Authority:

Luteyn, James L., et al. 1995. Ericaceae, Part II. The Superior-Ovaried Genera (Monotropoideae, Pyroloideae, Rhododendroideae, and Vaccinioideae P.P.). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 66: 560. (Published by NYBG Press)

Family:

Ericaceae

Description:

Species Description - Shrub to 1 m tall; bark striate, glabrous or sometimes hispid, dark gray or gray and brown; twigs subterete, hispid, ferruginous. Leaves coriaceous, flat or slightly revolute, ovate, 1.65-3.9 × 0.9-2 cm, base obtuse or truncate, apex acute to obtuse, bluntly mucronate, margin entire (sparsely ciliate), both surfaces glabrous or sparsely hispid along midvein especially near the base; petiole slightly flattened in cross-section, 1-3.5 mm long, hispid. Inflorescence a terminal raceme, 8-19-flowered; rachis 3.5-7.6 cm long, 1.3-1.9 mm diam., hispid; pedicels 16.5-26 mm long, 0.5-1.1 mm diam., sparsely hispid (glabrous or tomentose); bracteoles inserted on basal 1/2 of pedicel, flat or often slightly involute, linear to narrowly ovate (elliptic), 2.2-3.6 × 0.81 mm, base truncate, apex acuminate, margin entire, both surfaces glabrous or slightly tomentose; floral bracts flat or slightly re volute, elliptic to narrowly ovate or narrowly obovate, 2.5-15.5 × 0.5-5.3 mm, base cuneate, apex acute to acuminate, margin entire (ciliate), both surfaces glabrous (midvein hispid). Flowers (6-)7(-8)-merous; calyx 4.7-5.3 mm long; tube 1.3-2.2 mm long, 4.2-4.7 mm diam., glabrous, dark red to maroon, lobes ovate to very widely ovate, apex obtuse to acute, margin entire (ciliolate), 2.6-4.3 × 2.4-3.8 mm, longest lobes 3-4.3 mm, abaxial surfaces glabrous; corolla campanulate or spreading, pink to light red (red-striped), petals narrowly obovate to spatulate, 24-37 × 5-10 mm, margin entire or distally ciliolate, slightly tomentose distally; stamens subequal to corolla, 21.5-35.5 mm long, filaments tomentose, anther 2.1-3 mm long, 0.9-1.4 mm diam., glabrous; ovary glabrous, style exserted, 30.5-42 mm long, stigma capitate. Capsules depressed obovoid, 5.5-6 mm long, ca. 9 mm diam., brown, exocarp not separating from the valves; seeds not seen.

Discussion:

Bejaria subsessilis is characterized by its ovate subsessile leaves and large spreading corollas. It combines the pink spreading corolla and the long pedicels and rachises typical of B. aestuans with the ovate subsessile leaves and obtuse leaf bases typical of B. resinosa. Other characters such as leaf length, calyx lobe length, and petal length are intermediate between the two (see Table III). The indications are that B. subsessilis arose as a hybrid between B. aestuans and B. resinosa. Such a hybrid population (apparently of more recent origin) has been found in southern Ecuador (Clemants & Luteyn 1678). It has a distorted tubular corolla, not a spreading corolla, and also has distorted pollen grains with only two of the four grains in the tetrad staining in cotton blue, the other two grains are small non-staining and apparently aborted (Fig. 8C-D).

Distribution:

Ecuador South America| Loja Ecuador South America|