Table Of ContentStenosepala hirsuta, a New Genus and Species of
Gardenieae (Rubiaceae) from Colombia and Panama
Claes Persson
Botanical Institute, Goteborg University, Box 461, SE 405 30 Goteborg, Sweden
ABSTRACT. A new genus and species, Stenosepala large thyrse in male individuals, and a very hirsute
hirsuta, of the Alibertia group (Gardenieae, Rubi¬ ovary in female flowers. The narrow calyx lobes and
aceae), from northern Colombia and southern Pan¬ the hirsute young branchlets and ovary give Steno¬
ama, is described and illustrated. The new taxon is sepala a superficial resemblance to Duroia hirsuta
distinguished from closely related genera by its (Poeppig & Endlicher) K. Schumann. However, D.
needle-like calyx lobes, persistent triangular and hirsuta differs in many characters of which ealyp-
aristate stipules, large thyrses in male individuals, trate, cireumscissile stipules, which are shed as the
and its very hirsute ovary in female flowers. shoot elongates, and the swollen, hollow branchlets,
which house ants, are the most striking ones. Aris¬
tate stipules, narrow calyx lobes, and a large thyrse
In a recent phylogenetic study of the pantropical
in male individiuals, as well as dioecy, also occur
tribe Gardenieae, I included a previously undes¬
in Randia (Burger & Taylor, 1993), a non-Alibertia
cribed taxon from northern Colombia and southern
group member of Gardenieae. However, Randia is
Panama (Persson, 2000 a). Just like the genera in
readily distinguished from Stenosepala, and the rest
Gardenieae, the new taxon is characterized by hav¬
of the genera in the Alibertia group, by pollen
ing indehiscent fruits with numerous seeds in a pla¬
grains shed in tetrads, a unilocular ovary with pa¬
cental pulp, and corollas with contorted aestivation.
rietal placentas, the presence of thorns, and homo-
This phylogenetic study using chloroplast DNA se¬
merous flowers.
quences from the rps\6 intron and trnL-F interge-
nic spacer clearly indicated that Stenosepala hir¬
Stenosepala hirsuta C. Persson, gen. et sp. nov.
suta (under the name species nova) is a member of
TYPE: Colombia. Antioquia: Mpio. Taraz4,
the neotropical Alibertia group. However, due to
corregimiento “El Doce,” Hacienda “Las Mer¬
poor resolution inside the Alibertia group, the anal¬
cedes,” 7°28'N, 75°18'W, 150 m, 12 Sep.
yses did not reveal the sister group to Stenosepala.
1998, F. Alzate, R. Callejas & J. Benavides 560
Stenosepala shares several characters with the
(holotype, HUA; isotypes, COL, GB, NY). Fig¬
members of the Alibertia group that support its in¬
ure 1.
clusion in this group, such as dioecy and hetero-
merous flowers (male and female flowers of different Frutex, arbuscula vel arbor, dioiea, ad 10 m alta, ramis
merosity), as well as pollen grains shed in monads. juvenibus sparse hirtellis vel hirsutis. Stipulae triangula¬
In addition, like the majority of the species in this res, aristatae, persistentes. Petiolus glaber vel hirsutus, ad
18 mm longus. Lamina in sicco papyracea, elliptica vel
group, the female inflorescence consists of a soli¬
anguste obovata, basi anguste cuneato, apice acuminato,
tary flower, whereas the male inflorescence is multi- 19.5— 29 X 8.5—1 1 cm. Flores masculini in thyrso, pe-
flowered. In subsequent analyses of the Alibertia dunculo hirsuto ad 10 mm longo. Pedicelli hirsuti 3—20
group using faster evolving ITS and 5S sequences mm longi, bracteolis acicularibus. Calyx cupulatus 2.2 X
1.5 mm, lobis acicularibus. Corolla hypocrateriformis
of the nuclear ribosomal DNA, the general resolu¬
membranacea, alba, tubo ad 23 mm longo, extus sparse
tion and support for several elades improved (Pers¬
hirsuto, lobis sex glabris linearibus ad 21 X 2 mm. Flos
son, 2000 b). However, Stenosepala appeared either femineus solitarius, pedunculo ad 2 mm longo. Calyx cu-
as the sister group to the rest of the genera of the pularis, dense hirsutus, lobis 8—9 acicularibus hirsutis 8-
Alibertia group or on a basal polytomy together with 12 mm longis. Corolla hypocrateriformis membranacea
ebumea, tubo ad 17 mm longo, extus hirsuto, intus glabro,
Stachyarrhena, a clade of two Genipa species, and
lobis 21 X 3-4 mm, glabris. Ovarium 3-^t-loculare, ovulis
a large clade comprising Alibertia, Borojoa, Duroia, in quoque loculo 15-25. Fructus ± sphaericus 2.5-4.5 X
and Amaioua species. Hence, the closest relative 2.5- 5 cm, aliquanto porcatus in sicco, indehiscens. Ca-
of Stenosepala hirsuta remains unresolved. lycis lobi in fructu persistentes, sed saepe effracti. Hoc
genus novus a generibus affmibus neotropicis, stipulis
Stenosepala is easily distinguished from other
triangularibus aristatis persistentibus, calycis lobis aci¬
genera in the Alibertia group by its combination of cularibus atque floribus masculinis in thyrso grandi, bene
narrow calyx lobes, persistent aristate stipules, a differt.
