Type. Colombia, Caquetá, Belen de los Andaquies, corredor resguardo La Cerinda, PNN Alto Fragua Indiguazi, etnia Embera Katio, 1°36'08.6"N, 75°51'49.1"W, 470 m elev., 03 Oct 2007, W. Trujillo et al. 905 (Holotype COAH, Isotype HUAZ). Diagnosis. Piper velae W. Trujillo & M. A. Jaram. can be distinguished from the related species P. holdridgeanum W.C. Burger by its elliptic leaves with cordulate leaf bases at all nodes, petioles 0.8–1.5 cm long, fruits cylindrical and pubescent vs. leaves cordate to elliptical with leaf bases that are rounded at fertile nodes and cordate at sterile nodes, petioles that are variable in size from 1–5 cm long, fruits rounded and glabrous in P. holdridgeanum. It can be separated from similar species P. cornifolium Kunth (1815 [1816]:52) because it has leaves pinnately nerved in the lower half of the blade and pubescent fruits vs. leaves pinnately nerved in the lower third of the blade and glabrous fruits in P. cornifolium. Description. Shrub up to 1.5 m tall. Internodes 2–8.5 cm long, smooth, green, tomentulose, idioblasts not evident. Prophylls 1.2–2 cm long whitish, tomentulose, caducous. Petioles variable along all axes; on monopodial axes 1–1.5 cm long, vaginate to 3/4 of the length, smooth, tomentulose; on sympodial axes 0.8–1.2 cm long, vaginate at the base, smooth, tomentulose. Leaf-blades coriaceous, drying black, uniform in shape and size along all axes, 6–7(11) × 12–15(19) cm, elliptic, symmetric, base cordulate, basal extension asymmetrical; leaf blade smooth, tomentulose on the abaxial surface and glabrous adaxially, eciliate; pinnately nerved from the lower half, 4–5 ascending nerves on each side, festooned brochidodromous, with spacing decreasing and angle increasing towards the base, tertiary veins percurrent; apex acuminate. Inflorescences and infructescence a solitary spike, terminal, erect; peduncle 0.8–1.5 cm long, tomentulose, green; rachis in flower not seen, rachis in fruit 6–8.5 cm long, fruits densely grouped along the rachis. Floral bracts cucullate, triangular from above, 0.15–0.25 × 0.3–0.4 mm, glabrous on the adaxial surface, margin fimbriate, not forming bands around the spike. Flowers with four stamens, filaments 0.2–0.4 mm long, anthers 0.2–0.3 × 0.15–0.25 mm, longitudinally dehiscent, dithecous, shorter than filament, with connective not protruding, glabrate, idioblasts not evident, colour not seen. Stigmas 3, on a short style. Fruits cylindrical, laterally compressed, green when alive and black to brown when dry, 0.8–1.2 × 1–1.3 mm, pubescent on the tip, partially immersed in the rachis, with stigmas persistent, 0.07–0.12 mm long, on a short style, 0.1–0.3 mm long. Seeds 0.4–0.6 × 0.9–1.1 mm, rectangular, laterally compressed, obtuse, black. Distribution and habitat. Piper velae occurs in the eastern slopes of the Andes, from 250–1,500 m in elevation, spreading from wet lowland to wet premontane forests. It occurs in the Colombian Departments of Caquetá, Meta, Cauca and Putumayo. In lowland forests, it occurs in dense terra firme forests. In premontane forests, it grows mostly on moderate slopes, sometimes occurring on steep slopes and rocky substrates. It is a shade-loving species, growing in the understorey and it is also found in forest gaps Phenology. Flowering specimens were collected in February, April, May, June, July and October. Fruiting specimens in January, April, June, July, September, October and December. Etymology. Piper velae is named in honour of Huber Fernando Vela, M.D., a social and environmental leader of Caquetá who was murdered in 2021. Dr Vela and sponsored Piper collections by WT during 2020. Huber Fernando was the leader of the Nature Reserve Romi Kumu, where 30 ha of forest were restored in 2020. The type specimen of P. velae occurs in the region that Dr Vela loved and helped conserve and restore Conservation status. This species is known from 41 specimen collections representing 12 subpopulations. It occurs in 18 locations threatened by deforestation. The extent of occurrence (EOO = 40,810 km2 , below the EOO to be considered Vulnerable, VU) and area of occupancy (AOO = 96 km2 ), suggest it is of Near Threatened [NT B1a+B2a]. Phylogenetic relationships. P. velae is sister to P. holdridgeanum and these form a clade sister to Macrostachys (Jaramillo et al. 2008). P. velae and P. holdridgeanum have sheathing petioles to ¾ of their length and tightly-arranged flowers. The marked foliar dimorphism between leaves on sterile (monopodial) and fertile (sympodial) nodes distinctive of P. holdridgeanum have obscured its relationships (Callejas-Posada 2020). Here, we present phylogenetic evidence for its placement sister to Macrostachys. Both species, P. velae and P. holdridgeanum require further study to understand their morphological affinities. Discussion. Piper velae can be confused with P. cornifolium, because of its cordulate leaf base; however, these taxa are distinguished, based on the leaf venation pattern and fruit pubescence (see Table 5). We also compare P. velae to closely-related P. holdridgeanum; further studies will help us corroborate this relationship and find morphological similarities