Studies in Neotropical Araliaceae. XVI. Four New Species of Sciodaphyllum from the Western Slope of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador

Although Ecuador is the smallest of the Andean countries, it has an overall floristic diversity that compares favorably to that of its much larger neigh­bors, which is reflected by the recent discovery and description of new species in the genus Sciodaphyllum R. Browne (Araliaceae). Herein, we describe four of these new species, S. dodsonii Lowry, G. M. Plunkett & Kerdiles, S. felis Lowry, G. M. Plunkett & Kerdiles, S. guajalitense G. M. Plunkett & Lowry, and S. mind­oense G. M. Plunkett & Lowry, all from the western slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes. Three of these species are known only from Pichincha and/or Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas provinces, while the fourth has a some­what broader distribution from Imbabura Province south to Bolívar Province. All four species have capitulate ultimate inflorescence units. In addition to the descrip­tions of each of these species, we provide notes on their range and ecology, distribution maps, photographic plates, and assessments of their risk of extinction based on the Red List criteria, which indicate that two of them are Endangered (EN), one is Vulnerable (VU), and one is Near Threatened (NT), highlighting the conserva­tion needs of these taxa and the many other species of Sciodaphyllum awaiting formal description.