Passiflora agudeloi (Passifloraceae, subgenus Decaloba): A new endemic species from cloud forests in the Central Cordillera of the Colombian Andes

Passiflora agudeloi is herein recognised as a distinct species, based on a unique combination of vegetative, floral and seed characters. It differs from morphologically related species with smaller vegetative and floral structures, such as P. hyacinthiflora and P. bicuspidata, by its larger leaves and flowers. Unlike P. trinervia, which exhibits a hypanthium exceeding 10 cm in length, P. agudeloi possesses a shorter hypanthium (0.4–0.5 cm).

It can be separated from P. sierrae by the absence of foliar nectaries and by its longer petioles and non-pendent flowers. The new species is clearly distinct from closely-related species P. azeroana in many key characters, including flower size and colouration, length and pigmentation of petioles, peduncles and stipules, shape and distribution of laminar glands, as well as seed morphology and ornamentation. Its preliminary conservation assessment, categorised as Critically Endangered (CR) under the IUCN Criteria, underscores the urgent need to implement both in situ and ex situ conservation strategies to ensure its long-term survival.