John L. Clark

Columnea glaucobracteata — a new species from Ecuador’s Chocó Biogeographic Region Excited to share my recent publication describing Columnea glaucobracteata, a new species from the northwestern Andean slopes of Ecuador in the Chocó Biogeographic Region. The specific epithet refers to the distinctive greenish-white (“glaucous”) bracts that partially to nearly completely cover the corolla. This species is readily distinguished by its: • greenish-white bracts that nearly conceal the flowers • shallowly bilabiate corollas • conspicuous reticulate secondary venation The Chocó region continues to reveal extraordinary biodiversity and underscores the importance of ongoing exploratory fieldwork and conservation efforts in the tropical Andes. I first documented this species as a Fulbright Scholar in Ecuador in 2003 while working with Fundación Golondrinas on an invitation from the director, María Eliza Manteca Oñate. During an exploratory research expedition coordinated by Edison Folleco, we encountered this remarkable plant in the cloud forests of northwestern Ecuador. More than two decades later, it is exciting to finally publish and formally recognize this species. The footage shown here is from a January 2026 research expedition. The team included Jacob Suissa (@letsbotanize ), Sara Chingal (@sary.chingal ), Yazan Aboushi (@yazanphoto ), Emilio Trujillo (@emiliotrujillori ), Magsy Lombard (@alpinebotanist ), and Marco Monteros (@marcofm5 ). If you notice that the footage quality is much better than my usual videos, it’s because this footage was filmed by Yazan Aboushi (@yazanphoto ). Thank you, Yazan!!! @selbygardens 📚 Citation Clark, J.L. 2026. Columnea glaucobracteata (Gesneriaceae), a new species from the northwestern Andean slopes of Ecuador. Novon 34: 98–103. /10.3417/20261035 #Columnea #Gesneriaceae #NewSpecies #Botany #PlantTaxonomy #Systematics #FieldBotany #TropicalBotany #Ecuador #Choco #Andes #Biodiversity #PlantScience #Taxonomy #NeotropicalBotany #SelbyGardens

Happy to share our recent publication in Brittonia recognizing Gesneria pallida as a distinct species rather than a synonym of Gesneria reticulata.   A 2025 research expedition in eastern Cuba led to the rediscovery of G. pallida, a poorly known lithophytic species endemic to the province of Guantánamo. The species had long been treated as a heterotypic synonym of G. reticulata, but renewed field observations and herbarium studies revealed several consistent morphological differences that support its recognition as a distinct species. Most striking is the uniformly tubular yellow corolla of G. pallida—an uncommon floral color within the genus. Additional differences include markedly bullate leaves, shallowly serrate to subentire leaf margins, and shallowly serrate corolla lobes.   In contrast, G. reticulata is among the most widespread species of Gesneria in the Caribbean, occurring in Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico, and is characterized by reddish-orange corollas, consistently serrate corolla lobes, and flatter leaf surfaces. Earlier synonymy likely reflected the scarcity of collections and limited field knowledge of the true variation in G. pallida.   Traveling to Baracoa and the surrounding regions of eastern Cuba was a major challenge. Reaching the field site required multiple days of travel and a constantly changing lineup of transportation. Fuel shortages and irregular intercity transit make travel unpredictable, and vehicles often wait until enough passengers arrive before departing. Missing a connection can easily leave you stranded for hours—or days.   For those interested in Cuban Gesneriaceae, an overview is available in:   Clark, Suárez Terán & Matos. 2019. Gesneriaceae. In: Greuter & Rankin, Eds. Flora de la República de Cuba. Vol. 25: 1–123. Plantas Vasculares. Königstein, Germany: Koeltz Scientific Books.   Our 2026 publication in Brittonia: Clark, Gutiérrez & Coutin. A revised circumscription of Gesneria pallida (Gesneriaceae), an eastern Cuba endemic historically treated as a synonym of G. reticulata. Brittonia.   @selbygardens   #Cuba #GesneriadSociety #Gesneria #Gesneriaceae #Baracoa

