An unexpected record of the endemic species Polylepis albicans Pilger (Rosaceae) in Huancavelica, Peru, with notes on its conservation and complex geographic distribution pattern

Abstract

Polylepis albicans Pilger (Rosaceae) is restricted to the Cordillera Blanca in Ancash and La Libertad, northwestern Peru. Here, we report the occurrence of a new population of the species in Huancavelica, central Peru. We analyzed its morphology and compared samples of the new record with samples collected from the Cordillera Blanca, where the main populations of the species are concentrated. We discuss the complex patterns of the geographic distribution P. albicans and the implications for its conservation.