Monographs Details:
Authority:
Luteyn, James L. 1983. Ericaceae--part I. Cavendishia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 35: 1-290. (Published by NYBG Press)
Luteyn, James L. 1983. Ericaceae--part I. Cavendishia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 35: 1-290. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:
Ericaceae
Ericaceae
Synonyms:
Chupalon, Socratesia Klotzsch, Polyboea Klotzsch, Proclesia
Chupalon, Socratesia Klotzsch, Polyboea Klotzsch, Proclesia
Description:
Genus Description - Erect or sometimes lianoid, evergreen, epiphytic or terrestrial shrubs, rarely small trees; bark thin, cracking longitudinally; indumentum usually of simple trichomes. Leaves alternate, simple, estipulate, plinerved or pinnately veined, coriaceous when fresh, marginally entire and minutely or strongly revolute, usually bearing on both surfaces (at least when young) multicellular, reddish or blackish, slightly sunken glandular trichomes (fimbriae) to 0.2 mm long, these persistent or, if cauducous, leaf surface may appear punctate. Inflorescence axillary, usually solitary, racemose or paniculate, rarely subfasciculate or 1-flowered, encircled at base by a progression of bracts, the smallest minute and triangular, the largest conforming to the shape and size of the individual flora bracts, these inflorescence bracts being few to numerous, imbricate, coriaceous, smooth, muricate, or striate, marginally scarious and usually minutely glandular-fimbriate; rachis rarely pedunculate, usually broadest at base but sometimes at middle or distally; floral bracts solitary at base of pedicel, usually large and showy, sometimes caducous or persistent to fruit, appressed to spreading or reflexed, often glandular; pedicels cylindric, bibracteolate near the base to midway up the pedicel, rarely at distal tip; bracteoles chartaceous or coriaceous, articulate or very rarely continuous with pedicel, usually minute but sometimes as large as floral bracts, usually glandular. Flowers: calyx articulate with pedicel, constricted at base of limb; hypanthium basally rounded to apophysate, fused with ovary wall; limb erect or spreading, free from ovary wall, 5-lobed; lobes valvate in bud, separate or imbricate at anthesis, connivent to erect after anthesis, usually glandular; corolla tubular, usually carnose when fresh, 5-lobed; lobes valvate or conduplicate-valvate, usually flaring at anthesis; stamens 10, subequal or rarely unequal with each other, subequal with corolla or ½-1/3 as long; filaments ligulate, usually distinct but rarely connate (then usually only slightly coherent at extreme base at anthesis), alternately unequal; anthers alternately unequal, rarely subequal; thecae smooth or slightly granular; tubules about same width as thecae, equal in length to thecae or usually about twice as long, rarely 4-6 times longer than thecae; dehiscence by introrse, usually elongate clefts about half the tubule length, rarely by oblique subterminal pores 1/5-1/15the tubule length; ovary inferior, 5-locular, surmounted by a flat or cupuliform nectariferous disc; style filiform, straight or rarely sigmoid, usually subequal to corolla, usually glabrous; stigma minutely 5-lobed, truncate but often slightly flaring at anthesis. Fruit a juicy, usually sweet-tasting, many-seeded, spherical, dark blue-black, usually glabrous berry; seeds minute, 0.5-1 mm long, testa ruminate.
Genus Description - Erect or sometimes lianoid, evergreen, epiphytic or terrestrial shrubs, rarely small trees; bark thin, cracking longitudinally; indumentum usually of simple trichomes. Leaves alternate, simple, estipulate, plinerved or pinnately veined, coriaceous when fresh, marginally entire and minutely or strongly revolute, usually bearing on both surfaces (at least when young) multicellular, reddish or blackish, slightly sunken glandular trichomes (fimbriae) to 0.2 mm long, these persistent or, if cauducous, leaf surface may appear punctate. Inflorescence axillary, usually solitary, racemose or paniculate, rarely subfasciculate or 1-flowered, encircled at base by a progression of bracts, the smallest minute and triangular, the largest conforming to the shape and size of the individual flora bracts, these inflorescence bracts being few to numerous, imbricate, coriaceous, smooth, muricate, or striate, marginally scarious and usually minutely glandular-fimbriate; rachis rarely pedunculate, usually broadest at base but sometimes at middle or distally; floral bracts solitary at base of pedicel, usually large and showy, sometimes caducous or persistent to fruit, appressed to spreading or reflexed, often glandular; pedicels cylindric, bibracteolate near the base to midway up the pedicel, rarely at distal tip; bracteoles chartaceous or coriaceous, articulate or very rarely continuous with pedicel, usually minute but sometimes as large as floral bracts, usually glandular. Flowers: calyx articulate with pedicel, constricted at base of limb; hypanthium basally rounded to apophysate, fused with ovary wall; limb erect or spreading, free from ovary wall, 5-lobed; lobes valvate in bud, separate or imbricate at anthesis, connivent to erect after anthesis, usually glandular; corolla tubular, usually carnose when fresh, 5-lobed; lobes valvate or conduplicate-valvate, usually flaring at anthesis; stamens 10, subequal or rarely unequal with each other, subequal with corolla or ½-1/3 as long; filaments ligulate, usually distinct but rarely connate (then usually only slightly coherent at extreme base at anthesis), alternately unequal; anthers alternately unequal, rarely subequal; thecae smooth or slightly granular; tubules about same width as thecae, equal in length to thecae or usually about twice as long, rarely 4-6 times longer than thecae; dehiscence by introrse, usually elongate clefts about half the tubule length, rarely by oblique subterminal pores 1/5-1/15the tubule length; ovary inferior, 5-locular, surmounted by a flat or cupuliform nectariferous disc; style filiform, straight or rarely sigmoid, usually subequal to corolla, usually glabrous; stigma minutely 5-lobed, truncate but often slightly flaring at anthesis. Fruit a juicy, usually sweet-tasting, many-seeded, spherical, dark blue-black, usually glabrous berry; seeds minute, 0.5-1 mm long, testa ruminate.
Distribution: