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| Gesneria clasei J.L.Clark, in Clark, 2023. |
Abstract
A new lithophytic species of Gesneria was discovered during a recent research expedition to the Dominican Republic. Gesneria clasei J.L.Clark is a locally endemic species known from a single population in the Sierra de Bahoruco in the southwestern province of Barahona in the Dominican Republic. Images and a discussion are provided to differentiate Gesneria clasei from congeners that share tubular red corollas. Based on IUCN guidelines, a preliminary conservation status of Critically Endangered (CR) is assigned to G. clasei.
Keywords: Biodiversity, Gesneria, lithophyte, Sierra de Bahoruco, taxonomy
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| Gesneria clasei. A. Lateral view of mature flower. B. Ventral view of mature flower. C. Shoot with foliage and calyx. D. Lateral view of immature fruit. E. Habit (lithophyte). F. Teodoro Clase adjacent to the monument of Erik L. Ekman in the central park in San José de Ocoa (Dominican Republic). [A–E field images from J.L. Clark & T. Clase 17372]. |
Gesneria clasei J.L.Clark, sp. nov.
Diagnosis.—Differs from all other Gesneria taxa by the presence of uniformly red tubular corollas, ribbed floral tubes, narrow calyx lobes that are nearly as long as the corolla tube, and a lithophytic subshrub habit.
Etymology.—The specific epithet clasei honors Teodoro Clase (Fig. 1F), a Dominican botanist from the Jardín Botánico Nacional “Dr. Rafael M. Moscoso” (JBSD) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Clase’s heroic efforts have facilitated and promoted plant biodiversity studies in the Dominican Republic, including the discovery of the species here. Clase is also an active plant collector, currently one of the most extensive for Hispaniola (more than 14,000 field collections throughout Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
John L. Clark. 2023. Gesneria clasei (Gesneriaceae), A New lithophilous Species from the Sierra de Bahoruco, Dominican Republic. Brittonia. DOI: 10.1007/s12228-023-09766-8