Happy to share our recent publication in Brittonia recognizing Gesneria pallida as a distinct species rather than a synonym of Gesneria reticulata. A 2025 research expedition in eastern Cuba led to the rediscovery of G. pallida, a poorly known lithophytic species endemic to the province of Guantánamo. The species had long been treated as a heterotypic synonym of G. reticulata, but renewed field observations and herbarium studies revealed several consistent morphological differences that support its recognition as a distinct species. Most striking is the uniformly tubular yellow corolla of G. pallida—an uncommon floral color within the genus. Additional differences include markedly bullate leaves, shallowly serrate to subentire leaf margins, and shallowly serrate corolla lobes. In contrast, G. reticulata is among the most widespread species of Gesneria in the Caribbean, occurring in Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico, and is characterized by reddish-orange corollas, consistently serrate corolla lobes, and flatter leaf surfaces. Earlier synonymy likely reflected the scarcity of collections and limited field knowledge of the true variation in G. pallida. Traveling to Baracoa and the surrounding regions of eastern Cuba was a major challenge. Reaching the field site required multiple days of travel and a constantly changing lineup of transportation. Fuel shortages and irregular intercity transit make travel unpredictable, and vehicles often wait until enough passengers arrive before departing. Missing a connection can easily leave you stranded for hours—or days. For those interested in Cuban Gesneriaceae, an overview is available in: Clark, Suárez Terán & Matos. 2019. Gesneriaceae. In: Greuter & Rankin, Eds. Flora de la República de Cuba. Vol. 25: 1–123. Plantas Vasculares. Königstein, Germany: Koeltz Scientific Books. Our 2026 publication in Brittonia: Clark, Gutiérrez & Coutin. A revised circumscription of Gesneria pallida (Gesneriaceae), an eastern Cuba endemic historically treated as a synonym of G. reticulata. Brittonia. @selbygardens #Cuba #GesneriadSociety #Gesneria #Gesneriaceae #Baracoa

🌿 Columnea versicolor — a new species from Colombia 🌿   Excited to share our latest publication describing Columnea versicolor, a striking new species from the Cordillera Occidental of the Colombian Andes, notable for its richly colored purple corolla.   Etymology. The name versicolor (“variously colored”) highlights one of its most distinctive features: a bicolored corolla with a magenta tube and dark purple lobes.   Dark purple–magenta corollas have evolved multiple times in Columnea (Clark & Smith, 2005), and broader phylogenetic sampling will likely reveal additional examples of convergent evolution for this trait.   I first encountered this species with my colleague and coauthor, Laura Clavijo, during a 2012 expedition to Mesenia–Paramillo.   The footage featured here is from a 2026 expedition carried out in collaboration with colleagues from Missouri Botanical Garden, UC Santa Barbara, Universidad de Antioquia, and SalvaMontes. Special thanks to Saúl Ernesto Hoyos-Gómez and Greg Wahlert for organizing and leading an outstanding expedition.   Our time in La Reserva Natural Mesenia–Paramillo was made possible by an exceptional local team of guides—especially Luis A. Mazariegos, whose vision, leadership, and deep commitment to conservation continue to protect and reveal one of Colombia’s most remarkable landscapes. @selbygardens @ecoreserve_mesenia_paramillo @bioconservancy   📚 Citations: Clark, J.L., & Clavijo, L. (2026). Columnea versicolor, a new species of Gesneriaceae from the Cordillera Occidental in the Colombian Andes. JBRIT 20(1): 69–74. /10.17348/jbrit.v20.i1.1464   Clark, J.L. & Smith, J.F. (2024). Taxonomic circumscription of Columnea lophophora supports the recognition of two new species from the Andes of Ecuador and Peru. Systematic Botany 49(1): 236–246. /10.1600/036364424X17110457048668   #Columnea #Gesneriaceae #Colombia #FieldBotany #Systematics

