Monographs Details:
Family:
Ericaceae
Ericaceae
Description:
Species Description - Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub, erect or pendent, to 1 m tall, arising from lignotubers; stem terete, glabrous; twigs subterete, bluntly angled, densely puberulent. Leaves coriaceous, obovate or oblong, rarely elliptic, 1.5-4 x 1-2.5 cm, base cuneate, apex rounded, drying olive- or brownish-green, glabrous; 5(-7)-plinerved, midrib and lateral nerves raised on both surfaces and conspicuous, reticulate veinlets raised on both surfaces but obscure above; petiole subterete, 2-3 mm long, weakly puberulent to glabrate. Inflorescence with 1-2 flowers per axil; rachis none; floral bract and bracteoles (nearly basal) ovate to aristate, long-acuminate, ca. 0.8-1 mm long; pedicel terete, 1-2.2 mm long, glabrous to weakly puberulent with minutely gland-tipped hairs especially distally. Flowers 4-merous, with calyx seemingly articulate with pedicel, ca. 2.5-3 at anthesis and then quickly elongating to 4 mm long after corolla has fallen, glabrous or puberulent especially along wing margins, also provided with scattered glandular-fimbriae; hypanthium cylindric, strongly winged, ca. 1.5-2 mm long, the wings continuing beyond the margin of the limb as a short spur to 1 mm long or about equal to the tips of the calyx lobes; limb erect to campanulate, to 1 mm long; lobes triangular, acute, ca. 0.4 mm long; sinuses rounded; corolla tubular, 4-angled, 3-4 mm long, glabrous, bright red at anthesis, the lobes spreasding, triangular, ca. 0.5 mm long; stamen 8, ca. 2.6 mm long; filaments ca. 1.4 mm long, glabrous; anthers ca. 1.6 mm long; tubules completely fused into one, ca. 0.8 mm long, dehiscing by a single, oblique pore ca. 0.4 mm long; style ca. 2.5 mm long; nectariferous disc annular, succulent. Berry spherical, ca. 8-9 mm diam., glabrous, dark lavender-purple.
Distribution and Ecology - E Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador; known from only ca. 7 collections; premontane wet forest at 650-1400 m altitude. Cultivated ABG, NY.
Species Description - Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub, erect or pendent, to 1 m tall, arising from lignotubers; stem terete, glabrous; twigs subterete, bluntly angled, densely puberulent. Leaves coriaceous, obovate or oblong, rarely elliptic, 1.5-4 x 1-2.5 cm, base cuneate, apex rounded, drying olive- or brownish-green, glabrous; 5(-7)-plinerved, midrib and lateral nerves raised on both surfaces and conspicuous, reticulate veinlets raised on both surfaces but obscure above; petiole subterete, 2-3 mm long, weakly puberulent to glabrate. Inflorescence with 1-2 flowers per axil; rachis none; floral bract and bracteoles (nearly basal) ovate to aristate, long-acuminate, ca. 0.8-1 mm long; pedicel terete, 1-2.2 mm long, glabrous to weakly puberulent with minutely gland-tipped hairs especially distally. Flowers 4-merous, with calyx seemingly articulate with pedicel, ca. 2.5-3 at anthesis and then quickly elongating to 4 mm long after corolla has fallen, glabrous or puberulent especially along wing margins, also provided with scattered glandular-fimbriae; hypanthium cylindric, strongly winged, ca. 1.5-2 mm long, the wings continuing beyond the margin of the limb as a short spur to 1 mm long or about equal to the tips of the calyx lobes; limb erect to campanulate, to 1 mm long; lobes triangular, acute, ca. 0.4 mm long; sinuses rounded; corolla tubular, 4-angled, 3-4 mm long, glabrous, bright red at anthesis, the lobes spreasding, triangular, ca. 0.5 mm long; stamen 8, ca. 2.6 mm long; filaments ca. 1.4 mm long, glabrous; anthers ca. 1.6 mm long; tubules completely fused into one, ca. 0.8 mm long, dehiscing by a single, oblique pore ca. 0.4 mm long; style ca. 2.5 mm long; nectariferous disc annular, succulent. Berry spherical, ca. 8-9 mm diam., glabrous, dark lavender-purple.
Distribution and Ecology - E Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador; known from only ca. 7 collections; premontane wet forest at 650-1400 m altitude. Cultivated ABG, NY.
Discussion:
Uses: Medicinally for curing earaches in children (Tipaz et al. 1365). Conservation status: Rare and endangered.
Uses: Medicinally for curing earaches in children (Tipaz et al. 1365). Conservation status: Rare and endangered.
Common Names:
imdeill
imdeill
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