Two New Species of Fuchsia Section Fuchsia (Onagraceae) from Southern Ecuador

Abstract

Two new species of Fuchsia sect. Fuchsia (Onagraceae) from the Andes of southern Ecuador are described and illustrated. Fuchsia campii P. E. Berry is known from mid-elevation cloud forest of Azuay and Loja Provinces, and Fuchsia summa P. E. Berry is a high-elevation species currently known only from Loja Province. Both occur in Podocarpus National Park, together with several other rare species of Fuchsia. Studies and collections of plants from southern Ecuador have increased dramatically in the past decade, especially in areas such as Podocarpus National Park in Loja Province. Many novel plants have been located, and this paper describes two new species of Fuchsia that occur in cloud forest areas on the slopes of Cerro Toledo, one of them also known further north in Azuay Province. Three other species previously thought to be extremely rare in southern Ecuador are also known from Cerro Toledo: E andrei I. M. Johnston, E scherffiana Andre, and E steyermarkii P. E. Berry. All these taxa belong to the largest section of the genus, section Fuchsia, which now approaches 65 species. They are also examples of the high degree of local endemism in cloud forests of southern Ecuador, where moist montane habitats are often separated by dry valleys and show a wide range of precipitation regimes. Fuchsia campii P. E. Berry, sp. nov. TYPE: Ecuador. Azuay: Quebradas leading into the Rio Collay, 3-8 km N of Sevilla de Oro, 70008300 ft., 27 Aug. 1945, W H. Camp E-4994 (holotype, RSA herbarium # 71952; isotypes, G-DEL, MO, NY, UC, US). Figure 1. Frutex 1.5-4 m altus, foliis 3-vel 4-verticillatis, interdum oppositis, 3-9 X 1-3 cm, margine subintegro vel 710-dentato, floribus axillaribus apicem versus, pedicellis 18-30 mm longis, tubo florali roseo 29-45 mm longo, sepalis lanceolatis 12-15 mm longis, petalis auriantiacis 811 mm longis, 4-6 mm latis. Erect to recumbent shrub 1.5--4 m tall, well branched with mostly ascending branches; young growth pubescent, the trichomes 0.1-0.5 mm long, appressed to erect; branchlets terete to slightly angled, older branches with purplish, exfoliating bark. Leaves mostly in whorls of 3 or 4, sometimes opposite or subopposite; blade membranous, narrowly elliptic, 3-9 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, acute to acuminate at the apex, acute at the base, subglabrous to sparsely strigose when young on both surfaces and margin, trichomes persisting mainly along the midvein and secondary nerves on lower surface when fully expanded, upper surface smooth, shiny, and light to dark green, lower surface paler green; margin nearly entire, usually with 7-10 glandular teeth projecting slightly from the edge especially in the upper ? to 2/3 of the blade; secondary nerves (5-)8-10 on either side of the midvein; petiole strigose, (4-)6-25 mm long; stipules narrowly lanceolate when young, 1-1.5 mm long, ca. 0.2 mm wide, the tip quickly abscising and the thicker lower third persisting or abscising later. Flowers axillary in the upper leaf axils, 2-several per node, pedicel 18-30 mm long; floral tube narrowly funnelform, (29-)32-45 mm long, 2.5-3.5 mm wide at the base, narrowed to 2-2.5 mm wide in the lower ?, then gradually widened until 5--8 mm wide at the rim, sparsely strigose outside, densely pubescent inside in the lower narrowed portion; nectary a doughnutshaped ring 1-2 mm high and 2-3 mm wide at the base of the tube surrounding the style; ovary 4-angled, 5--6 mm long, 2-3 mm thick; sepals narrowly triangular or lanceolate, 12-15 mm long, 4-5 mm wide at the base; petals elliptic to obovate, 8-11 mm long, 46 mm wide, broadly acute at the apex, sometimes with a small mucro; tube and sepals bright pink except for the green sepal tips, petals orange and darker than the tube; style pink, 40-64 mm long, densely pubescent in lower third, stigma pink, capitate, ca. 2 mm high, ca. 2.5 mm wide; filaments 10-12 mm and 79 mm long, anthers oblong, 2-3 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide. Fruit oblong-ellipsoid before maturity, subrotund when ripe, 9-15 mm long, 5-9 mm thick; seeds flattened, obtriangular in outline, 1.8-2.2 mm long, 1.2-1.6 mm wide, +200 per fruit. Gametic chromosome number n = 11. Ecology and distribution. Occurring in thickets, along streams, and along roadsides in pasture zones on moist mountain slopes, 2300-2700 (-3350) m, in Azuay and Loja Provinces, Ecuador. NovoN 5: 318-322. 1995. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.184 on Sun, 15 May 2016 04:31:27 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Volume 5, Number 4 Berry 319 1995 Fuchsia from Southern Ecuador