No VON 10: 403^-06. 2000.
404 Novon
Figure 1. Stenosepala hirsuta C. Persson. —A. Male inflorescence with magnified abaxial view of stipule and magnified
hairs at blade margin (upper right comer). —B. Detail of male inflorescence branch and magnified hair. —C. Corolla
of male flower. —D. Longitudinal section of corolla and calyx of male flower, plus magnified dorsal view of calyx lobes.
—E. Dorsal (left) and ventral (right) views of anthers. —F. Female inflorescence. —G. Longitudinal section of corolla
Volume 10, Number 4 Persson 405
2000 Stenosepala hirsuta (Rubiaceae)
Dioecious shrubs, treelets or trees 2—6(-10) m; lobes ca. 2 mm long, slightly ridged on back, an
stem ca. 6 cm diam., twigs 2.5-4 mm diam. below annular disk surrounding the style basally. Female
fruit or inflorescence, terete, when young sparsely flowers solitary and terminal, subtended by stipules
hirtellous or hirsute, bark on older twigs peeling. of the distal nodes, peduncle to 2 mm; calyx tube
Long and short shoots intermixed on main axes and minute or obscured (hidden behind hairs), calyx
on lateral branches, short shoots often ending in lobes 8—9, needle-shaped, ca. 8—12 mm long, gla¬
inflorescences. Stipules interpetiolar, persistent, brous inside, hirsute outside; corolla salverform, 7-
with a narrowly to widely triangular limb, 3-4 X merous, cream-colored, membranaceous, tube 17
2-6 mm, and a terminal arista, 3-8 mm long, free mm long, hirsute outside, glabrous inside, lobes lin¬
or slightly fused intrapetiolarly, externally glabrous ear, 21 X 3-4 mm, glabrous, style 4-lobed, includ¬
to hirsute, internally densely sericeous with thick ed, 15 mm long, lobes ca. 4 mm long, ovary (young
whitish hairs and red colleters at the base. Leaves fruit), subspherical, 7-8 X 8-9 mm, densely hir¬
opposite, usually petiolate, petioles 4-18 mm, sem- sute; 3- or 4-locular with one axial placenta per
iterete, adaxially slightly sulcate, sometimes slight¬ locule, with 15 to 25 ovules per placenta. Fruits
ly winged from the decurrent blade, glabrate to indehiscent, many-seeded, ± spherical, 2.5-4.5 X
sparsely hirsute above, ± hirsute below; blade usu¬ 2.5-5 cm, glabrous to sparsely hirsute, lenticellate,
ally well developed, 19.5—29 X 8.5-11 cm wide ferruginous, gray, brown to yellow; calyx lobes per¬
(sometimes minute needle-like, less than 1 cm), of¬ sistent in fruit, but mostly broken on herbarium
ten gradually acropetally larger, or decreasing just material (young fruits with 15 mm long lobes), peri¬
below the inflorescence, thinly papyraceous when carp 5 mm thick; seeds angularly lenticular or flat¬
dry, elliptic or sometimes narrowly obovate, at apex tened, ca. 2 X 10 X 12 mm, embedded in a fleshy
acuminate with tips to 25 mm long, at base narrow¬ placental pulp, exotesta cells smooth, elongate, 5
ly cuneate, midrib impressed to level above, prom¬ to 10 times longer than wide, with secondary thick¬
inent below, secondary veins 11 to 14 pairs, bro- enings in radial wall.
