''Columnea consanguinea'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the genus ''

Columnea ''Columnea'' is a genus of around 200 species of epiphytic herbs and shrubs in the family Gesneriaceae, native to the tropics of the Americas and the Caribbean. The tubular or oddly shaped flowers are usually large and brightly colored – us ...

''. They are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

, and

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. They are distinctive for possessing red translucent heart-shaped markings on their leaves that serve to attract their main

pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female carpel, stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are ...

s - the

hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Cen ...

'' Heliodoxa jacula'' - to their more inconspicuous

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s. The species was first described by

Johannes von Hanstein Johannes Ludwig Emil Robert von Hanstein (15 May 1822 – 27 August 1880) was a German botanist who was a native of Potsdam. He attended classes at the ''Gärtnerlehranstalt'' (Institute of Horticulture) in Potsdam, and later studied sciences in B ...

in 1865. It is classified under the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Gesneriaceae Gesneriaceae, the gesneriad family, is a family (biology), family of flowering plants consisting of about 152 genera and ca. 3,540 species in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World (almost all Didymocarpoideae) and the New World (most Ges ...

Description

''Columnea consanguinea'' is a

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

-like

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

with unbranched pale brown and hairy stems that grow to a maximum length of around long. Their leaves are borne on stalks around in length, and arranged in an opposite pattern along the stems. However, one leaf in each pair is a great deal smaller than the other leaf, giving the impression that the leaves are arranged alternately. The larger leaf blades are lanceolate with unequal sides. They are about long and wide. They are smooth on the upper surface and slightly hairy on the lower surface. They are predominantly dark green in color but bear characteristic translucent bright red heart-shaped markings on the underside of their leaves. The markings are visible on the upper surface as yellow-green areas. The smaller leaves in the pairs are only in length, and about in width. They are located flush to the stems and look like small sheaths. The small tubular flowers arise from the stem near the bases of the leaves. They are about long and wide. The petals are pale yellow in color while the calyx can be green to red. They bloom all throughout the year and develop into small numerous yellow fruits. ''Columnea consanguinea'' closely resemble '' Columnea florida''. The latter also has red heart-shaped markings on their leaves but can be distinguished by the teeth-like (pectinate) edges of their flower calyces.

Ecology

''Columnea consanguinea'' have relatively small and drab flowers. In order to attract their main

s, the nectarivorous green-crowned brilliant ('' Heliodoxa jacula''), they instead use the markings on their leaves.

Sunlight Sunlight is the portion of the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the Sun (i.e. solar radiation) and received by the Earth, in particular the visible spectrum, visible light perceptible to the human eye as well as invisible infrare ...

filtering through the translucent patches on their leaves give them a brilliant red color, reminiscent of

stained-glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

s. Hummingbirds, like all birds, possess excellent color vision greater than that of humans. They are attracted to the red color of the markings and can then find their way to the flowers to feed. In doing so, they pollinate the flowers of ''C. consanguinea''. The same strategy is used by ''C. florida'', which also have red markings on their leaves.

Distribution and habitat

''Columnea consanguinea'' grow in tropical

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

s at altitudes of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. They can be found either growing on the ground (terrestrial) or on the trunks of trees (

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

). They are

, and

Taxonomy and nomenclature

''Columnea consanguinea'' was first described by the German botanist

in 1865. Though Hanstein mistakenly assumed that the

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wikt:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to ancho ...

s were from the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, they were actually collected by the German botanist

Hermann Wendland Hermann Wendland (October 11, 1825 in Herrenhausen – January 12, 1903 in Hanover) was a German botanist and gardener. He was a noted authority on the family Arecaceae The Arecaceae () is a family (biology), family of perennial plant, peren ...

on March 24, 1857 from Costa Rica. The generic name ''

'' was named by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

after the Latinized spelling of the name of the 16th-century Italian botanist

Fabio Colonna Fabio Colonna (called ''Linceo''; 1567 – 25 July 1640) was an Italian natural history, naturalist and botany, botanist. Biography He was the son of Girolamo Colonna, a philologist and antique dealer who was also editor of the fragment ...

(Latin: ''Fabius Columnus''). Hanstein did not explain the etymology of the

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

, but '' consanguinea'' is Latin for "with blood". It is classified under the genus ''Columnea'' in the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

Episcieae, subfamily Gesnerioideae, of the

. The German botanist

Hans Wiehler Hans Joachim Wiehler (8 July 1930 in Klecie, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Klettendorf – 2003) was a German botanist who specialized in the plant family Gesneriaceae. In 1954 he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana ...

reclassified it under a separate genus as ''Dalbergaria consanguinea'' in 1973. Wiehler's classification, however, has not gained acceptance among other specialists. Most notably, the American botanist Laurence Skog of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

prefers to treat them as belonging to the genus ''Columnea''. Three

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

are currently recognized: *''Columnea consanguinea'' var. ''adpressa'' B.D. Morley ::- Found in Costa Rica and Panama *''Columnea consanguinea'' var. ''consanguinea'' Hanst. :::( =) ''Dalbergaria consanguinea'' (Hanst.) Wiehler ::- Found in

Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders th ...

, Chocó, Risaralda, and Valle del Cauca of Colombia, Esmeraldas in Ecuador, and Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. *''Columnea consanguinea'' var. ''darienensis'' (C.V. Morton) B.D. Morley :::(=) ''Columnea darienensis'' C.V. Morton :::(=) ''Dalbergaria darienensis'' (C.V. Morton) Wiehler ::- Found in the

Darién Gap The Darién Gap (, , ) is a geographic region that connects the Americas, American continents, stretching across southern Panama's Darién Province and the northern portion of Colombia's Chocó Department. Consisting of a large drainage basin, ...

region in the border between Colombia and Panama

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4036426 consanguinea Flora of Colombia Flora of Costa Rica Flora of Ecuador Flora of Nicaragua Flora of Panama Plants described in 1865