Paola Pedraza-Peñalosa

Antioxidant and metabolite profiling of North American and neotropical blueberries using LC-TOF-MS and multivariate analyses.

There are many neotropical blueberries, and recent studies have shown that some have even stronger antioxidant activity than the well-known edible North American blueberries. Antioxidant marker compounds were predicted by applying multivariate statistics to data from LC-TOF-MS analysis and antioxidant assays of 3 North American blueberry species (Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium angustifolium, and a defined mixture of Vaccinium virgatum with V. corymbosum) and 12 neotropical blueberry species (Anthopterus wardii, Cavendishia grandifolia, Cavendishia isernii, Ceratostema silvicola, Disterigma rimbachii, Macleania coccoloboides, Macleania cordifolia, Macleania rupestris, Satyria boliviana, Sphyrospermum buxifolium, Sphyrospermum cordifolium, and Sphyrospermum ellipticum). Fourteen antioxidant markers were detected, and 12 of these, including 7 anthocyanins, 3 flavonols, 1 hydroxycinnamic acid, and 1 iridoid glycoside, were identified. This application of multivariate analysis to bioactivity and mass data can be used for identification of pharmacologically active natural products and may help to determine which neotropical blueberry species will be prioritized for agricultural development. Also, the compositional differences between North American and neotropical blueberries were determined by chemometric analysis, and 44 marker compounds including 16 anthocyanins, 15 flavonoids, 7 hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, 5 triterpene glycosides, and 1 iridoid glycoside were identified.

Systematics of the Neotropical Blueberry Genus Disterigma (Ericaceae)

Abstract Disterigma s. l. comprises 37 species of small shrubs found in Central and South America, mostly in cloud forests and páramos. The notion that the morphological circumscription of Disterigma s. l. is too wide and that it may not be a monophyletic group was supported by recent molecular evidence extracted from only a few species of Disterigma. This study addresses the monophyly and position of Disterigma s. l. within the complex blueberry tribe Vaccinieae through an intensive taxon sampling. Seventy-nine species are sampled, including 84% of the species of Disterigma s. l. and 13 genera of neotropical Vaccinieae. The parsimony analysis of nrITS and ndhF data reveal that Disterigma s. 1. is polyphyletic with three independent origins within Vaccinieae. The majority of the species form a well supported monophyletic group, Disterigma s. s., which is located within a large Andean clade; all Disterigma s. s. species share the presence of a differentiated pair of apical bracteoles. Segregated from Disterigma s. s., but also Andean in origin, is the novel Central Andes Segregated Disterigma clade, where D. bracteatum, D. pentandrum, D. rimbachii, and D. ulei are found. Also resolved outside of Disterigma s. s. is D. trimerum, a taxon of Mesoamerican origin.

Three new species of Disterigma (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae) from Western Colombia, with comments on morphological terminology

Three new endemic species are described and illustrated from the floristically diverse western mountain ranges of Colombia. Disterigma appendiculatum, D. hiatum, and D. verruculatum have interesting floral characters that are unique in the genus and in the Vaccinieae. These new morphological characters and the terminology adopted for bracteoles and staminal appendages are briefly discussed.

Preliminary phylogenetic analysis of the Andean clade and the placement of new Colombian blueberries (Ericaceae, Vaccinieae)

Abstract The blueberry tribe Vaccinieae (Ericaceae) is particularly diverse in South America and underwent extensive radiation in Colombia where many endemics occur. Recent fieldwork in Colombia has resulted in valuable additions to the phylogeny and as well in the discovery of morphologically noteworthy new species that need to be phylogenetically placed before being named. This is particularly important, as the monophyly of many of the studied genera have not been confirmed. In order to advance our understanding of the relationships within neotropical Vaccinieae and advice the taxonomy of the new blueberry relatives, here we present the most comprehensive phylogenetic analysis for the Andean clade. Anthopterus, Demosthenesia, and Pellegrinia are among the putative Andean genera recovered as monophyletic, while other eight Andean genera were not. The analyses also showed that genera that have been traditionally widely defined are non-monophyletic and could be further split into more discrete groups. Four newly discovered Colombian Vaccinieae are placed in the monophyletic Satyria s.s. and the Psammisia I clade. Although these new species are endemic to the Colombian Western Cordillera and Chocó biogeographic region and three are not known outside of Las Orquídeas National Park, they do not form sister pairs.

