquizaensis M.M. Jiménez & H. Garzón var. lucida (Cornejo & Luteyn) Cornejo & Luteyn , comb. nov. BASYONYM: ECUADOR. Morona-Santiago: Parroquia Chiguinda , ca. 3°10′S 78°40′W, 2000 m, Andean eastern slopes, 16 Feb 2024 (fl), X. Cornejo 10164 [HOLOTYPE: GUAY (mounted and spirit); ISOTYPE: QCA].

Discussion.— On 12 Nov 2024, Jiménez et al. (2024a) published in Phytotaxa the new species Ceratostema gualaquizensis M.M. Jiménez & H. Garzón (H. GarzÓn 198, holotype: HUTPL 14828) from southeastern Ecuador.Two weeks later, on 26 Nov 2024, Cornejo and Luteyn (2024) published in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas three new species and a new variety of Ceratostema also from southeastern Ecuador, including C. portillae var. lucida Cornejo & Luteyn (X. Cornejo 10164, holotype: GUAY; isotype: QCA). We maintain that our C. portillae var. lucida is a good variety but should now be recombined as C. gualaquizaensis var. lucida . This new variety as well as C. portillae Cornejo & Luteyn (also published in Cornejo & Luteyn, 2024) are regarded herein as belonging to a C. gualaquizaensis “complex,” a key to which is presented below. Note also that the orthography of the original specific epithet ( “ gualaquizensis ”) is corrected since the locality name after which the species was named is Gualaquiza.

Ceratostema gualaquizaensis var. lucida is herein newly combined and maintained as a variety because in living plants the characters mentioned in the key below give this variety an overall distinctive appearance, especially when fresh that allows for the taxonomic differentiation important in the horticultural trade and for which reasons this variety is already being sold on the market at the nursery “Ecuagenera” in Ecuador. The recognition of this new variety for ornamental purposes lies primarily in the visual impression of its distinctive glossy leaves and more elongate calyx lobes.