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Family:

Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Gen. Pl. (Bentham & Hooker) 2: 570. 1876

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Common Names:

colmillo, quereme

Description:

Description: Epiphytic or terrestrial shrub to 1-2.5 m tall; stem base 1-5 cm in diam.; mature branches terete, striate, glabrous, reddish-brown; bark reddish-brown; twigs terete or more commonly bluntly angled, smooth or striate, glabrous, reddish-brown or tan. Leaves subcoriaceous, bullate, elliptic, lance-elliptic, or lanceolate, rarely ovate, (3.5-)6-11(-14) x (1-)1.5-4(-5) cm, basally acute or obtuse or rounded and short-atenuate, usually somewhat short-decurrent on petiole, apically acuminate or caudate-acuminate, nitid, glabrous; 5(-7)-lpinerved, midrib and lateral nerves deeply impressed above but raised and very conspicuous beneath, veinlets raised or impressed and very conspicuous above, plane or slightly raised and often obscure beneath; petioles terete or subterete, smooth, minutely striate or somewhat rugose, (3-)5-7(-9) mm long and 1-1.5 mm in diam., sparsely puberulous or glabrous when immature but glabrous at maturity. Inflorescence (8-)12-20(-25)-flowered; rachis subterete or bluntly angled, minutely striate, glabrous, 2-5(-6) cm long and 1-2 mm in diam., pinkish-green at anthesis but turning pale green or reddish; floral bracts smooth, conduplicate and slightly keeled, ascending with respect to rachis, oblong, elliptic, or lanceolate, 10-25 x 5-10 mm, glabrous, basally slightly clasping the rachis, apically acute, marginally glandular-fimbriate, pink or red; pedicels swollen distally, often coarsely striate or rugose, glabrous, (5-)8-16(-19) mm long (usually 8-11 mm at anthesis) and 0.5-1 mm in diam., pinkish-green at anthesis but turning pale green or red; bracteoles basal, lanceolate, oblong, or linear-lanceolate rarely ovate, 1-2.5(-5) x 0.5-1(-2) mm, apically acute or obtuse, marginally glandular-fimbriate, pink or red. Flowers: calyx often slightly stipitate at anthesis, glabrous, 2.5-5 mm long; hypanthium cylindric but pentagonal in cross-section with broad, blunt angles, smooth or rugose, 1.5-2 mm long, nonapophysate, green or pinkish-green at anthesis but turning green or red; limb cylindric, slightly spreading or campanulate, 2-3.5 mm long, orangish- to reddish-green at anthesis; lobes ovate or oblong, bluntly apiculate, 1-1.5 x 15-2 mm, connivent after anthesis, marginally thin lacerate-glandular, secreting a translucent filmy layer between lobes when in bud, orangish- or reddish-green; sinuses acute; corolla bottle-shaped and bluntly 5-angled when fresh, slightly constricted basally and narrowing to throat, glabrous, 7-11(-13) mm long and 3-6(-7) mm in diam. at widest point, tube whitish at constricted base then orange or reddish-orange through the middle half and with white limb and lobes, lobes ca. 1 mm long, slightly flaring but not reflexed at anthesis; stamens alternately 5.5-7.5 mm and 8-9.5 mm long; filaments alternately 1.5-2(-3.5) mm and (2.5-)3.5-5 mm long, the short ones glabrous, the long ones with short, stout trichomes distally; anthers alternately (4.5-)5.5-7.5 mm and (3.5-)5-6.5 mm long; thecae 1.5-3 mm long; style 8.5-11 mm long. Berry 7-11 mm in diam.

Distribution: Costa Rica to western Panama (Prov. Chiriquí) and in the Cordillera Occidental (Valle and Nariño Depts.) of Colombia, in rain forest and montane cloud forest, or disturbed areas along trails or roadsides, at elevations of 400-1830(-2350) m. It flowers and fruits sporadically throughout the year.

Local names: Costa Rica: colmillo (San José). Colombia: quereme (Valle).

Uses: Plants of this species are cultivated locally in Cauca and Valle Depts., Colombia, and are sold in markets in Cali (Valle Dept.). I have also been told by local residents (Colombia) that bouquets of flowering twigs are exchanged between young people as tokens of their affection. García-Barriga (1975) stated that in Valle Dept. a decoction is made from this species to remove the salicylic acid which is then taken or applied to relieve toothaches and rheumatism.

Type: Colombia. El Valle: Nr. Cali, Humboldt & Bonpland s.n. (lectotype: P, photo DUKE, NY, F neg. 38231; isolectotypes: B , n.v. but represented by ACS neg. 110, P).

Flora and Monograph Treatment(s):

Cavendishia quereme (Kunth) Benth. & Hook.f.: [Article] Luteyn, James L. 1983. Ericaceae--part I. Cavendishia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 35: 1-290.
Cavendishia quereme (Kunth) Benth. & Hook.f.: [Article] Luteyn, James L. 1976. A revision of the Mexican Central American species of Cavendishia (Vacciniaceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 28 (3): 1-138.