Commelina almandina M. Pell. & Cornejo 2025, sp. nov.

Commelina almandina M.Pell. & Cornejo sp. nov. urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77347326-1 Figs 1–2; Table 1 Diagnosis Similar to C. efoveolata, C. leiocarpa, C. pallida, and C. texcocana due to their leaf-sheaths with hyaline to white hairs along the margin, inflorescences predominantly axillary and leaf-opposed, with a long peduncle, spathe base free, pedicels pilose, sepals opaque, green, lower sepals sessile and free, paired petals limb apex obtuse, and medial petal conspicuous and shortly-clawed. However, C. almandina sp. nov. can be easily differentiated from all species in the genus due to a combination of evenly pilose pedicels and sepals, white to cream-coloured anthers, aborted medial staminode, stigma truncate and white, fruits widely ellipsoid, thick-walled, dehiscent, 3-valved, valves splitting only up to mid-length, opaque reddish-brown to dark maroon when mature, and seeds densely farinose. The fruits of C. almandina are unique in the genus. Etymology The epithet derives from the French word ʻalmandineʼ, a corruption of the Medieval Latin words ʻ alamandīna ʼ and ʻ alabandīna ʼ, which were the names given to the deep to dark red types of garnets. This name is chosen in reference to the new species’ reddish-brown to dark maroon and gem-like fruits. The epithet also refers to the character Garnet from the Cartoon Network series ʻSteven Universeʼ, created by Rebecca Sugar. Garnet is a member of a gem-based alien species and the current leader of the Crystal Gems. In the cartoon, Garnet fights for the right to be who they are. The existence of Garnet is deemed an abomination by some members of their species since they are formed by the fusion of two independent Gems of different types, Ruby and Sapphire. Thus, Garnet is the personification of the love shared between Ruby and Sapphire, representing a metaphor for a BIPOC LGBTQIA+ relationship. Academia has been historically dominated by white, cisgender, straight male scientists from the Global North. The past decades have given rise to countless movements to diversify and decolonise science. Honouring this fictional character is fitting not only due to the species’ unique and gorgeous gem-like fruits but also because it brings much-needed attention to BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ researchers in STEM. Type material Type ECUADOR – Guayas • Guayaquil, Cerro Azul; 18 Jul. 2020; fl; X. Cornejo & J. Josse 9333; holotype: GUAY [GUAY no. 13583]!. Paratypes ECUADOR – Guayas • vicinity of Guayaquil, Cerro Azul; 13 Jun. 1955; fl., fr.; E. Asplund 16628; S! • vicinity of Guayaquil, Cerro Azul; 14 Jun. 1955; fl., fr.; E. Asplund 16645; S! • Hacienda Barcelona, 12 km W of Guayaquil, on the road to Playas-Salinas; 24 Jul. 1962; fl., fr.; A.J. Gilmartin 762; US! • vicinity of Guayaquil, Cerro Azul; 2°08′ S, 79°59′ W; 450 m a.s.l.; 26 Jun. 1994; fl.; X. Cornejo & C. Bonifaz 2931; GUAY!. Description Herbs 40–300 cm tall, vining, perennial, robust, terrestrial. Roots tuberous, cylindric, with apical fusiform tubers. Rhizome short. Stems dimorphic, fibrous, branched in the upper third, primary branches ascending, rooting only at the base, secondary branches shorter than the primary branches, twining, apex decumbent or suberect to ascending; internodes 2.2–11.1 cm long, distally shorter, green, glabrous, with a sparse line of acicular hairs opposite to the leaves, hairs hyaline. Leaves distichously-alternate, evenly distributed along the upper part of the stem, pseudopetiolate; sheaths 1.1–2.3 cm long, light green, glabrous, with a sparse line of acicular hairs opposite to the blade, hairs hyaline, margin upright, sparsely ciliate to ciliate, hairs acicular, hyaline; pseudopetiole 2.2–4.6 mm long; blades 2.9–9.7 × (1–) 1.5–2.7 cm, lanceolate to ovate, straight, membranous to thinly chartaceous, adaxially dark green, abaxially light green, drying adaxially dark green or olive-green, abaxially light green or olive-green, glabrous on both sides, base asymmetric, obtuse to round, margin flat, scabrid with prickle-hairs, apex acuminate to long-acuminate; midvein conspicuous, adaxially impressed, abaxially prominently obtuse, secondary veins 2–3 pairs, adaxially conspicuous, abaxially inconspicuous, becoming conspicuous on both sides when dry. Synflorescence composed of a solitary main florescence or a main florescence and 1–2 co-florescences, restricted to the apex of the stems and forming a dense second-degree synflorescence. Inflorescences leaf-opposed, peduncle 2.3–4.1 cm long, straight, glabrous, except for a line of minute hook-hairs opposed to the spathe, sometimes with some odd eglandular hairs, hairs hyaline; spathe 1.2–2.5 × 1–2.2 cm, cordate, patent to the peduncle, concolourous with the leaves, internally inconspicuously mucilaginous, base free, subcordate to round, glabrous on both sides, margin flat, minutely scabrid with prickle-hairs, hairs hyaline, apex acute, straight, veins 4–5 pairs, inconspicuous, becoming