A New Species of Besleria (Gesneriaceae) from Cundinamarca, in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes

Carlos A. Solano-C.; Daniel Ruiz Molina; Diego Alejandro Zapata-Correa; Luis E. Rodríguez

doi:10.3417/20261007

Carlos A. Solano-C. Herbario Forestal (UDBC) and Semillero de Investigación en Diversidad Forestal (DIFI), Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas
Daniel Ruiz Molina Herbario Forestal (UDBC) and Semillero de Investigación en Diversidad Forestal (DIFI), Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8755-3624
Diego Alejandro Zapata-Correa Herbario JAUM, Fundación Jardín Botánico de Medellín https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7875-6746
Luis E. Rodríguez Herbario Forestal (UDBC) and Semillero de Investigación en Diversidad Forestal (DIFI), Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3417/20261007

Keywords: Beslerieae, Cundinamarca, Lamiales, Neotropics, taxonomy

Abstract

A new species of the genus Besleria Plum. ex L. (Gesneriaceae), endemic to the Andean forests of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca, is described and illustrated. Besleria atopa Solano-C., D. Ruiz-Mol. & Zapata-Corr. is readily distinguished by a combination of characters including decumbent stems, solitary axillary flowers, and laterally compressed yellow corollas. The new species is morphologically similar to B. immitis C. V. Morton, which occurs in the Amazon basin of Colombia, and to B. barbensis Hanst., found in Costa Rica and Panama.