🌿 Columnea versicolor — a new species from Colombia 🌿 Excited to share our latest publication describing Columnea versicolor, a striking new species from the Cordillera Occidental of the Colombian Andes, notable for its richly colored purple corolla. Etymology. The name versicolor (“variously colored”) highlights one of its most distinctive features: a bicolored corolla with a magenta tube and dark purple lobes. Dark purple–magenta corollas have evolved multiple times in Columnea (Clark & Smith, 2005), and broader phylogenetic sampling will likely reveal additional examples of convergent evolution for this trait. I first encountered this species with my colleague and coauthor, Laura Clavijo, during a 2012 expedition to Mesenia–Paramillo. The footage featured here is from a 2026 expedition carried out in collaboration with colleagues from Missouri Botanical Garden, UC Santa Barbara, Universidad de Antioquia, and SalvaMontes. Special thanks to Saúl Ernesto Hoyos-Gómez and Greg Wahlert for organizing and leading an outstanding expedition. Our time in La Reserva Natural Mesenia–Paramillo was made possible by an exceptional local team of guides—especially Luis A. Mazariegos, whose vision, leadership, and deep commitment to conservation continue to protect and reveal one of Colombia’s most remarkable landscapes. @selbygardens @ecoreserve_mesenia_paramillo @bioconservancy 📚 Citations: Clark, J.L., & Clavijo, L. (2026). Columnea versicolor, a new species of Gesneriaceae from the Cordillera Occidental in the Colombian Andes. JBRIT 20(1): 69–74. /10.17348/jbrit.v20.i1.1464 Clark, J.L. & Smith, J.F. (2024). Taxonomic circumscription of Columnea lophophora supports the recognition of two new species from the Andes of Ecuador and Peru. Systematic Botany 49(1): 236–246. /10.1600/036364424X17110457048668 #Columnea #Gesneriaceae #NewSpecies #Botany #Taxonomy #Andes #Colombia #PlantDiscovery #Biodiversity #FieldBotany #Systematics #Gesnerioideae

🌿 New Species from Southern Ecuador: Reldia oligantha 🌿 Excited to share my latest publication in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. 🔬 Reldia oligantha (Gesneriaceae) A new lithophytic species from limestone outcrops in the Cordillera del Cóndor, southern Ecuador. Etymology. From Greek oligos (few) + anthos (flower), referring to the reduced, often solitary inflorescences. Diagnosis. Distinguished by its highly reduced, typically uniflorous and epedunculate inflorescences (rarely with a peduncle < 2 mm bearing two flowers), compact habit (< 13 cm wide), and bullate leaves. I first encountered this species during expeditions with students from The Lawrenceville School Ecuador Program (2017–2019). The type locality—Laberinto de las Mil Ilusiones—is a limestone formation near the Río Nangaritza. 🛶 Accessible only by boat, this site is managed locally and visited via Cabañas Yankuam (Yankuam Lodge). 📚 Citation: Clark, J.L. 2026. Reldia oligantha (Gesneriaceae), a new lithophytic herb from the Cordillera del Cóndor in southern Ecuador. J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 20(1): 75–78. /10.17348/jbrit.v20.i1.1465 @selbygardens @lvilleschool #Gesneriaceae #PlantDiscovery #Ecuador #CordilleraDelCondor #Botany #NewSpecies #TropicalPlants

🌿 Elaphoglossum peltatum as body art Elaphoglossum ferns all tend to look the same—to untrained pteridologists like me 😊 That said, there are two species of Elaphoglossum I can confidently recognize: Elaphoglossum peltatum and E. crinitum. Here I discuss Elaphoglossum peltatum. One of the defining features of E. peltatum is its striking dimorphism: • Sterile fronds are deeply dissected and photosynthetic • Fertile fronds are entire, non-photosynthetic, and packed with spores This scandent, herbaceous vine occurs across a wide range of cloud forests and is relatively easy to identify once you know what to look for. Another reason I’m fond of this species—it always reminds me of my colleague and close friend Ángel Lara, who has E. peltatum tattooed on his forearm. Botanical body art at its finest. The footage shown here is from a January 2026 research expedition. The team included Jacob Suissa (@letsbotanize ), Sara Chingal (@sary.chingal ), Yazan Aboushi (@yazanphoto ), Emilio Trujillo (@emiliotrujillori ), Magsy Lombard (@alpinebotanist ), and Marco Monteros (@marcofm5 ). Our expedition was supported by Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (QCA) (special thanks to @prisci_muriel ) and Fundación EcoMinga (@fundacion_ecominga ). @selbygardens #Elaphoglossum #Ferns #Pteridology #CloudForest #ChocoBiogeographicRegion #BodyArt

