Taxonomic revision and phylogenetic insights of Peperomia subgenus Multipalmata from Central America

This dataset contains the phylogenetic data associated with the manuscript on the Multipalmata clade of Peperomia from Central America. The files include sequence alignments and phylogenetic trees used to infer evolutionary relationships among sampled taxa. Contents of the dataset: Sequence alignment Multipalmata_Central_America_alignment.txtMultiple sequence alignment used for phylogenetic analyses. Phylogenetic trees *.contree filesConsensus trees resulting from phylogenetic analyses conducted on the aligned dataset. These files represent different analytical runs and/or parameter settings used during tree inference. Abstract. Peperomia is among the most species-rich genera of angiosperms in the Neotropics. Nine of the 14 currently recognized subgenera of Peperomia include terrestrial members. Peperomia subgenus Multipalmata is one of these, characterized by its terrestrial habit forming a rosette, palmate venation with main veins sunken adaxially, simple inflorescences, and subglobose fruits. To date, no monograph, synopsis, or regional/national taxonomic treatment of the subgenus has been published. Here, based on fieldwork, herbarium specimens, and a phylogenetic study, we present the first regional taxonomic revision of Multipalmata, specifically for Costa Rica and Panama. Nine species are recognized, including Peperomia subrubescens as a new regional record, and two new species are described and illustrated: Peperomia gloriosa distinguished by its dark-green leaf blades, villous indument, and thick, fleshy, hollow, and curved red spadices, and Peperomia isthmensis distinguished by its glabrous stems, long-villous petioles and leaf blades and the absence of a dichotomously branched central primary vein. All nine species occur below 1600 m, mainly in moist forest habitats along small streams and rocky areas. A phylogenetic hypothesis based on Sanger sequencing data recovers the relationships of eight out of nine Multipalmata species from Costa Rica and Panama, forming a well-supported clade with three South American species. Peperomia aurorana, P. gymnophylla, P. hammelii, P. syringifolia, and P. trichomanoides previously listed under Multipalmata are excluded. We provide taxonomic descriptions, illustrations of the new species, photographic plates, a distribution map, Preliminary conservation assessment, notes on distribution and habitat, taxonomic comments, and a dichotomous key.