<i>DE MACROCARPAEAE GRISEBACH (EX GENTIANACEIS) SPECIEBUS NOVIS III</i>: SIX NEW SPECIES OF MOON-GENTIANS (<i>MACROCARPAEA</i>, GENTIANACEAE: HELIEAE) FROM PARQUE NACIONAL PODOCARPUS, ECUADOR

In preparation for the <i>Flora Neotropica</i> monograph of <i>Macrocarpaea</i> (Gentianaceae: Helieae) and recent fieldwork in Ecuador, six new species have been identified and are here described from Parque Nacional Podocarpus and its surrounding areas in Loja and Zamora-Chinchipe provinces. These are <i>Macrocarpaea apparata</i>, <i>M. bubops</i>, <i>M. jensii</i>, <i>M. lenae</i>, <i>M. luna-gentiana</i>, and <i>M. noctiluca</i>. For each new species, descriptions, illustrations, and ecological information are provided. The neotropical montane genus <i>Macrocarpaea</i> has among the highest biodiversity in Ecuador with over 30 species present. The name “moon-gentian” or “genciana de luna” is coined as the common name for the genus <i>Macrocarpaea</i>.