Two New Species of Chusquea (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae) from Venezuela and a Redescription of Chusquea purdieana

Chusquea purdieana is a previously poorly known species of woody bamboo (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae) from northern Colombia characterized by a scandent habit, a large number of leafy subsidiary branches per node, and narrow foliage leaf blades. A morphological analysis of similar collections from Venezuela and Colombia allowed us to distinguish two new species from the Venezuelan Andes, C. aurea and C. multiramea, based on a combination of vegetative and reproductive features. We here describe and illustrate the new species and we also provide a detailed redescription of C. purdieana, along with illustrations of its most diagnostic features. We report the occurrence of C. purdieana in Venezuela and document a broader range for the species in Colombia.