chidodromous, impressed to level above,
Distribution and habitat. Stenosepala hirsuta
prominulous to prominent below, tertiary venation
has been collected in primary and secondary low¬
indistinct, level to slightly prominulous above, level
land forests from 50 to 1000 m elevation in the
to prominulous below, adaxial surface matte or
Choc6 province, the Cauca (Antioquia, Cordoba,
slightly glossy, glabrous except ± hirtellous midrib,
Caldas) and Magdalena valleys (Bolivar and San¬
abaxial surface sparsely hirtellous to hirsute on
tander) of northern Colombia, as well as the prov¬
midrib and secondary veins. Male flowers in a ter¬
ince of Darien in Panama.
minal determinate thyrse, 10- to 40-flowered, to 11
Phenology. Flowering specimens have been
cm high and 17 cm wide at base, peduncle to 18
collected in September and October with fruiting
mm, and pedicels 3—20 mm, branches of first and
specimens from November to August. The only re¬
second orders dichasial, higher orders often mono-
cord of mature fruits is from October.
chasial, inflorescence branches hirsute, each flower
and branch subtended by a needle-like, hirsute Paratypes. COLOMBIA. Antioquia: Mpio. Arboletas,
bract. Calyx tube minute, ca. 1 mm deep and 2 mm vereda La Toyosa. 100 m, 30 Mar. 1983, Bernal & Gal-
eano 520 (COL); Penas Blancas, 28 Apr. 1926, Woronow
diam. with 7 to 10 semiterete, needle-like lobes,
& Juzenczuk 4579 (F 2 specimens); Mpio. Cdceres km 10-
each 5—9 mm long, glabrous inside, hirsute outside;
15 SE of Cciceres, sobre La troncal de la paz, 7°40’N,
corolla salverform, 6-merous, white, not odorous, 75°20'W, 110-150 m, 5 Nov. 1987, Callejas et al. 5360
membranaceous, tube 19—23 mm long, sparsely (NY); Mpio. Caucasia, road to Nechf, ca. 14 km from Cau¬
hirsute outside, glabrous inside, lobes narrowly tri¬ casia—Planeta Rica rd., hacienda Candelaria, 8°02'N,
75°11'W, 60 m, 11 Oct. 1987, Brant & Escobar 1259 (K,
angular, to 21 X ca. 2 mm, glabrous; stamens in¬
NY); Mpio. Turbo Corn Currulao, Currulao Nueva E-NE
cluded; filaments less than 1 mm long, inserted 5— of Turbo, 11 km from Currulao 45 m, 3 Aug. 1987, Cal¬
7 mm below top of corolla tube; anthers linear with lejas et al. 4981 (MO, NY); Mpio. Tarazd, Corn El Doce,
an apical connective process, ca. 5X1 mm, in¬ 201 km NE of Medellin, on road to Barroblanco, 300 m,
18 Aug. 1986, Callejas et al. 2413 (HUA, MO, NY); Mpio.
cluded, dorsifixed with filament inserted 2 mm from
Cdceres, Com Jardtn, Hacienda Cataturnbo, 70 m, 21 Feb.
base; pollen 4- to 5-colporate, foveolate; non-func¬
1988, Fonnegra & Roldan 2358 (GB, NY); Mpio. Fron-
tional style 3-lobed, slender, ca. 17 mm, included, tino, Murrf, cam Nutivama—La Blanquita, despu6s del alto
<—
of female flower and 4-lobed style. —H. Fruiting branch. —I. Single seed and cluster of seeds. A-E from holotype
Alzate et al. 560 (HUA); F, G from Brant & Escobar 1259 (K, NY); H. I from Betancur et al. 425 (NY). B-D and G,
H have the same scale (see scale bar between B and C).
