Monographs Details:
Authority:
1987. Opera Bot. 92: 113.
1987. Opera Bot. 92: 113.
Family:
Ericaceae
Ericaceae
Description:
Species Description - Terrestrial shrub to 3 m tall, essentially glabrous throughout; stem terete, minutely striate, drying yellowish-brown, sometimes provided with caducous or persistent vegetative bracts which are oblong, striate, 17-40 mm long. Leaves coriaceous, verticillate (usually 3-5 per node), red and mucilaginous when flushing, ovate-elliptic, 12-20 x 4-9 cm, base obtuse to rounded, apex acuminate; 5-7-plinerved, the inner nerves sometimes arising up to 6 cm above the base, midrib and lateral nerves impressed above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets plane to impressed above and raised beneath, but inconspicuous; petiole terete, rugose, 7-10 mm long. Inflorescence axillary, solitary, racemose, up to 23-flowered; rachis angled, (5.5-)9-18 cm long; floral bract persistent, spreading, membranous, striate, oblong-lanceolate, 15-20 x 3-5 mm, pale yellowish-green; pedicel flattened, bluntly angled, 10-12 mm long, glandular-fimbriate; bracteoles basal, striate, oblong-lanceolate, acute, 2-4 mm long, the tip thickened. Flowers with calyx 9-15 mm long, orangish-red, fimbriate, rarely puberulent; hypanthium ± cylindric, broadly and bluntly 5-winged; limb cylindric, slightly spreading, ca. 6 mm long; lobes oblong-triangular, acute, ca. 4 mm long; sinuses acute; corolla cylindric-urceolate, narrowly 5-winged, ca. 8-11 mm long and 5 mm diam. when dry (ca. 8 mm diam. when fresh), bearing scattered glandular fimbriae, orangish-red in lower 2/3, yellowish-green in upper 1/3, the lobes spreading, deltate, acute, ca. 1.5 mm long, white; stamen 10, equal, ca. 8 mm long; filaments distinct, 3.5-5 mm long, weakly short-pilose ventrally; anthers ca. 5.5-6 mm long; thecae ca. 4 mm long, basally shortly mucronate and there coherent; tubules ca. 1.5-2 mm long, dehiscing by elongate clefts only a little shorter than the tubule; style ca. 9 mm long, glabrous. Berry ca. 10 mm diam.
Distribution and Ecology - Endemic to Ecuador and known only from two collections; premontane to montane cloud forest, at 1400-2320 m altitude.
Species Description - Terrestrial shrub to 3 m tall, essentially glabrous throughout; stem terete, minutely striate, drying yellowish-brown, sometimes provided with caducous or persistent vegetative bracts which are oblong, striate, 17-40 mm long. Leaves coriaceous, verticillate (usually 3-5 per node), red and mucilaginous when flushing, ovate-elliptic, 12-20 x 4-9 cm, base obtuse to rounded, apex acuminate; 5-7-plinerved, the inner nerves sometimes arising up to 6 cm above the base, midrib and lateral nerves impressed above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets plane to impressed above and raised beneath, but inconspicuous; petiole terete, rugose, 7-10 mm long. Inflorescence axillary, solitary, racemose, up to 23-flowered; rachis angled, (5.5-)9-18 cm long; floral bract persistent, spreading, membranous, striate, oblong-lanceolate, 15-20 x 3-5 mm, pale yellowish-green; pedicel flattened, bluntly angled, 10-12 mm long, glandular-fimbriate; bracteoles basal, striate, oblong-lanceolate, acute, 2-4 mm long, the tip thickened. Flowers with calyx 9-15 mm long, orangish-red, fimbriate, rarely puberulent; hypanthium ± cylindric, broadly and bluntly 5-winged; limb cylindric, slightly spreading, ca. 6 mm long; lobes oblong-triangular, acute, ca. 4 mm long; sinuses acute; corolla cylindric-urceolate, narrowly 5-winged, ca. 8-11 mm long and 5 mm diam. when dry (ca. 8 mm diam. when fresh), bearing scattered glandular fimbriae, orangish-red in lower 2/3, yellowish-green in upper 1/3, the lobes spreading, deltate, acute, ca. 1.5 mm long, white; stamen 10, equal, ca. 8 mm long; filaments distinct, 3.5-5 mm long, weakly short-pilose ventrally; anthers ca. 5.5-6 mm long; thecae ca. 4 mm long, basally shortly mucronate and there coherent; tubules ca. 1.5-2 mm long, dehiscing by elongate clefts only a little shorter than the tubule; style ca. 9 mm long, glabrous. Berry ca. 10 mm diam.
Distribution and Ecology - Endemic to Ecuador and known only from two collections; premontane to montane cloud forest, at 1400-2320 m altitude.
Discussion:
Locally common. Conservation Status Rare and endangered.
Locally common. Conservation Status Rare and endangered.