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| Passiflora quimiana Kuethe & H.Garzón, in Kuethe, Garzón-Suárez, Jiménez, Zavatin et Goucher, 2025. |
Abstract
A new species of Passiflora subgenus Decaloba, supersect. Decaloba, from the Cordillera del Cóndor in Ecuador, is described and illustrated, with its morphological similarities to other species being discussed in this paper. Passiflora quimiana exhibits the unique combination of narrow ovate to long-oval leaves and small foliaceous bracts. Morphologically it is the most similar to Passiflora quadriflora from Peru, from which it differs by the size of the floral organs, the foliaceous bracts, the structure of the corona, with the inner series slightly swollen at the apices, and the raised limen. It is currently known from a single locality only, occurring as a vine in submontane vegetation of sandstone plateaus.
Keywords: condorita, Decaloba, El Quimi Biological Reserve, Granadilla, Maracuja, Passionflower
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| Lankester composite dissection plate (LCDP) of Passiflora quimiana sp. nov., showing the morphological anatomy of the species. LCDP constructed by Danilo A. Zavatin and composed of pictures taken by Henry Garzón-Suárez and Andreas Kay. |
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| (A–C) Comparative plate between Passiflora quimiana sp. nov. and (D–F) Passiflora quadriflora. Note the differences in floral coloration, vegetative vestiture and variegation. Photos taken in situ. Photo courtesy by Henry Garzón-Suárez (B–C); Jhon Yuca (D–F). The late Andreas Kay took photo A. |
Passiflora quimiana Kuethe & H.Garzón sp. nov.
Diagnosis: A species similar to Passiflora quadriflora, but differing in the larger flower (>4 cm versus <4 cm), the foliaceous bracts (opposed to setaceous), the vegetative pubescence on both stems and leaves (versus glabrous throughout), the slightly laterally compressed outer corona series (versus filiform), and the capitate structure of the inner corona (versus capillary).
Etymology: The species is named after the Reserva Biológica El Quimi, one of the biological reserves within the Cordillera del Cóndor and the location of its discovery.
J. R. Kuethe, Henry Garzón-Suárez, Marco M. Jiménez, Danilo A. Zavatin and Dave Randall Goucher. 2025. Passiflora quimiana, A New Species from the Cordillera del Cóndor: Ecuador's far-flung frontier. Nordic Journal of Botany. DOI: doi.org/10.1002/njb.04854 [04 June 2025]
