Diastema calcicola (Gesneriaceae), a new lithophytic herb from southern Ecuador and northern Peru

Recent field expeditions in southern Ecuador and herbarium research resulted in the discovery of a new species of Diastema (Gesneriaceae). Diastema calcicola J. L. Clark and Moonlight, is described from limestone outcrops in northern Peru and the Cordillera del Cóndor in southern Ecuador. The new species is a lithophytic herb with unbranched shoots and an erect racemose inflorescence. Based on IUCN guidelines, a preliminary conservation assessment as ‘Vulnerable’ (VU) is provided for D. calcicola.