Passiflora boenderi (Passifloraceae), a New Egg-Mimic Passionflower from Costa Rica

Abstract

Vine 1.5-5 m, minutely puberulent throughout at the cernuous shoot tip, glabrescent below; stems + terete, striate. Stipules 1.7-3.5 x 0.2-0.3 mm, linear-triangular, subfalcate; petioles 1.2-3.8 cm, eglandular; leaf blades 4-12(-17) cm long in outline, 4.0-8.0(-9.5) cm wide, 2.4-7(-9.0) cm along central vein, lateral veins 4.0-8(-9.2) cm, entire, glabrous or glabrescent except margins minutely lightly strigillose and sometimes with a few trichomes on the larger veins abaxially, variegated adaxially with light yellow along the three major veins, especially on lateral lobes, (often deep) purple or red-purple abaxially, truncate elliptic to obovate to widely obovate (to very widely obovate) in general outline, bilobed 2/5-1/2(-/7) their length, the lateral lobes triangular to lanceolate, acute to acuminate, the very apex sometimes rounded, the central lobe absent or nearly so, sometimes represented by a mucronate cusp less than 5 mm long, the angle between the lateral lobes (14-)23-50(-62)° (juvenile plants with leaves less deeply lobed), the ratio of lateral to central lobe length 1.7-2.3(-2.5); laminar nectaries (5 to)8 to 13(to 16), borne between the main veins, appearing bright yellow or yelloworange adaxially, and yellow-orange with purple border abaxially, the larger leaves often with a single nectary proximal (exmedial) to each lateral vein at base of lamina; prophyll of vegetative bud 1, lanceolate to narrowly triangular. Peduncles (1)2 per node, 1-3 cm, uniflorous; bracts 3, 1-2.8 x 0.1-0.15 mm, linear-triangular, usually early necrotic and stramineous. Flowers light yellow-green, the corona yellowish with purple or purple-red basally and/or distally; flowers with little or no detectable odor, borne sub-horizontally at anthesis; floral stipe (3.5-)4.0-7.0 mm (6.5-9 mm in fruit); hypanthium 5.5-7 mm diam.; sepals 7.0-11(-14) x 3.0-5.0 mm, triangular-oblong to narrowly ovateABSTRACT. Passiflora boenderi, a new species of Passifloraceae endemic to Costa Rica, is described and illustrated. It is assigned to section Decaloba DC. in the species group that includes P. gilbertiana J. M. MacDougal and P. ornithoura Masters. This rare small-flowered species is notable for its intensely colorful and variegated leaves, with rows of conspicuous golden egg mimics.