Taxon Details: Cavendishia oligantha A.C.Sm.
Taxon Profile:
The Plant List
International Plant Name Index
Tropicos
Catalogue of Life
Global Biodiversity Information Facility
JSTOR Types
JSTOR
BHL
Encyclopedia of Life
WikiSpecies
Google Scholar
PubMed
Morphbank
IUCN
National Center for Biotechnology Information
Barcode of Life
Multimedia:

Narratives:

Family:

Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)
Scientific Name:

Cavendishia oligantha A.C.Sm.
Primary Citation:

Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 28: 496. 1932
Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.
Type Specimens:

Specimen 1: Isotype -- J. J. Triana
Specimen 2: Holotype -- J. J. Triana
Description:

Description: Epiphytic shrub with stems to 2.5 m long; mature branches terete, smooth, glabrous, nitid, dark reddish-brown; twigs terete to subterete, slightly striate, glabrous, flesh-colored. Leaves subcoriaceous, elliptic, lance-elliptic, or ovate-elliptic, 7.5-14 x 2-5 cm, basally cuneate, subattenuate, or sometimes obtuse, apically short- to long-acuminate, rarely caudate-acuminate with acumen to 2 cm long, glabrous; 5(-7)-plinerved, somewhat bullate, midrib conspicuously thickened through proximal 1-2 cm otherwise impressed above, lateral nerves impressed above and raised beneath with the inner pair arising 1-2 cm above base, reticulate veinlets slightly raised on both surfaces; petiole terete, rugose, 5-10 mm long and 0.8-1.7 mm in diam., glabrous or puberulous and then glabrate. Inflorescence 5-13-flowered; rachis subterete or slightly angled, often flexuous, glabrous but glandular-fimbriate, 1-2.8 cm long and 0.7-1 mm in diam.; floral bracts caducous, oblong, obtuse, to 14 x 8 mm, glabrous but distal margins glandular-fimbriate, translucent pale green when fresh; pedicels subterete, striate, puberulent or glabrate, fimbriate, 3-7 mm long; bracteoles oblong or ovate, 0.5-1 mm long, glabrous, margins densely glandular-fimbriate. Flowers: calyx glabrous, 3-3.5 mm long; hypanthium cylindric, bluntly pentagonal when fresh but drying 5-angled, 1.5-2 mm long, basally truncate when fresh but drying slightly apophysate, glandular-fimbriate; limb erect or spreading, ca. 1.5 mm long; lobes triangular, acute, 0.5-0.7 mm long, somewhat connivent after anthesis, marginally glandular-fimbriate; sinuses narrowly obtuse; corolla subcylindric, widest below middle, glabrous, 7-8.5 mm long and 3-4 mm diam., when fresh white in the basal 3/4 and pink in the distal 1/4, lobes oblong-trianglular, obtuse, 1.5 mm long, relfexed and revolute at anthesis; stamens 5.3-5.6 mm long; filaments slightly connate at very base, marginally short-pilose, alternately ca. 1.3 mm and 2.3 mm long; anthers alternately ca. 4.6 mm and 3.3 long; thecae 1.2-1.5 mm long; style ca. 6.5 mm long;. Berry not seen.

Distribution: Endemic to Colombia, to the western slopes of the Cordillera Occidental (Nariño Dept.), where it occurs in moist forest and along forest edge, at elevations of 1050-2700 m. Flowering specimens have been collected in February and May. Rare and endangered.

Type: Colombia. Nariño: Nr. Tuquerres, 2700 m, May 1853 (fl), Triana 2675 (holotype: NY, photo NY neg. 9702; isotypes: BM, BR, fragment F ex G, FI, G, K, NY, P, U, W, photos F neg. 26617, NY neg. 9144).

Flora and Monograph Treatment(s):

Cavendishia oligantha A.C.Sm.: [Article] Luteyn, James L. 1983. Ericaceae--part I. Cavendishia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 35: 1-290.