conspicuous when dry; upper cincinnus vestigial, flowerless, rarely producing a single abortive, staminate flower, peduncle 0.8–1.1 mm long, included, gently recurved at pre-anthesis and anthesis, recurved and exserted at post-anthesis and fruit, glabrous with some odd hook-hairs towards the apex, hairs hyaline; lower cincinnus 2–4-flowered, flowers mainly bisexual, rarely staminate, peduncle 6.7–16 mm long, thickened in fruit, sparsely puberulous with minute hook-hairs towards the apex, hairs hyaline; bracteoles early deciduous, cup-shaped, inconspicuous, light green, opaque, margin entire, glabrous. Flowers chasmogamous, zygomorphic, enantiostylous (style dislocated to the opposite side to the medial stamen); floral buds 2.2–3.8 × 2–2.5 mm, obovoid, light green or pale lilac to light blue, pilose, hairs hyaline; pedicel 1.7–2.4 mm long, deflexed in bud and at anthesis, reflexed and elongating in fruit, light green, pilose, hairs acicular, hyaline; sepals light green, opaque, persistent and accrescent in fruit, dorsal sepal 2.9–3.4 × 1.9–2.3 mm, elliptic to narrowly triangular, concave, pilose, densely pilose at base, hairs hyaline, apex acute, lower sepals 3.2–3.6 × 2.1–2.4 mm, sessile, free, ovate to widely ovate, concave, sparsely pilose, pilose at base, generally glabrescent in fruit, hairs hyaline, apex obtuse; paired petals 3.2–4 × 3.1–3.6 mm, clawed, claw 0.6–0.8 mm long, white to pale lilac to light blue, limb 2.7–2.9 × 3.1–3.6 mm, widely reniform to widely rhombic-reniform, pale lilac to lilac to light blue, base asymmetric, subcordate, apex obtuse to slightly emarginate, medial petal 3.3–3.8 × 3.2–3.8 mm, shortly-clawed, claw 0.2–0.3 mm long, white, limb 3.1–3.5 × 3.2–3.8 mm, widely sagittate, entire, concave, concolourous with the paired petals, opaque, glabrous on both sides, apex obtuse; staminodes 2, medial staminode completely absent, filaments 1.7–2.5 mm long, straight to arcuate-decurved, white, base light green, apex pale lilac to light blue, antherodes 1–1.2 × 0.3–0.4 mm, X-shaped, white, minute pollen sacs between the upper and lower lobes present, non-polliniferous or producing very few grains, not apiculate between the upper lobes, upper lobes conspicuous, spathulate, smaller than the lower, lower lobes spathulate to obovate; lateral filaments 3.4–4.6 mm long, gently sigmoid, geniculate distal to the middle, white, base light green, apex pale lilac to light blue, anthers 1.5–1.8 × 0.6–0.8 mm, held near the antherodes and medial anther, sagittate, white to cream-coloured, drying cream-coloured to pale yellow, connective white, pollen white, drying pale yellow; medial filament 2.8–3.6 mm long, straight to arcuate-recurved, apex recurved, white, base light green, apex pale lilac to light blue, anther 1.9–2.2 × 0.6–0.8 mm, held near the antherodes and lateral anthers, hastate, curved, white to cream-coloured, drying cream-coloured to pale yellow, connective hastate, white, anther sacs appressed to each other, pollen white, drying pale yellow; ovary 0.7–1 × 0.4–0.6 mm, 3-carpellate, 5-ovulate, ellipsoid to widely ellipsoid, green, smooth, glabrous, style 2.7–3.4 mm long, exceeding the stamens, sigmoid, base tapering into the ovary, apex strongly recurved, white, base light green, apex pale lilac to light blue, deciduous in fruit, stigma truncate, white. Capsules 1–2 per spathe, 7.4–8.5 × 5–5.4 mm, widely ellipsoid, sessile, fruit wall thick, apex rostrate, not constricted between the seeds when immature, becoming constricted between the seeds when mature, light green when immature, reddish-brown to dark maroon when mature, sometimes irregularly speckled tan, opaque, glabrous, smooth, 3-locular, 3-valved, valves splitting only up to mid-length, dorsal locule 1-seeded, ventral locules 2-seeded. Seeds dimorphic, dark brown to black; dorsal locule seed 4.2–4.4 × 2.8–3 mm, free from the capsule wall, ellipsoid, dorsiventrally compressed, ventrally flattened, slightly cleft towards the embryotega, testa shallowly rugose, with some small furrows on the side opposed to the embryotega, completely covered by a thick, cream-coloured farinae, embryotega semilateral, inconspicuous, with a prominent apicule, hilum linear, longer than ½ the length of the seed; ventral locule seeds 2.5–2.8 × 2.5–2.6 mm, free from the capsule wall, widely ellipsoid, truncate at one end, ventrally flattened, not cleft towards the embryotega, testa irregularly rugose, densely farinose, farinae cream-coloured, embryotega semilateral to lateral, inconspicuous, with a prominent apicule, hilum linear, ca ½ the length of the seed. Distribution Commelina almandina sp. nov. is currently endemic to Guayaquil, province of Guayas, Ecuador (Fig. 2). Ecology It grows in the understory of conserved patches of dry forests between 200–400 m a.s.l. It is persistent in the interior and at the edge of secondary forests, under a more or less closed canopy, but does not grow on fully open disturbed habitats. In the type locality, it is occasionally sympatric at the edge of forests but never in intermixed pop