Circunscripción taxonómica de Puya bicolor (Bromeliaceae: Puyoideae) y descripción de dos especies estrechamente relacionadas

Abstract

Puya is a key component of high Andean ecosystems in northern South America and is especially diverse in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. However, its taxonomic understanding still requires clarification. While revising Puya for Colombia’s Cundinamarca department, it became evident that the taxonomic diagnosis of P. bicolor required clarification, needed to be redefined, and its possible cryptic diversity should be explored. Through fieldwork, examination of herbarium specimens, and detailed morphological analyses, a clear circumscription for P. bicolor is presented, and two new species are described. For each species, morphological descriptions, taxonomic comments, information on habitat and geographic distribution are included, along with illustrations, photographs, and conservation status. This work resolves historical taxonomic ambiguities, contributes to the understanding of Neotropical biodiversity, and highlights the urgency of conserving high Andean ecosystems, critical habitats for endemic species.