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Issue: Vol. 766 No. 1: 7 Jul. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-07-07
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.766.1.4
Page range: 62-74
Abstract views: 90
PDF downloaded: 5

A new and critically endangered species of Polylepis (Rosaceae) from the central Andes of Peru

Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud; Universidad Continental; Huancayo; Perú; Programa de Investigación de Ecología y Biodiversidad; Asociación ANDINUS; Calle Miguel Grau 370; Sicaya; Huancayo; Junín; Perú
Programa de Investigación en Ciencias Sociales; Ambientales y Biológicas; SOCIENA; Avenida Ocopilla 427; Huancayo; Junín; Perú; Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y del Ambiente; Universidad Nacional del Centro del Perú; Avenida Mariscal Castilla 3909; Huancayo; Junín; Perú
Programa Académico de Ingeniería Ambiental; Facultad de Ingeniería; Universidad de Huánuco; Huánuco; Perú
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Departamento de Botânica; Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Vegetal; Av. Prof. Moraes Rego; s/n; Cidade Universitária; Recife; Pernambuco; 50670901; Brazil; Gerencia Regional de Recursos Naturales y Gestión del Medio Ambiente; Gobierno Regional de Ayacucho; Perú
Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany; University of Zurich; Zollikerstrasse 107; CH-8008 Zurich; Switzerland
Eudicots Biodiversity conservation Critically Endangered endemic high Andean forests tree

Abstract

We describe and illustrate a new species of Polylepis endemic to the departments of Huancavelica and Ayacucho, Peru. It is most similar to P. occidentalis, but differs in having the lower leaflet surface and rachis densely lanate (vs. densely tomentose); stipular sheaths apically truncate (vs. apically acute and spurred); inflorescences bearing 3–8 flowers (vs. 4–12); sepals 3–5 (vs. 4); stamens 30–40 per flower (vs. 9–15); and densely lanate fruits (vs. densely villous). The species appears to be rare and narrowly distributed, suggesting that it may be critically endangered and in urgent need of conservation attention.

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How to Cite

Quispe-Melgar, H.R., Llacua-Tineo, Y.S., Huayta-Hinojosa, L.D., Cruz, M.P.D.L. & Kessler, M. (2026) A new and critically endangered species of Polylepis (Rosaceae) from the central Andes of Peru. Phytotaxa 766 (1): 62–74. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.766.1.4