Taxon Details: Vaccinium pterocalyx Luteyn
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Family:

Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)
Scientific Name:

Vaccinium pterocalyx Luteyn
Primary Citation:

Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 112(4): 451, fig. 2 E-I. 1985
Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.
Description:

Description: Epiphytic shrub; stems angled by narrow decurrent wings arising from the base of each petiole and descending through four internodes to the axil of the fifth leaf, glabrous, striate, nitid, drying reddish-brown. Leaves very thick-coriaceous, narrowly ovate to ± elliptic, 10-17 x 3-10 cm, basally rounded or obtuse, apically acuminate, marginally entire and strongly revolute, glabrous but glandular-fimbriate beneath; 5-plinerved from near the base, midrib thickened and raised for the proximal 1-2 cm becoming distally thin and impressed above, conspicuously raised beneath, lateral nerves raised on both surfaces but inconspicuous beneath, veinlets riased but inconspicuous; petiole subterete, somewhat flattened abaxially, strongly rugose, glabrous, 8-15 x 4-6 mm. Inflorescence axillary, solitary, racemose, to 15-flowered; rachis subterete, densely short-hispid, 4-10 cm long; floral bracts persistent, linear to very narrowly ovate, 2.5-3 mm long, hispid; pedicels subterete, striate, 21-22 mm long, hispid; bracteoles subopposite, located about 1/3 up from the base, aristate, ca. 2 x 0.3 mm. Flowers with calyx articulate with the pedicel, hispid, ca. 4 mm long, winged throughout length below the sinuses, the wings ca. 1 mm wide and extending beyond the lobes; hypanthium subcylindric, ca. 1.5 mm long; limb cylindric, ca. 2 mm long including the lobes; lobes triangular, acute, ca. 0.75 mm long; sinuses obtuse; corolla cylindric, white when fresh, sparsely-pilose distally, ca. 5.3 mm long, the lobes triangular-ovate, obtuse, ca. 0.7 mm long; stamens 10, equal, ca. 4.5 mm long; filaments distinct, glabrous, ca. 1 mm long; anthers ca. 2.6 mm long including the tubules; thecae ca. 0.6 mm long; thecae granular onto the tubules; tubules dehiscing by terminal slightly flaring pores; style glabrous, ca. 4.8 mm long; ovary 5-locular; disc glabrous. Fruit not seen.

Distribution: Endemic to Venezuela (Sucre: Peninsula de Paria, Cerro de Humo) and known only from two collections.

Type: Venezuela. Sucre: Península de Paria, Dtto. Marino, Mpio. Irapa, Cerro de Humo or Terrón de Azucar, NW of Irapa, 21 Mar 1977 (fl), A. Fernández 3134 (holotype, F; isotype, MY).

Conservation status: Rare and endangered.

Flora and Monograph Treatment(s):

Vaccinium pterocalyx Luteyn: [Article] 1985. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club. 112(4): 451, fig. 2 E-I.