406 Novon
de Cuevas, 6°43'N, 76°19'W, KMX) m, 13 Apr. 1987, Be- Acknowledgments. My thanks are in particular
tancur et al. 425 (NY); Mpio. Caucasia (boundary with
due to Fernando Alzate Guarfn (HUA) who col¬
Dpto. C6rdoba), road to Nechf 14.1 km from Caucasia-
lected the type specimen after I sent him him a
Planeta Rica road. Hacienda La Candelaria, 8°05'N,
75°10'W, SO m, 24 Nov. 1986. Zarucchi & Cardenas 4246 poor description of the new taxon. I thank Lennart
(NY). Bolivur: 150 km N of Barrancabermeja, Mico Ahu- Andersson, Roger Eriksson, Claes Gustafsson,
mado camp, 08°15'N, 74°4'W, 900 m, 20 Aug. 1966, de Gunnar Harling, Erik Ljungstrand, David Lorence,
Bruijn 1075 (COL, MO, NY); Mpio. Morales, Corr. Norosi,
and Elmar Robbrecht for providing useful com¬
camino a Tiquisionuevo, 130-200 m, 9—14 Apr. 1985,
Cuadros 2114 (MO); San Pedro, 29 May 1949, Romero ments on the manuscript. The excellent drawing
Castaneda 1771 (F). Choeo: near Madurex logging Camp was made by Bobbi Angel. I am grateful to the
above Teresita and below the rapids of Rio Truando, 7—8 curators of COL, F, HUA, K, and NY for the loan
Feb. 1967, J. A. Duke 9927 (MO) Caldas: stream crossing
of herbarium specimens. Financial support re¬
13 km N of La Dorada on road to San Miguel, 330 m, 7
ceived Irom Kungliga Hvitfeldtska stipendieinratt-
Mar. 1977, Gentry et al. 18203 (COL, MO). Cordoba:
Mpio. Tierralta, carr. Tierralta—Frasquillo, alrededores de ningen and Helge Axrson Johnsons stiftelse are
la quebrada Chibogadd, 80 tn, 29 July 1986, Bernal et al. gratefully acknowledged.
1205 (COL, MO). Santander: Magdalena valley, Campo
Campote, 30 km E of Carare, 300 m, 29 Sep. 1977, A.
Centra A H. Renteria 20047 (MO); 10 leguas al SE de Literature Cited
Barrancabermeja, a 8 km, margen izquierda del rfo Opon,
200 m, 30 Aug. 1954. Romero Castaneda 4 775 (COL); Burger, W. & C. M. Taylor. 1993. Rubiaceae. In W. Burger
Las Colonias (Opbn, Cararere), 6 Nov. 1979, Renteria et (editor). Flora Costaricensis. Fieldiana, Bot. n.s. 33: 1 —
al. 1547 (COL, MO); Puente de Sogamoso, 0-500 m, 31 333.
Oct. (1 !Nov.) 1979, Renteria et al. 1988 (COL, MO); vi¬ Persson, C. 1996. Phylogeny of Gardenieae (Rubiaceae).
cinity of Barrancabermeja, between Sogamoso and Colo¬ Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 121: 91-109.
rado rivers. 100-500 m, 5 Oct. 1936. Haught 2004 (F). -. 2000 a. Phylogeny of Gardenieae (Rubiaceae)
PANAMA. Darien: clearing at confluence of Rfo Chu- based on ehloroplast l)NA sequences from the rps 16
cunaque and R. Canclones, 5 July 1962, Duke 5120 (MO); intron and <mL(UAA)-F(GAA) intergenic spacer. Nor¬
2-3 mi. SE of Pijibasal on Rfo Paraseneco, ca. 9-10 mi. dic J. Bot. 20: 257-269.
S of El Real. R. L Hartman 12060 (MO); trail from Can- -. 2000 b. Phylogeny of the Neotropical Alibertia
gldn—Yaviza rd. to Rfo Chucanaque, 7.7 mi. E of Cangldn, group (Rubiaceae), with emphasis on the genus Aliber¬
8°20'N, 77°50'W, 50 m, 6 Mar. 1982, Knapp & Mallet tia, inferred from ITS and 5S ribosomal DNA sequenc¬
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