Schnella madeleinae Casas-Restrepo, Fonseca-Cortes & L. P. Queiroz. A 2023, sp. nov.

Schnella madeleinae Casas-Restrepo, Fonseca-Cortés & L.P. Queiroz, sp. nov. (Figs 1–4).

Schnella madeleinae is morphologically similar to Schnella smilacina (Schott ex Sprengel) G. Don, S. maximiliani (Benth.) Wunderlin, and S. poiteauana (Vogel) Wunderlin, from which it differs by presenting heteromorphic petals, in which the three superior petals are wider (4.5–5.0 × 2.5–3.0 mm) with respect to the two inferiors (5–6 × 2.0– 2.5 mm) (vs. homomorphic petals 5.0–7.5 × 2.5–3.0 mm in S. smilacina), oblong legumes 5.0–6.5 × 1–2 cm (vs reniform legumes 2–3 × 1.0– 1.5 cm in S. poiteauana and reniform legumes 5.0–5.5 × 2.8–3.2 cm in S. maximiliani).

Type:— Colombia. Antioquia: San Luis, Cañón del Río Claro, margen izquierda, sector sur–occidental, 425–625 m, 27 Oct 1983, A . Cogollo 855 (holotype: COL!; isotypes: HUA!, JAUM!, MO!).

Lianas growing to the canopy of the forest, stems flattened and undulated with vertical parallel stripes, brown, young branches terete, perpendicular to the older ones, young branch indumentum of sericeous ferruginous, caducous trichomes. Stipules 1–2 × 1–2 mm, rounded, glabrous, caducous. Leaves unifoliolate; petiole 0.5–2.0 cm long, terete, glabrous to sericeous ferruginous, with a basal pulvine and a distal pulvinule, pulvine 0.1–0.3 cm long; pulvinule 0.1–0.3 cm long; leaflets 5–13 × 3–7 cm, smaller near to the end of the branches, entire, ovate to elliptic, coriaceous, acrodrodomous, with 5–7 main nerves, tertiary venation reticulate and prominent on the upper side, base round to truncate, apex mucronate 2–8 mm long, upper surface, glabrous, lower surface glabrous or sericeous ferruginous on the veins and near the base. Inflorescences 5–15 cm long axillary or terminal racemes, peduncle 2–5 mm long, glabrous to sericeous ferruginous, caducous, pedicel 2–5 mm long, sericeous ferruginous; bract up to 2 mm long, lanceolate, sericeous ferruginous. Flower buds ovoid, sericeous ferruginous. Flowers 6–9 mm long, hypanthium up to 2 mm long; calyx 4–6 × 3–5 mm, campanulate, bilabiate, outer and inner surfaces sericeous ferruginous, lobes three, 1–2 × 1–2 mm, triangular; petals 5, free, 4.5–6.0 × 2–3 mm, white, heteromorphic, the dorsal and superior lateral petals widely elliptical 4.5–5.0 × 2.5–3.0 mm, the two inferior petals elliptical 5–6 × 2.0– 2.5 mm, pinnately veined with 4–7 pairs of brochidodromous secondary veins, claw 1–2 × 1–2 mm long; stamens 10, inequal 4–7 mm long, filaments 3.5–6.5 mm long, glabrous, anthers 1–2 × 0.3–0.4 mm, oblong, glabrous; ovary 1–2 × 1–2 mm, ovoid, sericeous ferruginous, stipitate, the stipe gynophore up to 1 mm long, sericeous ferruginous, style 1.5–2.0 mm long, oblong, glabrous, stigma clavated. Fruit 5.0–6.5 × 1–2 cm, oblong, laterally compressed, indehiscent, lathery, surface reticulated, the stipe 4–6 mm long, apex with a persistent style base, sericeous ferruginous, caducous, 1-seeded. Seeds not seen.

Distribution and habitat: — Schnella madeleinae has been recorded in the departments of Antioquia and Bolivar, Colombia, between 0– 900 m.a.s.l. in primary and riverine forests. Due to the scant collections of this species, its ecological aspects and the floristic composition of the places in which it grows are poorly documented.

Conservation status —The AOO showed an area of 7,805.9 km 2 and the EOO of 24 km 2. Schnella madeleinae meets the requirements of endangered species. However, the collections were done in the last century, the climber species are poorly collected, and the zones in which it grows have presented armed conflict during several decades. Therefore, the current status of the populations is unknown and, consequently, the category of “Data Deficient” (DD) is proposed for this species.

Etymology —The epithet honors Madeleine Restrepo Cárdenas, mother of one of the authors.

Comments —Among the species belonging to Schnella sect. Schnella, S. madeleinae could be confused with S. smilacina G. Don (1832, 459), S. poiteauana (Vogel) Wunderlin (2010b, 49), and S. maximiliani (Benth.) Wunderlin (2010b, 49), from which it differs by the characters listed in the Table 1 and represented in figure 5. Although S. madeleinae has fruits morphologically similar to S. microstachya, the latter presents bilobate leaves. To date, S. madeleinae is the only species of the section Schnella with entire leaves present in Colombia (Figure 6).

Additional specimens examined:— COLOMBIA. Antioquia: Puerto Triunfo, corregimiento Puerto Perales. Hacienda Cerritos, 192 m. March 2010, L . Londoño et al. 848 (HUA); San Luis, Cañón del Río Claro, sector central, margen izquierda, 325– 350 m., 30 January 1984, A . Cogollo 1294 (COL, HUA); San Luis, Cañón del Río Claro, sector central, margen izquierda, 325– 375 m., 6 March 1984, A . Cogollo 1391 (HUA, JAUM); San Luis de Cocorná, 3 kms al sur de la confluencia del Río Cocorná con el Magdalena, a las orillas de este, 130– 160 m., 19 November 1963, R . Romero-Castañeda 10081 (COL); 3 kms al sur de la confluencia del Río Cocorná con el Magdalena, a las orillas de este, 130– 160 m., 19 November 1963, R . Romero-Castañeda 10087 (COL); Sonsón, corregimiento de Jerusalén, bosques entre el caserío y el Río Claro, 393 m., 22 September 2018, D. A. Zapata et al. 2122 (HUA, JAUM); Bolívar: Morales, Cerro de corcovado, 150 km al norte de Barrancabermeja, Bosque primario 900 m., August 1966, J. de Bruijn 1080 (COL, US).