Mastigostyla woodii

Known only from Chaunaca and El Palmar in Chuquisaca Department, Bolivia. At Chaunaca it has been found in the bottom of a side valley, at the base of sandstone ridges of Cerro Chataquila, and not on the ridge itself. At El Palmar, it has been found in seasonally moist, open grassy areas in Parajubaea torallyi forest, at 2,600 to 3,100 m above sea level. Parajubaea torallyi (Bolivian mountain coconut) is an endemic Bolivian palm.

Mastigostyla woodii (Image: Darwin Project 11-010)

A perennial herb growing up to 40 cm high, with an ovoid, brown to dark brown or russet-brown bulb of 1.5-1.8 × 1.2-1.5 cm with papery tunics and a neck 1-1.5 cm long. The plant is hairless with the exception of the leaf veins and margins, which have a covering of minute stiff hairs. The linear leaves have parallel veins and longitudinal folds and taper to a pointed tip. There are normally one or two basal leaves (of 28.9-41 × 0.2-0.25 cm) and one leaf (of 18-35 × 0.15-0.25 cm) arising from the stem.

The 1-3 flowered inflorescence is cymose with a grooved peduncle (stalk) 22-63 mm long and two bracts of 21-35 × 4-7 mm, which are the same colour as the leaves, and turn russet-brown at the tip when in fruit. The peduncles and/or pedicels are curved, so that the flowers are held almost horizontally (at about 45° - 90° to the erect stem). The flowers have free tepals. The outer tepals are spatula-shaped, 21-32 mm long and spreading, with a clearly differentiated narrow basal claw. The claw and central stripe on the blade’s upper surface are white with lax to dense blue blotches, whereas the rest of the blade is blue to blue-purple with darker blotches. The erect inner tepals are 4.5-6 × 1-1.5 mm and are uniform light blue. The filaments are fused to form a 9-10 mm long, erect column. The anthers are 3-4 mm long with the upper surface appressed to each of the 3 style branches and the anther clasped by its inrolled margins. The style branches are 6-10 mm long with a central longitudinal furrow, and are divided into arms at the tip. The stigmatic surfaces are on the lateral crest of each style branch near the anther apex. The ovary is 7-10 × 2 -3 mm long. Details of the fruit and seeds are unknown.

Flowering has been observed in the rainy season in January at Chaunaca and March at El Palmar. 

Mastigostyla woodii (Image: Darwin Project 11-010)

Currently there is insufficient data to accurately assess the conservation status of Mastigostyla woodii. It is known from only two localities within a single province (Chuquisaca Province) of Bolivia. One of these places is within the protected zone of the Area Natural de Manejo Integrado (ANMI) El Palmar. Further fieldwork is needed to establish whether additional populations of M. woodii exist.

Pressed and dried specimens of Mastigostyla woodii are held in the Herbarium, one of the behind-the-scenes areas of Kew. Details, including images, of some of these can be seen on-line in the Herbarium Catalogue.

Search Kew's databases for more information on this species

Kew’s Lilioid & Alismatid Monocots Team

Darwin Initiative project to study plant endemism in the Inter-Andean valleys of Bolivia

Priority conservation areas in the Central Andean Valleys of Bolivia