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Family:

Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Biol. Cent.-Amer., Bot. 2: 272. 1881

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Description:

Description: Epiphytic or terrestrial shrub to 2 m tall, glabrous throughout; stem base ca. 3 cm in diam., stem and leaves often with odor of wintergreen; mature branches erect or pendant, terete or bluntly angled, smooth or rugose-striate; bark grayish- or reddish-brown. Leaves subsessile, amplexicaul, oval to suborbicular, (5-)8-16(-18) x (4-)5.5-15(-17) cm, basally deeply cordate with lobes rounded and usually imbricate, apically obtuse to broadly rounded, rarely notched or bluntly cuspidate; pinnately veined, midrib raised or impressed proximallly above, raised and conspicuous beneath, lateral nerves impressed or raised on both surfaces, arcuate-ascending but anastomosing to form a weak collective marginal nerve, veinlets slightly raised and obscure or conspicuous; petioles subterete, rugose, to 5 mm long and 3 mm diam. Inflorescence usually solitary but with as many as three rachises arising in the terminal axil, or rarely largest rachis once-branched at base, 8-80-flowered; rachis terete to bluntly angled, swollen at each floral node, (1.2-)2-9(-20) cm long and 1-2.5 mm in diam. at anthesis (increasing to 3 mm diam. after anthesis), pinkish-green at anthesis but later turning purplish; floral bracts coriaceous or membranaceous, flat or concave and then cucullate or oyster shell-shaped, ascending and often appressed to flowers at anthesis but spreading, perpendicular to, or appressed to rachis after anthesis, striate, smooth or becoming ribbed after drying, elliptic, ovate-lanceolate, obovate, or semiorbicular, 4-16(-20) x 5-10(-17) mm, basally narrowed and somewhat auriculate, apically acute or broadly rounded and then often splitting, dark pink to red, marginally scarious and glandular-fimbriate; pedicels cylindric, minutely striate or rugose, 0.5-9(-11) mm long and 0.5-1 mm in diam., pinkish-green at anthesis later turning purplish; bracteoles coriaceous or membranaceous, flat or concave and sometimes enveloping calyx, striate or smooth, oblong, lanceolate, spathulate or semiorbicular, 1-10 x (0.5-)1.5-10 mm, basally slightly auriculate, apically rounded or obtuse, marginally glandular-fimbriate, dark pink. Flowers: calyx 4-10 mm long; hypanthium hemispheric, smooth or minutely muricate, 1-3.5(-6.5) mm long and 2.5-6 mm in diam., nonapophysate or with a very narrow basal rim, purplish-green; limb cylindric or campanulate, 2.5-6.3 mm long, pale green; lobes reniform, broadly ovate, ovate-oblong, or oblong, imbricate, 1.5-5 x 1.5-4.5 mm, the tips flaring or erect at anthesis, connivent and tightly curling around base of style after anthesis, marginally glandular-fimbriate, whitish-green; sinuses acute; corolla cylindric or bottle-shaped and narrowed at throat, 6-12 mm long and 4-6.5 mm in diam. at widest part, completely white, or white at base grading to purplish-black in basal 1/4, then midsection green, and limb and lobes white; lobes oblong, obtuse, 2-2.5 mm long; stamens conspicuously unequal, 4.5-8.5 mm long; filaments with few scattered hairs distally, alternately 2-3 mm and 2.7-4.3 mm long; anthers alternately 2.5-7 mm and 2.2-6.5 mm long; thecae 0.6-4 mm long; style 6-9 mm long. Berry 9-13 mm in diam.

Distribution: Nicaragua southwards to Peru at elevations of 70-2100 m.

Type: Costa Rica. Without location, Endres 257 (holotype, K, photo DUKE, NY; isotype, W).

Key to Subspecies of Cavendishia complectens: 1. Floral bracts ascending at anthesis but spreading or perpendicular to rachis thereafter, membranaceous, smooth, the venation reticulate and inconspicuous; calyx lobes broadly ovate to reniform (rarely oblong), broader than long, smooth with venation immersed, the tips spreading at anthesis; Nicaragua to NW Colombia ........ subsp. complectens 1. Floral bracts tightly appressed to flowers, coriaceous, conspicuously striate, the venetion parallel and strongly raised on both surfaces; calyx lobes oblong to ovate-oblong, longer than broad, striate (at least within) with venation raised, the tips usually erect at anthesis; central Chocó and N Antioquia Depts., Colombia to Peru ..... subsp. striata