New blueberry and mortiño relatives (Ericaceae) from northwestern Colombia

Abstract The inventory of the vascular plants of one of the richest and least studied floras, the Andean and Chocó regions of northwestern Colombia, targets Las Orquídeas National Park. As a result of field trips to areas never before collected, several epiphytic and small terrestrial shrubs in the family Ericaceae have been discovered in the Park’s humid forests. Five new, morphologically remarkable species of Ericaceae (tribe Vaccinieae), are here described and illustrated. In a separate phylogenetic analysis, Psammisia pinnata Pedraza, Psammisia pseudoverticillata Pedraza, Satyria orquidiensis Pedraza, and Satyria pterocalyx Pedraza, were placed by molecular sequence data within clades of the non-monophyletic genera Psammisia and Satyria; phylogenetic evidence for the placement of Psammisia sophiae Pedraza is still lacking. Their affinities are here discussed, along with their preliminary conservation status.

Andean Vaccinium (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae): Seven new species from South America

Seven new species of Andean Vaccinium are described, illustrated, and briefly discussed. They are Vaccinium aristatum and Vaccinium saxatilis from Ecuador; Vaccinium youngii, Vaccinium ortizii, Vaccinium continuum, Vaccinium amazonicum, and Vaccinium urubambensis from Peru.ResumenSe describen, ilustran y discuten siete nuevas especies de Vaccinium de los Andes. Estas son Vaccinium aristatum y Vaccinium saxatilis del Ecuador; Vaccinium youngii, Vaccinium ortizii, Vaccinium continuum, Vaccinium amazonicum y Vaccinium urubambensis del Perú.

New species of Ericaceae (Vaccinieae) from the Andes of Bolivia and Peru

Eight new Ericaceae (Vaccinieae) from Bolivia and Peru are described, illustrated, and discussed: Orthaea madidiensis, Themistoclesia geniculata, Themistoclesia idiocalyx, Themistoclesia siranensis, Themistoclesia tunquiniensis, Themistoclesia woytkowskii, Thibaudia acacioides, and Thibaudia yungensis.ResumenOcho nuevas especies de Ericaceae (Vaccinieae) de Bolivia y Perú son descritas, ilustradas y discutidas: Orthaea madidiensis, Themistoclesia geniculata, Themistoclesia idiocalyx, Themistoclesia siranensis, Themistoclesia tunquiniensis, Themistoclesia woytkowskii, Thibaudia acacioides y Thibaudia yungensis.

Three new species of Psammisia s.l. (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), blueberry relatives endemic to Colombia

Three new species of Psammisia s.l. (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae) endemic to Colombia have been identified from collections of the Colombian Western Cordillera. They are Psammisia mateoi, Psammisia longirachis, and Psammisia glandulolaminata. Here the new species are described, discussed, and illustrated through line drawings and photographs of living plants.ResumenTres nuevas especies de Psammisia s.l. (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae) endémicas de Colombia fueron recientemente identificadas de colecciones de la Cordillera Occidental Colombiana. Estas son Psammisia mateoi, Psammisia longirachis, y Psammisia glandulolaminata. Las nuevas especies son acá descritas, discutidas e ilustradas a través de dibujos y fotografías de las plantas vivas.

Three new species of Orthaea (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae)

Three new species of Orthaea (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae) from the Andes of Colombia and Peru are described: Orthaea bullata, Orthaea carnosiflora, and Orthaea medusula. Their taxonomic affinities are discussed. Their diagnostic characters are illustrated through line drawings and photographs of living plants and ethanol-preserved specimens.ResumenSe describen tres especies nuevas de Orthaea (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae) de los Andes de Colombia y Perú: Orthaea bullata, Orthaea carnosiflora, y Orthaea medusula. Sus relaciones taxonómicas son discutidas. Sus caractéres diagnósticos son representados por medio de ilustraciones y fotografías de plantas vivas y de especímenes preservados alcohol.

Nomenclature, taxonomy, and conservation of the neotropical genus Sphyrospermum (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), including five new species for Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru

Nomenclature, taxonomy, and conservation of the neotropical genus Sphyrospermum (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), including five new species for Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru