Pinguicula brendae (Lentibulariaceae) sp. nov., a carnivorous plant from a tropical montane cloud forest in Hidalgo, Mexico

A new species of Lentibulariaceae, Pinguicula brendae Rodríguez‐Ramírez, H.Shimai & A.R. Andrés‐Hernández, is described based on its unique morphological characteristics. This species is restricted to limestone rock walls in the San Bartolo Tutotepec municipality, central‐eastern Hidalgo, Mexico, where it inhabits a single locality on vertical, north‐facing limestone cliffs at approximately 1985 m a.s.l. Pinguicula brendae is morphologically similar to Pinguicula crassifolia but is distinguished by its compact, ruby‐colored overwintering rosettes (3–10 mm in diameter), with obovate‐oblong, cuneate at base summer foliage, and a violet‐brown, single‐flowered scape (38–60 mm tall) that is densely and entirely covered by non‐glandular trichomes. The corolla is distinctly bilabiate, ruby‐colored with a white throat and dense white trichomes, and the spur is violet‐gray, slightly curved downwards, and 8.6–10.5 mm long. Pinguicula brendae grows on calcareous Acrisols and Andosols, often amongst bryophytes and ferns. It exhibits a clear phenological shift, changing from ruby winter rosettes to ruby summer leaves (which are rarely green or yellowish‐green) and flowering from late February to early March. The species is provisionally assessed as ‘Critically Endangered' (CR A1a, B1a) because of its extremely limited distribution and small population of fewer than 250 mature individuals and ongoing anthropogenic threats. Details regarding its distribution, ecology, phenology, and a preliminary conservation evaluation are provided.