A NEW SPECIES OFHYBANTHUS (VIOLACEAE)FROM PANAMA Hybanthus is a very poorly known genus of150 species of herbs, trees, and shrubs from theOld and New World. The last synopsis of the genusthroughout its range enumerated 32 species in theNew World (Melchior, 1925); Morton (1944) pro-vided the most recent synopsis of the Central Amer-ican species. The new species proposed here, Hy-banthus jefensis, is clearly distinct from all speciesin Central America and is not placed within anyspecies presently known from Colombia (Smith &Fernandez-P�rez, 1954).Hybanthus jefensis Todzia, sp. nov. TYPE: Pan-ama. Panama: Cerro Jefe, near Rio Indio, 2,100-2,200 ft., 17 Feb. 1968, Dwyer 1969 (holotype, MO). Figure 1. Frutices caulibus juvenibus strigulosis; stipulae angustetriangulares in siccitate chartaceae; folia alterna crenulataglabra in siccitate rubropunctata in pagina inferna; inflo-rescentiae axillares fasciculatae in brachyblastis, floribus1-4 in pedicellis 1-2 cm longis; petalum panduratum0.7-1 cm longum rotundatum ad apicem; capsulae 7-8mm longae. Shrubs 1-2.5 m tall; older stems terete, reddishbrown, glabrous, sparsely branched; younger stemsterete to quadrangular, dark to light brown, strig-ulose with hairs curving upwards, with leaves erectand � adpressed to stems; stipules narrowly tri-angular, 1.5-2 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm broad atbase, drying chartaceous, brown. Leaves alternate,elliptic to narrowly obovate, 3-12 cm long, 1-3.8cm broad; petioles terete, 0.5-1 cm long, glabrous;the blade acute at apex, attenuate at base, smooth,glabrous, drying chartaceous with red dots andreticulations beneath, each side with 5-7 usuallyobscure, gradually arcuate lateral veins; the margincrenulate with 8-17 glandular teeth on each side.Inflorescences 1-4-flowered, axillary, fasciculateon short shoots ca. 2 mm long; bracts inserted atbase of pedicels, lanceolate, 1-2 mm long, acute,drying chartaceous, brown; bracteoles on lower halfof pedicels 0.5-1 mm long, lanceolate; pedicels 1-2 cm long, slender, glabrous, articulate above themiddle. Flowers white, zygomorphic; sepals 5, lan-ceolate, 2-2.5 mm long, acute, glabrous; lateralpetals 4, 4-5 mm long, falcate, with irregularlycrenate margins; anterior petal pandurate, 0.7-1cm long, with claw 4-5 mm long, sparsely pilose,lip 3-5 mm long, 4-5 mm broad at widest point,rounded at apex, glabrous; stamens 5, sessile, freeor connate; filaments very short, the anterior 2stamens with a subglobose gland dorsally; anthers1-1.5 mm long, sparsely pilose dorsally and atbase; connective appendages ca. 2 mm long, 0.5-1 mm broad, rounded at apex, membranaceous;ovary globose, ca. 1 mm long, glabrous, with 3locules containing 1-2 ovules each; style 2-3 mmlong, curved at apex. Capsules loculicidally andelastically 3-valvate, 7-8 mm long, glabrous, with3-6 seeds, often with persistent style and sepals;seeds globose to ovoid, 2-3 mm diam., smooth,black. Distribution, habitat, and phenology. Endemicto the Cerro Jefe region of the Prov. Panama,Panama, at 650-1,000 m elevation in disturbedand undisturbed premontane wet forest. Floweringand fruiting October, November, December, Jan-uary, and February. Representative specimens examined. PANAMA.PANAMA: region of Cerro Jefe, ca. 1,000 m, 3 Oct. 1969,Correa et al. 1598 (MO); between Cerro Azul and CerroJefe, 24 Dec. 1967, Dressler 3270 (MO); between CerroJefe and La Eneida, 17 Jan. 1968, Dwyer et al. 8195(MO); 6.5 km by road N of Lago Cerro Azul, 650-730m, 13 Jan. 1974, Nee 9292 (MO). This species is distinctive by virtue of its smallcrenulate leaves with red dots and punctations whendried; axillary inflorescences fasciculate on shortshoots ca. 2 mm long; stipules that are chartaceouswhen dry; and pedicels 1-2 mm long. The anteriorpetal, one of the most diagnostic characters of thegenus, is pandurate, 0.7-1 cm long, and roundedapically. In southern Central America H. jej�nsisappears to be most similar to H. guanacastensisStandley from which the new species differs by itschartaceous (vs. indurate) stipules, crenulate (vs.doubly serrate) leaf margins, shorter anterior petals(0.7-1 cm long vs. ca. 1.2 cm long), and smallercapsules (0.7-0.8 cm long vs. 1.5-2 cm long).Hybanthusjefensis is probably most closely relatedto H. sylvicola Standley & Steyerm. of southernANN. MISSOURI BOT. GARD. 76: 360-362. 1989.
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