RELDIA OLIGANTHA (GESNERIACEAE), A NEW LITHOPHYTIC HERB FROM THE CORDILLERA DEL CÓNDOR IN SOUTHERN ECUADOR

Recent fieldwork in southern Ecuador resulted in the discovery of a new species of Reldia (Gesneriaceae) from limestone outcrops in the Cordillera del Cóndor. Reldia oligantha J.L. Clark is described here as endemic to the eastern Andean slopes of Ecuador. The species is distinguished by its highly reduced, typically uniflorous inflorescences, lithophytic habit with leaves arranged in a basal rosette, and diminutive stature, representing the smallest species currently recognized in the genus.