Sertulum Ternstroemiacearum I. Sinopsis del género Freziera (Ternstroemiaceae) en Venezuela, incluyendo una especie nueva de la Cordillera de Mérida

The genus Freziera Willd. is distributed in Venezuela along major mountain systems, including Los Andes, Coastal Cordillera, and Guayana Shield. Two out of 11 Freziera species known from Venezuela are endemic to this country and could be endangered, but their actual conservation status is unknown, being Data Deficient according to the criteria of the IUCN. In this work, a key for the Venezuelan species is provided for the first time, and Freziera polita A.L.Weitzman ex J.R. Grande, sp. nov., from Cordillera de Mérida, is described and illustrated. Diagnostic characters of the new species, which is most closely similar to F. Guaramacalana D.Santam. & Cuello, include elongated petioles, subglabrous mature leaves, and corollas (at anthesis) that are exerted less than half the length of sepals.