Thibaudia gunnarii Luteyn
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Authority
1996. Fl. Ecuador. 54: 311.
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Family
Ericaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type: Ecuador. Los Ríos: Hacienda Clementina, 750 m, 18 Mar 1947 (fl), Harling 481 (holotype, S, photo NY neg. 13036; isotypes, L, NY).
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Description
Species Description - Terrestrial or epiphytic and lianoid shrub; stem subterete, bluntly angled, striate, glabrous; twigs subterete, complanate, bluntly angled, nitid, glabrous; bud scales narrowly ovate, long-acuminate, ca. 4 mm long. Leaves coriaceous, elliptic to ovate- or oblong-elliptic, 15-25 x 4.5-8 cm, base rounded or obtuse, apex short- to long-acuminate, margin entire, revolute at very base, glabrous on both surfaces but with abundant, appressed, tiny glandular fimbriae beneath to 0.3 mm long; 5-plinerved at or near the base then with all nerves joined up to proximal 1 cm, midrib slightly raised proximally then becoming plane to impressed distally above, raised and conspicuous beneath, lateral nerves plane to impressed above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised on both surfaces but inconspicuous; petiole terete, rugose, 4-6 mm long, puberulent, glabrate. Inflorescence axillary, solitary or several from one axil, racemose, to 21-flowered, on older portions of stem after the leaves have fallen, surrounded at the base by a series of oblong, rounded bracts to ca. 2 x 2 mm; rachis bluntly or sharply angled, ca. 4 cm long, puberulent and also with scattered (apparently) microscopically-branched, whitish setae ca. 0.4 mm long; floral bract ovate, acuminate, 1-2 mm long and broad, dorsally short-pilose, marginally glandular-fimbriate; pedicel subterete, angled to ribbed, 10-18 mm long, puberulent; bracteoles located at or just below middle of pedicel, similar to floral bract but ca. 1 x 1 mm long and broad. Flowers with calyx articulate, pubescent as the rachis, 3-4 mm long; hypanthium cylindric-campanulate, terete to bluntly angled, rugose, ca. 2 mm long; limb campanulate, 1-1.5 mm long; lobes deltate, acute, 0.5-1.2 mm long; sinuses rounded; corolla cylindric, 9-10.5 mm long and 3-4 mm diam., upper half puberulent and setose as the rachis, white to pink, the lobes triangular, acute, ca. 1 mm long; stamens 7.5-8 mm long; filaments connate into a tube ca. 3 mm long, glabrous; anthers ca. 5.5 mm long; thecae ca. 2.5 mm long; tubules ca. 3 mm long, dehiscing by clefts ca. 1.5 mm long. Berry not seen.
Distribution and Ecology - Endemic to Ecuador and known only from 4 collections; primary rainforest to premontane cloud forest at 750-1300 m altitude.
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Discussion
Conservation status: Rare and endangered.