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Family:

Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Fl. Ecuador 54: 335. 1996

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Description:

Description: Repent, caespitose shrub, often the flowers hidden within mossy ground layer; stem trailing, terete, striate, glabrous; twigs subterete, striate, nitid, glabrous, the internodes often provided with scattered, papyraceous, lanceolate, bracts, ca. 2 mm long. Leaves bright red when young, becoming dark green, thick-coriaceous, succulent when fresh, brittle, elliptic, broadly ovate to suborbicular, (3-)3.5-7.5 x 2.5-6 cm, base rounded or broadly cuneate, apex subacute, rarely subrotund, margin thickened and slightly recurved, glabrous but with scattered, inconspicuously immersed glandular fimbriae on both surfaces; 3-5-plinerved from the base, midrib slightly raised on both surfaces but inconspicuous beneath, lateral nerves plane to slightly raised above but obscure beneath, reticulate veinlets impressed or slightly raised but obscure on both surfaces; petiole subterete, pulvinate, stout, strongly rugose, 2-5 mm long and 4-6 mm diam., glabrous. Inflorescence axillary, flowers usually solitary on old wood or in axils of last year's leaves but rarely subfasciculate with 3 flowers, surrounded by a series of oblong-ovate, obtuse, glabrous bracts to ca. 1 mm long; floral bract ovate, obtuse, ca. 1.5 mm long, glabrous; pedicel curved, normally 4-8 mm long but sometimes elongating to 16-17 mm when stems covered by moss layer, weakly short-pilose with white hairs to 0.8 mm long; bracteoles nearly basal, subopposite, minute, ca. 0.6 mm long. Flowers with calyx 4-5.5 mm long, short-pilose; hypanthium cupuliform, 2-3 mm long, densely short-pilose; limb suberect, 1.5-3 mm long, moderately to weakly short-pilose; lobes narrowly triangular to deltate, acuminate to acute, 1.5-2.6 x 1.5-2 mm; sinuses rounded to subacute; corolla cylindric, (17-)20-23 mm long and 5-8 mm diam., moderately short-pilose, red, the lobes oblong-deltate, obtuse to acute, 3-4 mm long; stamen equalling corolla; filaments distinct, glabrous, ca. 3 mm long; thecae smooth, 5-6 mm long, base obtuse; tubules thin, 15-18 mm long, dehiscing through truncate, slightly flaring terminal or subterminal pores; style equalling corolla or shortly exserted; nectariferous disc annular-pulvinate, glabrous. Berry not seen.

Distribution: Endemic to S Ecuador; montane forest to subpáramo scrub, at 2450-3050 m altitude.

Type: Ecuador. Loja: Crest of Cordillera de Zamora, E of Loja, 3050 m, 2 Jul 1944 (fl), Camp E-88 (holotype: NY, photo NY neg. 10117; isotypes: F, K, US).

Conservation status: Rare and endangered.

Flora and Monograph Treatment(s):

Oreanthes hypogaeus (A.C.Sm.) Luteyn: [Article] 1996. Fl. Ecuador. 54: 335.