Botanical Museum Leaflets 



Spring 1984 



Vol. 30, No. 2 



A NEW SPECIES OF LEPECHINIA WILLD. 



(LAMIACEAE) 



Jeffrey A. Hart 



A systematic revision of the genus Lepechinia which consists of 

 36 species has recently been completed by me. Most of the species 

 are native to tropical and subtropical highlands of Latin America 

 with the exception of four species which occur in California, 

 U.S.A. 



While visiting the Ecuadorian highlands during my last collect- 

 ing trip, around Vilcabamba I came upon another, yet unde- 

 scribed species. The flowers of this new plants appear to be rather 

 small when compared with the other members of the Section 

 Parviflorae, which is restricted to andean South America, where 

 these new plants belong. As a matter of fact, the size of the 

 corollas, as noted, are the smallest in the entire genus. The plants 

 are dioecious; the female (pistillate) flowers have somewhat larger 

 calyces and smaller corollas than do the male (staminate) flowers. 



Lepechinia dioica Hart, sp. now 



L. mutica et L. mollis affinis sed foliis basi decurrentibus, 

 calycibus constrictis distalibus, et inflorescentiis ramosissimis. 

 Type: near Vilcabamba, Ecuador, 1700 m, Hart 1983 (holotype, 



GH!). 



Shrubs 1-2 m tall. Leaf blades (Figure 1 A) narrowly ovate, 

 (4.0-)4.5- 1 2.0(14.7) X ( 1 .4-)2.0-3.8(-4.4) cm, L/ W ratio 2.5-3.9; 

 apices acute; bases obtuse and decurrent; margins serrate; adaxial 

 surfaces (Figure 1 B) bullate, bullae 0.4- 1 .2 mm across, rounded 

 and densely tomentose on top, sessile glandular hairs; abaxial 

 surface densely pubescent. Petioles 0.5-1.8 cm long, villose. 

 Inflorescence axes (4. 8-)8. 0-22.0 cm long, 5- to 9- (to 11-) 

 branched, lowermost branch 0.4-0.6 times the length of the axis; 

 verticillasters interrupted; floral leaves oval, 1 .3-2. 1 mm long, not 

 exceeding the flowers in length, upper floral leaves caducous 

 above; pedicels 0.3-0.4 mm long. Dioecious. Calyces at anthesis 



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