Rediscovery of Rubuspendulus Rusby (Rosaceae) and a new record for the flora of Ecuador and Peru.

We report the rediscovery of Rubuspendulus Rusby, "Mora India", described in 1933 from Colombia and not mentioned again until the present study. We also update its distribution with eight new localities in Colombia, seven in Ecuador and one in Peru, being a new record for the flora of the latter two countries. This is the first time that R.pendulus' stipules and flowers are found and detailed through a botanical description, illustrations and photographs. Rubuspendulus is morphologically differentiated from R.bogotensis Benth., R.mollifrons Focke, R.porphyromallos Focke and R.urticifolius Poir., with whom it was previously confused and we give a brief explanation on the type specimen status of R.mollifrons and R.porphyromallos.

Identifying gaps in the photographic record of the vascular plant flora of the Americas.

Field photographs of plant species are crucial for research and conservation, but the lack of a centralized database makes them difficult to locate. We surveyed 25 online databases of field photographs and found that they harboured only about 53% of the approximately 125,000 vascular plant species of the Americas. These results reflect the urgent need for a centralized database that can both integrate and complete the photographic record of the world's flora.

Two new species of Rubus L. (Rosaceae) from the western Andes of Ecuador.

Two new species of Rubus (Rosaceae) from the western Andes of northern Ecuador are described. Rubuslongistipularis D.A. Espinel-Ortiz & Romol. is a scandent or climbing shrub found in the mountain forests of Chocó Andino from northern Ecuador. Rubusmaquipucunensis D.A. Espinel-Ortiz & Romol. is a vine or climbing shrub found in the rainforests of Chocó Andino from Pichincha and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas. The species mentioned here are morphologically differentiated from all the Rubus species from Ecuador with a detailed botanical description, illustrations and photographs. We also report, for the first time, possible hybridisation between R.longistipularis and R.boliviensis Focke, as the samples reviewed showed mixed characteristics from both species.

Trees of Amazonian Ecuador: a taxonomically verified species list with data on abundance and distribution.

We compiled a data set for all tree species collected to date in lowland Amazonian Ecuador in order to determine the number of tree species in the region. This data set has been extensively verified by taxonomists and is the most comprehensive attempt to evaluate the tree diversity in one of the richest species regions of the Amazon. We used four main sources of data: mounted specimens deposited in Ecuadorian herbaria only, specimen records of a large-scale 1-hectare-plot network (60 plots in total), data from the Missouri Botanical Garden Tropicos® database (MO), and literature sources. The list of 2,296 tree species names we provide in this data set is based on 47,486 herbarium records deposited in the following herbaria: Alfredo Paredes Herbarium (QAP), Catholic University Herbarium (QCA), Herbario Nacional del Ecuador (QCNE), Missouri Botanical Garden (MO), and records from an extensive sampling of 29,768 individuals with diameter at breast height (dbh) ≥10 cm recorded in our plot network. We also provide data for the relative abundance of species, geographic coordinates of specimens deposited in major herbaria around the world, whether the species is native or endemic, current hypothesis of geographic distribution, representative collections, and IUCN threat category for every species recorded to date in Amazonian Ecuador. These data are described in Metadata S1 and can be used for macroecological, evolutionary, or taxonomic studies. There are no copyright restrictions; data are freely available for noncommercial scientific use (CC BY 3.0). Please see Metadata S1 (Class III, Section B.1: Proprietary restrictions) for additional information on usage.

Three new species of Lachemilla (Rosaceae) from South America.

Three new species of Lachemilla (Rosaceae), two from Colombia and one from Peru, are described and illustrated. Lachemillarothmaleriana is characterized by its stout stems, sericeous-villous indumentum, and wide ascending sheaths with trilobate lateral lobes. Lachemillaargentea presents a unique combination of tripartite basal leaves with an adaxial silvery villous indumentum, and decumbent branches with verticillate lobed sheaths. Finally, Lachemillacyanea has distinctly basal reniform leaves with a blue-green color and hirsute pubescence. Phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear ribosomal cistron and multiple regions of the plastid genome revealed the allopolyploid origin of the three new taxa.

ResumenTres nuevas especies de Lachemilla (Rosaceae), dos de Colombia y una de Perú, se describen e ilustran. Lachemillarothmaleriana se caracteriza por tener tallos robustos, indumento sericeo-villoso, y verticilos anchos ascendentes con lóbulos laterales trilobados. Lachemillaargentea presenta una combinación única de hojas basales tripartitas con indumento villoso plateado en el haz y ramas decumbentes con verticilos lobulados. Finalmente, Lachemillacyanea presenta hojas basales distintivas de forma reniforme, color azul­verdoso y pubescencia hirsuta. Análisis filogenéticos del cistrón ribosomal nuclear y múltiples regiones del genoma cloroplástico revelaron el origen alopoliploide de los tres nuevos taxones.

Growth form evolution and hybridization in Senecio (Asteraceae) from the high equatorial Andes.

Changes in growth forms frequently accompany plant adaptive radiations, including páramo-a high-elevation treeless habitat type of the northern Andes. We tested whether diverse group of Senecio inhabiting montane forests and páramo represented such growth form changes. We also investigated the role of Andean geography and environment in structuring genetic variation of this group. We sampled 108 populations and 28 species of Senecio (focusing on species from former genera Lasiocephalus and Culcitium) and analyzed their genetic relationships and patterns of intraspecific variation using DNA fingerprinting (AFLPs) and nuclear DNA sequences (ITS). We partitioned genetic variation into environmental and geographical components. ITS-based phylogeny supported monophyly of a Lasiocephalus-Culcitium clade. A grade of herbaceous alpine Senecio species subtended the Lasiocephalus-Culcitium clade suggesting a change from the herbaceous to the woody growth form. Both ITS sequences and the AFLPs separated a group composed of the majority of páramo subshrubs from other group(s) comprising both forest and páramo species of various growth forms. These morphologically variable group(s) further split into clades encompassing both the páramo subshrubs and forest lianas, indicating independent switches among the growth forms and habitats. The finest AFLP genetic structure corresponded to morphologically delimited species except in two independent cases in which patterns of genetic variation instead reflected geography. Several morphologically variable species were genetically admixed, which suggests possible hybrid origins. Latitude and longitude accounted for 5%-8% of genetic variation in each of three AFLP groups, while the proportion of variation attributed to environment varied between 8% and 31% among them. A change from the herbaceous to the woody growth form is suggested for species of high-elevation Andean Senecio. Independent switches between habitats and growth forms likely occurred within the group. Hybridization likely played an important role in species diversification.