A new species of Chalybea (Melastomataceae: Pyxidantheae) for Bolivia and comments on the ocurrence of Meriania franciscana (Melastomataceae: Merianieae)

We describe Chalybea boliviensis (Melastomataceae: Pyxidantheae), a new tree species from cloud forests in Bolivia and the twelfth species in the genus. This is the first species of Chalybea known from Bolivia and, remarkably, extends its range southward by almost 1,400 km. This novelty is described and illustrated, and photos of live plants are provided, along with a distribution map. We also include comments on the occurrence of Meriania franciscana in Bolivia, bringing the total of species of Meriania for the country to eight.