Lozania nunkui (Lacistemataceae), a New Species from the Sandstone Plateaus of the Cordillera del Co ´ndor in Ecuador and Peru David A. Neill and Mercedes Asanza Universidad Estatal Amazo ´nica, Facultad de Ingenier´ ıa Ambiental, km 2½ v´ ıa a Napo, Puyo, Pastaza, Ecuador. davidneill53@gmail.com; gman2260@gmail.com ABSTRACT. Lozania nunkui D. A. Neill & Asanza number of undescribed species of trees and shrubs in (Lacistemataceae), a new species from the Cordillera various genera and families (Neill, 2005; Daly et al., del Co ´ndor region of southeastern Ecuador and 2012). Most of these undescribed taxa are evidently adjacent northern Peru, is described and illustrated. restricted to the outcrops of Cretaceous sandstone of It is distinguished from other species in the genus by the Hollın ´ Formation, which constitute about 20% of the glabrous, entire, relatively thick and coriaceous, the land area in the Cordillera del Co ´ndor region. sclerophyllous leaves, and uniquely, by the five or Some of these substrate-restricted species exhibit occasionally six sepals, rather than four sepals as in morphological features that appear to reflect an all other known species. The new species is restricted ecological adaptation to the highly acidic, nutrient- to nutrient-poor, highly acidic sandstone plateaus poor soils that are derived from the sandstone within its range, and the thick sclerophyllous leaves substrate, frequently including glabrous, thick, appear to be an ecological adaptation to that edaphic coriaceous or sclerophyllous leaves. Among these condition. novelties that are evidently local endemics on the sandstone plateaus of the Cordillera del Co ´ndor, is a RESUMEN. Se describe y se ilustra Lozania nunkui species of Lozania that we and our colleagues have D. A. Neill & Asanza (Lacistemataceae), una nueva found on several sandstone outcrops in the region. especie de la regio ´n de la Cordillera del Co ´ndor en el sureste del Ecuador y la zona colindante del norte de Lozania nunkui D. A. Neill & Asanza, sp. nov. Peru ´. Se distingue de las dema ´s especies del ge ´nero TYPE: Ecuador. Morona-Santiago: Limo ´n-In- por las hojas glabras, enteras, relativamente gruesas, danza, Cordillera del Co ´ndor, Centro Shuar coria ´ceas y esclero ´filas, y por los cinco u ocasional- Kuankus, summit of Cerro Chuank Naint mente seis se ´palos, en vez de los cuatro se ´palos que (‘‘Vulture Mountain’’ in Shuar), a sandstone presentan todas las dema ´s especies. Dentro de su massif, 1270 m, 38393699S, 7881492599W, 18 rango geogra ´fico, la especie nueva esta ´ restringida a Sep. 2005 (fl., fr.), D. Neill, M. Asanza, W. las mesetas de areniscas, con suelos pobres en Quizhpe & C. Morales 14657 (holotype, QCNE; nutrientes y muy a ´cidos, y las hojas gruesas y isotypes, AAU, GB, HUT, K, LOJA, MO, NY, esclero ´filas parecen ser una adaptacio ´n ecolo ´gica a US). esa condicio ´n eda ´fica. Haec species a congeneris foliis satis crassis coriaceis- Key words: Ecuador, IUCN Red List, Lacistema- que glabris nitidis integris venatione secondaria tertiariaque taceae, Lozania, Peru. prominula atque sepalis 5 vel 6 (nec 4) distinguitur. Lozania Mutis ex Caldas (Lacistemataceae) is a Tree attaining 10 m in height with trunk ca. 10 cm small Neotropical genus of just four accepted species diam.; branches glabrous, mostly borne horizontally. at present (Sleumer, 1980; Gentry, 1988), with a Leaves elliptic to elliptic-obovate, broadly obtuse to distribution including southern Central America shortly acuminate at apex, cuneate at base, coria- (southeast Nicaragua to Panama), the tropical Andes ceous, rather thick, stiff and sclerophyllous, com- (Venezuela to Bolivia), and western Amazonia, pletely glabrous above and below, or glabrescent with including Amazonas, Brazil. All known species are a few scattered simple unicellular hairs on the lower small trees, sometimes shrubby, occurring in the surface, with entire margins, the blade (4–)5–10( 11) understory of mature-phase moist and wet forests up 3 (2.5–)3–5 cm, petiole 7–9 mm, glabrous or with a to ca. 2400 m elevation. few strigose hairs; leaf surface lustrous, conspicu- In the Cordillera del Co ´ndor region of southeastern ously glossy on upper surface, somewhat duller Ecuador and northern Peru, floristic inventory work beneath, costa impressed above, prominent below; in recent years has resulted in collections of a lateral nerves 4 to 7, curved ascending, secondary doi: 10.3417/2009021 NOVON 22: 207–211. PUBLISHED ON 30 NOVEMBER 2012.