Glossoloma magenticristatum (Gesneriaceae), a new species from the Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes

Abstract

A narrowly endemic new species of Glossoloma is described from the Cordillera Oriental of the northern Andes, in the Colombian departments of Caquetá and Huila. Glossoloma magenticristatum J.L.Clark, D.Hoyos & Clavijo, sp. nov. differs from most other congeners by a habit that is usually epiphytic with elongate scandent subwoody shoots, the presence of a magenta corolla tube, and a creased calyx formed by tightly appressed adjacent lobes. A brief summary of Gesneriaceae diversity in the Colombia departments of Caquetá and Huila is discussed with an emphasis on the old highway between Florencia and Guadalupe. The conservation status of G. magenticristatum is assessed as Endangered (EN) based on IUCN Criteria.