Gingersrus Database Taxon ID 7789Costus alfredoiOLD NAME: Costus sp. nov. NEW NAME: Costus alfredoi NAME CHANGE NOTES: New species published March 22, 2023 in PhytoKeys 222: 75-127, collected by Alfredo Fuentes FULL SCIENTIFIC NAME: Costus alfredoi Maas & H.Maas STATUS : sp. nov. CONTINENT: Neotropical FIELD OBSERVATIONS:(If field observations are available, you can click on the link to open in a new window.) FIELD OBSERVATIONS PHOTOS:(If photos are available, you can click on the link to open in a new window.) GOOGLE PHOTO ALBUM SYNONYMS: BOTANICAL NOTES: Costus alfredoi was published March 22, 2023 in PhytoKeys 222: 75-127 by Paul and Hiltje Maas. I have never seen this new species from Bolivia and the only photographs available are those received by Paul Maas from the collector. The new species is named Costus alfredoi in honor of Alfredo Fuentes, a well known Bolivian botanist who collected the type specimen. The new species has narrow, grass-like leaves and a very short ligule. It flowers on a separate basal shoot with red bracts and yellow tubular flowers. It is only known from one collection, Fuentes et. al. 6216 from department La Paz, province Bautista Saavedra, Bolivia in the Area Natural de Manejo Integrado Apolobamba. Flowers in the rainy season in November. This species has not yet been included in the molecular phylogeny but we are attempting to obtain a sample. Based on the photos alone, this appears to be distinctly different from any other known species. I have seen plants in Bolivia and in Acre, Brazil that have very narrow grass-like leaves, not matching any other known species from the region, but I have never seen them in flower. It is possible that the observations at the Inaturalist link above are examples of this new species but I cannot be sure. One was found in Boliva in a primary forested area of the La Chonta region of the Parque Nacionál Amboró. It differs from the C. afredoi description by having thick hairs instead of being glabous, but generally speaking the hairiness of Costus tends to be quite variable. The others were much younger plants.
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