Cardamine lojanensis Al-Shehbaz, Novon 7: 6. 1997. TYPE: Ecuador, Loja, Parque nacional Podocarpus, Cerro Toledo E of Yangana, wet paramo around radio station, 3400-3450 m, 4°24¢S, 76°6¢W, 26 Feb 1985, B. Øllgaard, S. Laegaard, K. Thomsen, K. Korning & T. Illum 58147 (holotype, AAU!).

            Herbs, perennial. Rhizomes tuberous, scaly, with persistent expanded petiolar bases of previous years. Stems 1 or 2, 15-40 cm, erect, somewhat striate, glabrous or sparsely puberulent. Basal leaves compound, with 13-23 leaflets; petiole 1.5-9 cm, 1-3´ as long as leaf rachis, distinctly expanded into a triangular, winged, persistent base becoming scalelike in subsequent seasons; rachis grooved, 0.7-4 cm; lateral leaflets petiolulate, ovate or ovate-oblong to lanceolate in outline, 2-9 ´ 1-7 mm, pinnatifid, laciniate, to incised, the segments incised to dentate, margin sparsely ciliate with minute trichomes 0.06-0.12 mm, apex acute; petiolule grooved, (0.5-)1-3 mm; cauline leaves 2-6, with 13-19 leaflets, similar in morphology to basal leaves, reduced in size and division of leaflets upward;p petiole 0.7-1.2 cm; leaflets short petiolulate to subsessile in uppermost leaves. Racemes basally bracteates, corymbose, elongated considerably in fruit; bracts adnate to pedicel; fruiting pedicels ascending, straight, glabrous, striate, lowermost 2-2.5 cm. Sepals oblong, 3-4 ´ 1.2-1.5 mm, slightly saccate, erect or suberect, caducous, glabrous; petals white, broadly obovate to suborbicular, 8-11 ´ 6-7 mm, abrubtly narrowed into a clawlike base to 1 mm, apex shallowly emarginate to subtruncate; filaments white, 3-5 mm; anthers oblong, ca. 1 mm. Fruits linear, 2.5-5 cm ´ ca. 2 mm; gynophore ca. 1 mm; style 3-4 mm. Seeds brown, oblong, ca. 2.4 ´ 1.2 mm.

Flowering: Nov-Feb.

Habitat: sandy rocky soil, wet paramo.

Elevation: 3150-3500 m

Distribution: Ecuador (Loja).