A new species of (Melastomataceae): first record of the genus for Colombia.

(Melastomataceae) is a Neotropical genus nearly restricted to southeastern Brazil, and the Guiana Shield in Venezuela, with a few species in some places in the Andes of Bolivia and Peru. A new species of endemic to the mountains of eastern Andes of Colombia is described and illustrated. Its affinities with other morphologically similar species from Venezuela are also documented.