Abstract
The páramos and high Andean forests of the tropical Andes are largely dominated by frailejones (Nomen nudum Cuatrec., Nomen nudum). These plants are ecologically and culturally essential for both ecosystems and local inhabitants. The frailejones have been studied for over two centuries, but the taxonomic knowledge is still sparse and incomplete. The inedited monograph by Cuatrecasas contains only ca. 70% of the species known today, and publications in the last decade disagree regarding the number of taxa within the group, with estimates ranging from 3 genera and 90 species to 8 genera and 154 species. Moreover the literature contains inexact information about their distribution. As part of a study of the phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships of the group, a thorough revision of the nomenclature was needed as a first step. Currently the subtribe has 8 recognized genera, 141 species, 17 subspecies, 22 varieties, 8 forms, 33 recognized hybrids, 142 synonyms and 5 invalid names, for a total of 368 names (autonyms not counted). The most current list of taxa is presented here, along with some notes and Spanish names. Tamananthus crinitus V.M.Badillo is not included within the subtribe. Various previous species or infraspecific taxa (i.e. Carramboa tachirensis (Aristeg.) Cuatrec., Espeletia algodonosa Aristeg., Espeletia aurantia Aristeg., Espeletia brassicoidea var. macroclada, Espeletia brassicoidea var. pedunculata, Espeletia garcibarrigae Cuatrec. and Espeletiopsis cristalinensis (Cuatrec.) Cuatrec.) are proposed or confirmed as hybrids. Two new records for Colombia are mentioned: Ruilopezia cardonae (Cuatrec.) Cuatrec., which is the first report of Ruilopezia for that country, and Espeletia steyermarkii Cuatrec. Observations regarding the frequency of hybrids in the subtribe are also given.
Highlights
José Celestino Mutis, founder and director of the “Expedición Botánica del Nuevo Reino de Granada” wrote two short diagnoses for the first species of frailejones to be collected, described and illustrated; this material is currently preserved at the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid, Spain
The lack of clarity regarding the correct nomenclature and taxonomy of the Espeletiinae, the obligate point of reference in almost all studies on páramos, is a serious handicap. Cuatrecasas worked until his last day on the revision of the subtribe
Maps were generated in ArcGIS10 (ESRI) and DIVA-GIS 7.5 (Hijmans et al 2012)
Summary
José Celestino Mutis, founder and director of the “Expedición Botánica del Nuevo Reino de Granada” wrote two short diagnoses for the first species of frailejones to be collected, described and illustrated; this material is currently preserved at the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid, Spain. The lack of clarity regarding the correct nomenclature and taxonomy of the Espeletiinae, the obligate point of reference in almost all studies on páramos, is a serious handicap Cuatrecasas worked until his last day on the revision of the subtribe. This revision is based on his extremely detailed morphological observations and extensive field experience of decades, and treats seven of the eight genera (excluding Espeletiopsis) and 105 species. The Plant List (Missouri Botanical Garden and Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew 2010), shows in total 145 species (Carramboa 7 spp., Coespeletia 6 spp., Espeletia 69 spp., Espeletiopsis 24 spp., Libanothamnus 14 spp., Ruilopezia 24 spp. and Tamania 1 sp.), and mentions 4 hybrids, 88 synonyms, 36 scientific plant names of infraspecific rank, and 24 unassessed names. The subtribe has been recently circumscribed within the tribe Millerieae Lindl, as part of the Heliantheae Alliance (Baldwin 2009; Panero 2007)
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