OBSERVATIONS. P. fulgens is abundant in some areas of the summits of the Cordillera de Nanguipa and adjacent areas, sharing its habitat with shrub and grassland vegetation. It is also present in higher localities where small patches of paramo are found. The clusters of shoots that are united by branched stems acquire a similar mass to those formed by species of the genus Deuterocohnia.
This species is identical to P. pseudoeryngioides, but its inflorescence is branched at the base (versus simple). P. fulgens can also be confused with P. eryngioides, but a simple look at the leaf margins shows spines up to 8 mm long (versus 2-3 mm long) and floral bracts with spines up to 5 mm long (versus 1 mm long).
Luther (2002) stated that the type of P. pseudoeryngioides has a simple inflorescence, differing from P. eryngioides and P. fulgens, which have branched inflorescences. The populations of P. fulgens in Ecuador have simple inflorescences on the smaller size plants and inflorescences branched at the base on larger plants. These lower branches are scarcely perceptible and have 2 to 3 flowers.
One of the characteristics that relates P. fulgens with P. pseudoeryngioides is the brown-castaneous band between the leaf sheath and the leaf blade, nonexistent in P. eryngioides. In our opinion P. pseudoeryngioides and P. fulgens could be the same species, especially considering that both are from the region of Molinapampa, Amazon, Peru; however, I could not review the types. The differences are seen in the sepals: in P. fulgens of the apex the sepals is obtuse while that of P.. pseudoeryngioides is acute. The Ecuadorian populations of P. fulgens have sepals with acute apices; for that reason they are more closely related to P. pseudoeryngioides. For the moment, in the present flora, they are considered separate species until a precise diagnosis can be made based on the type collections of these three species close in appearances: P. fulgens, P. pseudoeryngioides and P. eryngioides.
