Leptocereus gonzaleztorresii D. Barrios 2025, sp. nov.

Leptocereus gonzaleztorresii D.Barrios, sp. nov. (Figs. 3 A–E, 4) Type:— CUBA. Havana, prov. La Habana, Jardín Botánico Nacional, pabellón de cactus, localidad desconocida, 13 June 2018, D. Barrios HFC 90021 (Holotype: HAJB!) Diagnosis:— Leptocereus gonzaleztorresii differs from Leptocereus leonii Britton & Rose (1912: 15) by having 4 or 5 ribs (vs. 5–7), flowers with more than 30 tepals (vs. ≤30) and fruits with acid pulp with abundant mucilage (vs. non-acid and tasteless, no mucilage). It differs from L. wrightii and L. scopulophilus by having thinner branches (<20 mm), fewer spines (≤10 per areole) and smaller flowers (<44 mm long). In L. wrightii and L. scopulophilus the branches can reach more than 30 mm in diameter, with up to 15–19 spines and flowers> 45 mm long. Description:— Scandent shrub up to 1.5 m tall, trunk distinct, terminal branches up to 1 m long, usually arching 11.5–19.4 mm in diameter, ribs 4–5, 7–10 mm high, slightly crenulate. Areoles 13–17 mm apart, with a tuft of short brownish hairs, radial spines 6–9, central spine up to 2.5 cm long, dark brown at the apex, yellowish-green at the base when young, turning grayish-white with age. Flowers 37–43 mm long from base to stamens, pericarp greenish, upper part of the floral tube brown to wine-red. Perianth 22–26 mm in diameter, tepals pink, 33–38, 7–11 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, reflexed oblong to oblong-ligulate, apex rounded or emarginate. Flower areoles with 3–8 thin spines, up to 7 mm long, brown, some yellowish. Stamens yellow, the outermost with aborted anthers, the inner ones functional. Stigma with 9–11 lobes, 4.5–7.5 mm long, usually exserted 2–5 mm above the stamens. Nectar chamber elongate, 8.1–10.3 mm long, 5.1–6.8 mm wide, with folds and delimited by a short septum. Ovary 6.5–9 mm long, 3.3–5.7 mm wide, ovules 1009–1597. Fruits brown with pinkish portions, ovoid, 3.5–4.3 cm long, 2–2.7 cm wide, with transparent to whitish pulp, acidic with mucilage. Seeds black, lustrous, 2.4–2.8 mm long, dorsoventrally crested. Etymology:— The specific epithet ¨gonzaleztorresii¨ is given in honor of the Cuban botanist Luis Roberto González Torres who has been a teacher of several generations of botanists (including the first author), founder of The Conservation Programme of Cuban Cacti and Planta! – The Plantlife Conservation Society, and current president of the Group of Specialists in Cuban Plants. For more than 20 years Luis Roberto has been a strong promoter of the studies on Cuban cacti, and he has dedicated a good part of his efforts to bring together the Cuban botanical community for the conservation of Cuba´s rich flora. Distribution and habitat:— Unknown. Phenology:— Leptocereus gonzaleztorresii has been observed flowering between April and September. Mature fruits have been observed in October. Additional materials examined:— CUBA. Prov. Mayabeque, colección de cactus Quivicán, May-September 2021, Barrios 347 (HAJB, flowers preserved in liquid!). Prov. Mayabeque, colección de cactus Quivicán, 3 October 2022, Barrios 387 (HAJB!, fruits preserved in liquid). Notes:— Leptocereus gonzaleztorresii is vegetatively more similar to L. leonii due to the presence of thinner stems with fewer spines, although the number of ribs is similar to L. wrightii (Fig. 3 A, F, K, P) (Table 4). On the other hand, although the flowers of L. gonzaleztorresii and L. leonii have the smallest external dimensions and the fewest number of spines per areole (Fig. 3 B, C, G, H, L, M, Q, R), both differ significantly in almost all internal flower characters (Table 4), where L. gonzaleztorresii is more similar to L. wrightii and L. scopulophilus. This similarity is also higher in internal fruit characteristics between L. gonzaleztorresii, L. wrightii and L. scopulophilus (Table 4). Moreover, the external characteristics of the fruits of the four species differ from each other (Fig. 3 D, I, N, S), while the seeds of L. gonzaleztorresii differ mainly from those of L. leonii by possessing a lateral region with more abundant and larger widely perforated craters (Fig. 3 E, J, O, T). To facilitate the identification of pink-flowered Leptocereus species, we present the following dichotomous key. Key to Leptocereus species with pink flowers of western Cuba (subclade LE sensu Barrios et al. 2020) 1. Distal branch segments generally ≥ 20 mm in diameter ....................................................................................................................2 - Distal branch segments generally <20 mm in diameter ....................................................................................................................3 2. Branches generally ≥ 30 mm in diameter with 4–5 ribs, upper part of hypanthium pink or brown ................... Leptocereus wrightii - Branches generally <30 mm diameter with 5–6 ribs, entire hypanthium green....................................... Leptocereus scopulophilus 3. Flowers with ≤ 30 tepals, all stamens functional, fruits non-acidic without mucilage colored pinkish at maturity, usually without spines ...................................................................................................................................................................... Leptocereus leonii - Flowers with> 30 tepals, outer stamens with aborted anthers, acidic fruits with mucilage colored brown, with spines.................... ................................................................................................................................................................ Leptocereus gonzaleztorresii

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