Seven new species of Rinorea (Violaceae) from the Neotropics.

Over the course of revising the genus Rinorea (Violaceae) from Colombia, field observations and herbarium studies revealed seven new species. Several of the new species described here belong to species complexes that required examination of herbarium material from across the Neotropics. Each of the new species described here have oppositely arranged leaves and belong to Rinoreasect.Pubiflorae, a section restricted to the Neotropics. Two new species are segregated from the R.ovalifolia species complex: Rinoreachiribiquetensis from Chiribiquete National Park in the Colombian Amazon and Rinoreastevensii from the Orinoco River near the border of Colombia and Venezuela. Two new species are segregated from the Rinoreahirsuta species complex: Rinoreagaleanoae-bernalii and Rinoreacogolloi, both from the eastern slopes of the Andean Central Cordillera along the mid-Magdalena River Valley in Colombia. From the widely distributed R.pubiflora species complex, we segregated one new species, Rinoreacallejasii, from southeast Panama and the Chocó in Colombia. In addition to these five new taxa segregated from widely distributed species complexes, we discovered two previously unknown species with affinities to other Neotropical Rinorea. Rinoreaaymardii is described from the Alto Orinoco-Casiquiare Biosphere Reserve in Venezuela and most closely resembles R.melanodonta from Colombia. Rinoreabetancurii is segregated from R.macrocarpa and occurs in the Amazonian Regions of Colombia, Brazil, Peru and Venezuela. In this study, we provide descriptions, illustrations and distribution maps of the new species and make preliminary assessments of the risk of extinction using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. We also furnish an identification key to the species of Rinoreasect.Pubiflorae in Colombia.

The Tracking of Moist Habitats Allowed Aiphanes (Arecaceae) to Cover the Elevation Gradient of the Northern Andes.

The topographic gradients of the Tropical Andes may have triggered species divergence by different mechanisms. Topography separates species' geographical ranges and offers climatic heterogeneity, which could potentially foster local adaptation to specific climatic conditions and result in narrowly distributed endemic species. Such a pattern is found in the Andean centered palm genus Aiphanes. To test the extent to which geographic barriers and climatic heterogeneity can explain distribution patterns in Aiphanes, we sampled 34 out of 36 currently recognized species in that genus and sequenced them by Sanger sequencing and/or sequence target capture sequencing. We generated Bayesian, likelihood, and species-tree phylogenies, with which we explored climatic trait evolution from current climatic occupation. We also estimated species distribution models to test the relative roles of geographical and climatic divergence in their evolution. We found that Aiphanes originated in the Miocene in Andean environments and possibly in mid-elevation habitats. Diversification is related to the occupation of the adjacent high and low elevation habitats tracking high annual precipitation and low precipitation seasonality (moist habitats). Different species in different clades repeatedly occupy all the different temperatures offered by the elevation gradient from 0 to 3,000 m in different geographically isolated areas. A pattern of conserved adaptation to moist environments is consistent among the clades. Our results stress the evolutionary roles of niche truncation of wide thermal tolerance by physical range fragmentation, coupled with water-related niche conservatism, to colonize the topographic gradient.

Peculiar anatomical traits, high durability, and potential ornamental use of Cyclanthaceae as fresh foliage.

Wild plant species with potential for use as ornamental green foliage are often reported. Nevertheless, there are few studies evaluating morphological and anatomical aspects associated with this use. Preliminary trials suggest that the species of Sphaeradenia (Sander ex Mast.) Harling, a Cyclantaceae that occurs from Costa Rica to Peru, is suitable to be used as fresh foliage because of attractiveness of their leaves in vase and its durability without showing tissue damage, compared with other genera of this family. Through the study of anatomical characters, it is possible to predict the potential of a species that can serve as ornamental foliage. In this study, three foliar anatomical features (thickness of the cuticle and leaf, and percentage of fibers in the mesophyll) of seven Cyclanthaceae species were evaluated, using anatomical techniques and image analysis with the LUCIA® and ImageJ softwares. Statistical analysis of the results suggests that this high durability is associated with the thickness of the cuticle and mesophyll, but not with the amount of fibers in the leaf.

Peculiar anatomical traits, high durability, and potential ornamental use of Cyclanthaceae as fresh foliage

ABSTRACT Wild plant species with potential for use as ornamental green foliage are often reported. Nevertheless, there are few studies evaluating morphological and anatomical aspects associated with this use. Preliminary trials suggest that the species of Sphaeradenia (Sander ex Mast.) Harling, a Cyclantaceae that occurs from Costa Rica to Peru, is suitable to be used as fresh foliage because of attractiveness of their leaves in vase and its durability without showing tissue damage, compared with other genera of this family. Through the study of anatomical characters, it is possible to predict the potential of a species that can serve as ornamental foliage. In this study, three foliar anatomical features (thickness of the cuticle and leaf, and percentage of fibers in the mesophyll) of seven Cyclanthaceae species were evaluated, using anatomical techniques and image analysis with the LUCIA® and ImageJ softwares. Statistical analysis of the results suggests that this high durability is associated with the thickness of the cuticle and mesophyll, but not with the amount of fibers in the leaf.