Today’s discovery: poor footwear choices I learned years ago from a Scandinavian proverb—“Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlig klær”—there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear. Today, I chose… poorly. I’ve hiked this trail twice before, and the day started out clear. So I went with lightweight Nike sneakers with minimal tread. That decision unraveled quickly. The rain came hard, the trail turned into a river, and for the next two hours we slid our way down what can only be described as a mud chute. I fell several times. One landing squarely on my toe—convinced at the moment it was broken. Fortunately not, but it’s swollen, painful, and looks impressively terrible. To add insult to injury—we didn’t even find the plant we were looking for. We are hiking in the Cordillera Central in the Dominican Republic, on a trail that eventually leads to the summit of Pico Duarte—the highest peak in the Caribbean (3,098 m / 10,164 ft), higher than any mountain along the U.S. eastern seaboard, including Mt. Mitchell (2,037 m / 6,684 ft), Mt. Washington (1,917 m / 6,288 ft), and Mt. Katahdin (1,606 m / 5,269 ft). In the field with Wady Martinez (Jardín Botánico Nacional Dr. Rafael M. Moscoso) and Guarionex Galván, park guard from Parque Nacional José del Carmen Ramírez. @selbygardens @jardinbotanicord #Fieldwork #Botany #Gesneriaceae #Biodiversity #DominicanRepublic #CordilleraCentral #PicoDuarte

🌿 Gesneria cubensis 🌿   A cliff-dwelling population from Samaná, Dominican Republic, growing on limestone above the ocean.   What makes this species especially intriguing is its laterally compressed flowers paired with exserted stamens—a combination that’s surprisingly rare in Gesneriaceae. While flattened corollas occur across multiple genera in the Neotropics, seeing them together with strongly exserted stamens is unusual.   The name cubensis hints at a complicated taxonomic story. Originally described from Cuba, this species now includes 12+ heterotypic synonyms spanning the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Cuba. This broad circumscription likely masks hidden diversity—this population looks quite different from material I studied in Cuba (2018) and other populations from the Dominican Republic in the Cordillera Central.   For now, I follow the treatment of Laurence E. Skog (1976), who recognized a single species with two varieties—but these boundaries clearly need revisiting. This research is currently underway by Dominican botanist Elizabeth Séptimo.   A few fun facts: 1) The ovary in most Gesneria is usually inferior until anthesis, and as in this species, the mature fruits appear half-inferior when the bivalved capsules mature 2) The disc is annular and comprised of a five-lobed gland   🎥 Footage from a 2026 expedition in collaboration with the Jardín Botánico Nacional “Dr. Rafael Ma. Moscoso” (JBSD) and Jardín Botánico de Santiago (JBS), with Yommi Piña, Mario Guzmán, Yoel Montero, Aneudy Osorio, and our local guide Aurelio Reyes.   @selbygardens @botanicodesantiago @enmaaaa_17 @aurelio.samana   #Gesneriaceae #Gesneria #GesneriaCubensis #DominicanRepublic

