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Family:

Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Brittonia 1(4): 211. 1933

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Description:

Description: Terrestrial or rarely epiphytic shrubs with branches mostly pendent to ca. 1 m long; stems terete, striate to ribbed, glabrous; twigs terete to subterete, sometimes complanate and angled, sometimes flexuous, striate, glabrous. Leaves ovate to elliptic, (2.6-)3-7(-8.5) x (1.6-)2.5-3.5 cm, base rounded, sometimes broadly cuneate and obtuse, apex shortly and usually bluntly acuminate, sometimes sharply (long-)acuminate, margin flat, lamina glabrous on both surfaces but often with minute and appressed glandular hairs beneath; 3-5-plinerved from at or near base, midrib slightly impressed above and raised beneath, rarely slightly thickened and plane in proximal 8 mm then impressed distally above, lateral nerves slightly impressed to slightly raised above and raised beneath, tertiary veinlets mostly obscure but often slightly raised above; petiole terete, sometimes ribbed, 2-4 mm long, glabrous. Inflorescences axillary, flowers solitary or in fascicles of 2, not exceeding subtending leaves and usually slightly hidden by them, usually all parts glabrous (rarely calyx, corolla, and pedicel short-pilose in specimens from Imbabura and Carchi provinces); floral bract 1, deltate, obtuse, ca. 0.3 mm long; pedicel subterete, striate, 15-25(-33) mm long, sparsely glandular pubescent; bracteoles 2, nearly basal to proximal 1/3 of pedicel, subopposite to opposite, narrowly ovate, 0.2-0.8 mm long, ciliate with glandular hairs. Flowers 4-merous, diplostemonous; calyx (2.5-)3.5-5 mm long, glabrous; tube obconic, sometimes narrowly, terete to ribbed, (1.5-)2-3 mm long, often with minute glandular hairs without; limb suberect to campanulate, 1-2 mm long; lobes apiculate, 0.5-0.8 mm long; sinuses broadly rounded; corolla tubular, broadened above middle, constricted at throat, sometimes bluntly angled, 17-23 mm long and ca. 6-8 mm diam. near apex, red, the lobes strongly reflexed exposing stamen tips at anthesis, oblong-deltate, acute, 1.5-3 mm long; stamens 8, equal in length, shortly exserted at anthesis, ca. 16-21 mm long; filaments alternately slightly unequal, 9-15 mm long, glabrous (rarely weakly pilose); anthers ca. 4-7.5 mm long; thecae ca. 1.5-3 mm long, the base straight, without basal appendage, smooth; tubules ca. 2.5-5 mm long, dehiscing by oblique pores or short clefts; style slightly exserted. Berry spherical, ca. 6-8 mm diam., pale lavender-blue, glabrous; embryo color unknown.

Type: Ecuador. Cotopaxi: Forest near Tigua, August 1895 (fl), Sodiro 92/32 [holotype B destroyed (photo F neg. 4724); lectotype (designated by Luteyn 1996) NY! fragment ex B].

Distribution: Only found in a small area of southwestern Colombia and northwestern Ecuador; from premontane to montane cloud forest, at 1300–3129 m.

Updates and other relevant taxonomic sources: Description updated on Jan 2013. For generic synopsis, keys, and evaluation of conservation status see Phytotaxa.