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| Alsobia baroniae L. E. Skog & Barrie
in Barrie, Skog & Clark, 2018.
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Abstract
Alsobia baroniae L. E. Skog & Barrie, a new species of Alsobia Hanst. (Gesneriaceae: Episcieae), is described from the karst region of central Belize. The new species is endemic to Belize, known from but a few collections, and is distinguished from the other three known species of Alsobia mainly by its larger leaves, 10–26 cm long, and its densely pilose corolla. The genus is now expanded to four species. A synopsis of the genus is given, including descriptions of the genus and known species and a key to species.
Keywords: Alsobia, Belize, Gesneriaceae, karst
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| Alsobia baroniae L. E. Skog & Barrie. —A. Corolla face showing spotting in corolla tube and on limb. —B. Erect stem apex showing opposite leaves of equal size. —C. Side view of mature corolla showing ventral pouch. —D. Habit with lateral stolons. |
Alsobia baroniae L. E. Skog & Barrie
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Etymology. Alsobia baroniae is named in honor of Ms. Ella Baron, founder and director of Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch Botanical Garden, Belmopan, Belize. Ms. Baron and her husband, Mr. Anderson, have collaborated with the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in expeditions that have greatly expanded our knowledge of the epiphytic flora of Belize. As a consequence, the number of epiphytic species recorded has increased from ca. 400 in 2000, the year the Belize checklist was published (Balick et al., 2000), to some 650 today.
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| Figure 2. A–E. Alsobia baroniae L. E. Skog & Barrie. —A. Corolla face showing spotting in corolla tube and on limb. —B. Erect stem apex showing opposite leaves of equal size. —C. Side view of mature corolla showing ventral pouch. —D. Habit with lateral stolons. —E. Habit showing mature flower. —F. Alsobia chiapensis Mart.-Mel., L. E. Skog & P´erez-Farr. Mature flowers showing fimbriations along corolla lobe margins.
A, D, and F photographs by Ron Myhr; B and C photographs by Steven Brewer of S. W. Brewer 5176.
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Fred R. Barrie, Laurence E. Skog and John L. Clark. 2018. A New Species of Alsobia (Gesneriaceae) from Belize, with a Synopsis of the Genus. Novon: A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature. 26(1); 1-8. DOI: 10.3417/2017043