🌿 Gesneria cubensis 🌿 A cliff-dwelling population from Samaná, Dominican Republic, growing on limestone above the ocean. What makes this species especially intriguing is its laterally compressed flowers paired with exserted stamens—a combination that’s surprisingly rare in Gesneriaceae. While flattened corollas occur across multiple genera in the Neotropics, seeing them together with strongly exserted stamens is unusual. The name cubensis hints at a complicated taxonomic story. Originally described from Cuba, this species now includes 12+ heterotypic synonyms spanning the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Cuba. This broad circumscription likely masks hidden diversity—this population looks quite different from material I studied in Cuba (2018) and other populations from the Dominican Republic in the Cordillera Central. For now, I follow the treatment of Laurence E. Skog (1976), who recognized a single species with two varieties—but these boundaries clearly need revisiting. This research is currently underway by Dominican botanist Elizabeth Séptimo. 🎥 Footage from a 2026 expedition in collaboration with the Jardín Botánico Nacional “Dr. Rafael Ma. Moscoso” (JBSD) and Jardín Botánico de Santiago (JBS), with Yommi Piña, Mario Guzmán, Yoel Montero, Aneudy Osorio, and our local guide Aurelio Reyes. @selbygardens @enmaaaa_17 @aurelio.samana @botanicodesantiago #Gesneriaceae #Gesneria #GesneriaCubensis #DominicanRepublic

Columnea fuschirita– two forms   Columnea fuscahirta is an epiphytic climber with dorsiventral shoots, relatively common in Ecuador and Colombia. It is typically recognized by its green calyx lobes and dense pilose to ciliate indumentum.   During a 2026 exploratory expedition to the Mesenia–Paramillo Nature Reserve, we encountered something unexpected—two distinct forms growing side-by-side. The typical form has green calyces and green leaves with red apices, while the unusual form displays striking red calyces and uniformly red leaves (or red leaves with darker apices).   In Ecuador, this species occurs on both the western and eastern slopes of the Andes—an uncommon distribution pattern. In contrast, in Colombia it appears restricted to the Cordillera Occidental.   Field observations like this highlight how much diversity remains hidden in plain sight—even within “common” species.   This work comes from a 2026 expedition in Colombia, carried out in collaboration with colleagues from Missouri Botanical Garden, UC Santa Barbara, Universidad de Antioquia, and SalvaMontes. Special thanks to Saul Ernesto Hoyos-Gómez and Greg Wahlert for leading and organizing an outstanding expedition.   Our time in Mesenia–Paramillo was made possible by an exceptional local team of guides and, especially, Luis A. Mazariegos, whose vision, leadership, and deep commitment to conservation continue to protect and reveal one of Colombia’s most remarkable landscapes. @selbygardens @ecoreserve_mesenia_paramillo @bioconservancy   #Gesneriaceae #Biodiversity #Andes #Colombia #Columnea

Columnea fuschirita– two forms Columnea fuscahirta is an epiphytic climber with dorsiventral shoots, relatively common in Ecuador and Colombia. It is typically recognized by its green calyx lobes and dense pilose to ciliate indumentum. During a 2026 exploratory expedition to the Mesenia–Paramillo Nature Reserve, we encountered something unexpected—two distinct forms growing side-by-side. The typical form has green calyces and green leaves with red apices, while the unusual form displays striking red calyces and uniformly red leaves (or red leaves with darker apices). In Ecuador, this species occurs on both the western and eastern slopes of the Andes—an uncommon distribution pattern. In contrast, in Colombia it appears restricted to the Cordillera Occidental. Field observations like this highlight how much diversity remains hidden in plain sight—even within “common” species. This work comes from a 2026 expedition in Colombia, carried out in collaboration with colleagues from Missouri Botanical Garden, UC Santa Barbara, Universidad de Antioquia, and SalvaMontes. Special thanks to Saul Ernesto Hoyos-Gómez and Greg Wahlert for leading and organizing an outstanding expedition. Our time in Mesenia–Paramillo was made possible by an exceptional local team of guides and, especially, Luis A. Mazariegos, whose vision, leadership, and deep commitment to conservation continue to protect and reveal one of Colombia’s most remarkable landscapes. @selbygardens @ecoreserve_mesenia_paramillo @bioconservancy #Gesneriaceae #Biodiversity #Andes #Colombia #Gesnerioideae #Columnea #GesneriadSociety