Ceratostema reginaldii (Sleumer) A.C.Sm.
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Authority
Smith, Albert C. 1952. Plants collected in Ecuador by W. H. camp. Vaceiniaceae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 8 (1): 41-85.
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Family
Ericaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Distribution and Ecology - Azuay: The eastern Cordillera, 1-8 km. north of the village of Sevilla de Oro, 8,000-9,000 ft. elev., Camp E-4342, E-4619. "Oriented Border, Paramo del Castillo and surrounding forested areas (crest of the eastern cordillera on the trail between Sevilla de Oro and Mendez), 9,000-11,000 ft. elev., Camp E-722, E-485L Loja: "Oriente" Border, crest of the Cordillera de Zamora, east of Loja, ca. 10,000 ft. elev., Camp E-108. Santiago-Zamora: Eastern slope of the cordillera, valley of the Rios Negro and Chupianza (on the trail from Sevilla de Oro to Mendez), Tambo Chontal to Tambo Consuelo, 5,700-8,000 ft. elev., Camp E-1579.
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Discussion
Periclesia reginaldii Sleumer, Bot. Jahrb. 71: 400. 1941.Ceratostema macrantbum A. C. Smith, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 29: 361. 1950.
Field notes indicate that the species is diverse in habit, being a climbing vine.(sometimes epiphytic), an erect or spreading shrub, or a tree up to 6 m. high; the leaves are deep green and shining above, paler and dull beneath; the inflorescence parts are deep crimson to red, the corolla being somewhat paler within and sometimes with salmon-pink lobes; the fruit is green or pale yellowish and is noted as being eaten by birds.
In recently proposing the new species C. macrantbum I failed to consider the description of Periclesia reginaldii, of which type material is not available to me. However, a careful perusal of Sleumer's description indicates that the two species are identical. Sleumer referred his plant to Periclesia because of the connate filaments; these are, even in the type of C. macrantbum and especially in some of the Camp specimens cited above, firmly coherent in young flowers, becoming at length essentially free. The type of C. reginaldii is R. Espinosa 785, collected near Loja.
The six collections cited above form a remarkable accretion to the known material of the species, which, as might be expected, proves more variable than indicated in the two previous descriptions. The following emendations should be noted. All of the Camp collections prove to have a much more fugacious indument than described for C. macranthum, or, indeed, they are essentially glabrous throughout. The leaves and inflorescence parts (including calyx and corolla) are in the present series glabrous at anthesis, or the calyx-limb may be pubetnlent only within. As to leaf-shape, nos. 108, 4342, and 4851 are very similar to Steyermark 54311, the type of C. jnacranthum. Numbers 722 and 4619 have leaf-blades more or less ovate and rounded at base, attaining dimensions of 12 x 8 cm. The inflorescence, in the Camp series, sometimes has as many as 15 flowers (although fewer usually develop) and a rachis up to 22 cm. long. The pedicel-length is very variable, sometimes 15-75 mm. on the same specimen (e, g. no. 722). Slight extensions of floral dimensions may be noted as follows: Calyx sometimes as short as 30 mm. (25 mm. on no. 1579) at anthesis, with lobes rarely as short as 10 mm.; corolla up to 55 mm. in length, with lobes up to 25 mm., these sometimes partially fused into 3 or 4 instead of 5; anthers up to 45 mm. (or perhaps more) in length, with thecae up to 20 mm. The most extreme specimen of those cited is no. 1579, which has the leaf-blades nearly lanceolate, 6-7 x 2-3 cm. (i. e. much narrower than usual), and the calyx in young fruit comparatively short.
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Distribution
Azuay: The eastern Cordillera, 1-8 km. north of the village of Sevilla de Oro, 8,000-9,000 ft. elev., Camp E-4342, E-4619. "Oriented Border, Paramo del Castillo and surrounding forested areas (crest of the eastern cordillera on the trail between Sevilla de Oro and Mendez), 9,000-11,000 ft. elev., Camp E-722, E-485L Loja: "Oriente" Border, crest of the Cordillera de Zamora, east of Loja, ca. 10,000 ft. elev., Camp E-108. Santiago-Zamora: Eastern slope of the cordillera, valley of the Rios Negro a
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