The geophytic Peperomia subgenus Tildenia (Piperaceae) in the Andes with the description of new species in a phylogenetic framework

Abstract

Background and aims - The pantropical genus Peperomia consists of approximately 1,600 species with an extremely diverse vegetative morphology, especially in the Neotropics. One of the most startling yet overlooked growth forms is the geophytic one, as in subgenus Tildenia. This group occurs in seasonal Neotropical habitats with its highest diversity in Mexico-Guatemala and Peru-Bolivia with few species known from in between these hot spots. Methods - Recent fieldwork in Peru and Bolivia combined with herbarium study and a Bayesian analysis of an aligned sequence matrix of the chloroplast trnK-matK-psbA gene cluster of one accession of each species resulted in new findings within this subgenus. Key results - Fourteen new species are described, discussed in a phylogenetic framework and illustrated. Two species have a wide distribution and occur from central W. Peru to S. Bolivia: the common P. cerrateae and the rare P. parvisagittata. Three endemic species are described from the Amotape-Huancabamba Zone which is particularly rich in tuberous Peperomia species: P. gigantea, P. jalcaensis and P. klopfensteinii. Two species are only known from their type locality in central W. Peru: P. ocrosensis and P. pugnicaudex. Five other Peruvian species are P. ayacuchoana from Ayacucho, P. querocochana from Ancash, wernerrauhii from Huanuco, Peperomia umbrosa from three distant localities, and P. pseudoverruculosa which is relatively common in SE Peru. Two species are Bolivian endemics: the rare P. purpureonervosa from La Paz and the more common P. radiatinervosa from Cochabamba and Chuquisaca. Two former varieties, both endemics of the extreme northern Central Andes, are raised to species rank: P. lilliputiana and P. pseudoperuviana. Finally, basionym rejection and lectotypification are proposed for the widespread and commonly collected tuberous Peperomia in the southern Central Andes: R peruviana. An emended description of Peperomia subgenus Tildenia is also provided

Taxonomic revision of Peperomia (Piperaceae) from Uruguay

“…The taxonomy of Peperomia is rather complex and controversial (Mathieu & Callejas 2006, Samain et al 2011, Zanotti et al 2012, mainly because the genus has been poorly collected and studies have been largely based on dry herbarium material with distinctive architectural features either missing or deformed (Mathieu & Callejas 2006). These circumstances have led to a confusion in the taxonomy of closely related taxa and to an over-description of species, with numerous synonyms for a given taxon throughout its geographic range (Mathieu & Callejas 2006, Frenzke et al 2015.…”

The extraordinary journey of Peperomia subgenus Tildenia (Piperaceae): insights into diversification and colonization patterns from its cradle in Peru to the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt

“…, 2006), cannot be completely excluded as a possibility. In contrast to most other Peperomia lineages, Tildenia does not have functional adaptations for LDD such as sticky fruits (Samain et al. , 2009, 2011; Mathieu et al.…”

“…For DNA isolation, amplification and sequencing, we followed the methods described by Samain et al. (2011).…”

“…It contains c. 60 species ranging from northern Argentina to northern Mexico in two diversity centres (Hill, 1906, 1907; Mathieu et al. , 2011; Samain et al. , 2011).…”

“…The southern centre of diversity contains 29 species and extends from 7° S–79° W in Peru to 21° S–64° W in Bolivia. The species are known to occur up to c. 4600 m a.s.l., with most of the species occurring between 2600 and 4000 m and rarely below 2000 m. The highest diversity is observed in the Peruvian department of Cajamarca and bordering areas of the departments of Amazonas and La Libertad (Samain et al. , 2011).…”