Monographs Details – Ericaceae

Monographs Details:

Authority:

Luteyn, James L., et al. 1995. Ericaceae, Part II. The Superior-Ovaried Genera (Monotropoideae, Pyroloideae, Rhododendroideae, and Vaccinioideae P.P.). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 66: 560. (Published by NYBG Press)

Family:

Ericaceae

Scientific Name:

Bejaria aestuans Mutis ex L.

Synonyms:

Acunna oblonga Ruiz & Pav., Acunna lanceolata Ruiz & Pav., Bejaria glauca Bonpl., Bejaria coarctata Bonpl., Bejaria mexicana Benth., Bejaria hispida Poepp. & Endl., Bejaria laevis Benth., Bejaria discolor Benth., Bejaria glabra M.Martens & Galeotti, Bejaria floribunda M.Martens & Galeotti, Bejaria parviflora Benth., Jurgensenia mexicana Turcz., Bejaria pallens J.Rémy, Bejaria denticulata J.Rémy, Bejaria lindeniana Herincq, Bejaria drymifolia Linden ex Herincq, Bejaria decora Drake, Bejaria parvifolia Rusby, Bejaria ghiesbreghtiana Planch. ex B.Fedtsch. & Basil., Bejaria antioquiae B.Fedtsch. & Basil., Bejaria subserrata B.Fedtsch. & Basil., Bejaria boliviensis B.Fedtsch. & Basil., Bejaria glauca var. tomentella Mansf. & Sleumer, Bejaria glauca var. setosa Mansf. & Sleumer, Bejaria glauca var. glandulosa Mansf. & Sleumer, Heptacarpus salmonicolor Conz., Bejaria hintonii Camp, Bejaria guatemalensis Camp, Bejaria oblonga (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers., Bejaria lanceolata (Ruiz & Pav.) G.Don, Bejaria glauca var. coarctata (Bonpl.) Mansf. & Sleumer

Description:

Species Description - Shrub or tree 1 -15 m tall; bark smooth or fissured, glabrous, tomentose, hispid, or glandular-hispid, gray or dark brown; twigs subterete, glabrous, hispid, or glandular-hispid, gray or brown. Leaves coriaceous, flat, rarely re volute or longitudinally curled, elliptic to narrowly elliptic (narrowly ovate, narrowly obovate or ovate), (0.8-)1.5-8(-12.5) × (0.1 -)0.7-2.5(-3.2) cm, base cuneate (obtuse), apex obtuse or acute (retuse or acuminate), often mucronate, margin entire, ciliate, or glandular-ciliate (slightly crenate), both surfaces glabrous, tomentose, hispid, or glandular-hispid; petiole slightly flattened in cross-section, (1-)3-12 mm long, glabrous, tomentose, hispid, or glandular-hispid. Inflorescence terminal, axillary, or commonly both, racemose, 5-14(-25)-flowered; rachis (0.5-) 1.8-18 cm long and (0.7-)1-3.3 mm diam., glabrous, tomentose, hispid, or glandular-hispid; pedicels (3-)9-45 mm long and (0.4-)0.6-1.2 mm diam., indumentum as with the rachis; bracteoles usually inserted on the basal 1/2 of the pedicel, flat (revolute or involute), narrowly oblong, narrowly ovate, or narrowly elliptic, (0.8-)1.3-3.8(-5.2) × 0.2-1(-1.5) mm, base cuneate or truncate, apex acute to acuminate (obtuse), margin entire, ciliolate, ciliate, or glandular-ciliate, indumentum the same as the leaves; floral bracts flat or sometimes re volute, narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate or narrowly obovate, (0.9-)1.8-15(-30) × (0.4-)0.6-3.6(-8.4) mm, base cuneate or truncate, apex acute to obtuse (acuminate), margin entire, ciliolate, ciliate, or glandular-ciliate, indumentum the same as the leaves. Flowers (5-)7(-ll)-merous; calyx 2.6-6.1 mm long, tube 0.5-3 mm long, 2.5-5.6 mm diam., glabrous, tomentose, hispid, or glandular-hispid, brown, red, green, tan, or orangish-brown, lobes ovate to broadly ovate, apex obtuse to acute, often mucronate, margin entire, erose, dentate, ciliolate, ciliate, or glandular-ciliate, (0.8-)1.4-3.7(-4.6) × 1.2-3.5(-4.7) mm, longest lobes (0.9-)2.3-3.7(-4.6), abaxial surface glabrous, tomentose, hispid, or glandular-hispid; corolla campanulate or spreading (narrowly salveriform), pink to white, sometimes red, petals narrowly obovate (elliptic), (8.5-)12-27.5(-45) × 2.4-8.8 mm, margin entire or undulate, sometimes distally tomentose; stamens included to slightly exserted, (9-) 13-27 (-43) mm long (very rarely more than 1.2 times the length of the petals), filaments tomentose, very rarely glabrous, anther 1.2-2.9(-3.9) mm long, 0.5-1.6 (-2) mm diam., glabrous or proximally tomentose; ovary glabrous (pilose), style included to exserted, 6.7-39(-49.5) mm long, stigma capitate or 7-lobed. Capsule depressed obovoid, 4-8 mm long, 6.2-15 mm diam., brown, exocarp not separating from the valves; seeds 1.2-2 mm long, 0.3-0.6 mm diam.

Discussion:

The wood of Bejaria aestuans is used as fuel in México, Colombia, and Peru. Woytkowski 6570 (Junin, Peru) states "[The] best charcoal [comes] from roots, which are large and thick." In Venezuela the flowers are used to catch flies. Crushed leaves are used medicinally in Venezuela "to heal bone aches" (Luteyn et al. 5270). In Bolivia Mexia 4270 states "[the] fruit [when] eaten produces great discomfort and dizziness, but if [it is] used for some time, [the] person is greatly stimulated." The species is reported to be toxic to cattle in Peru (Junín and Huanuco).

Bejaria aestuans is the most widespread and variable species of Bejaria, and nearly half of all names in Bejaria are synonyms of it. Bejaria aestuans commonly has campanulate, pink flowers with short calyx lobes and elliptic, long-petioled leaves with obtuse apices. But exceptions to each of these characters can be found, making B. aestuans very difficult to characterize. It can best be recognized by a combination of the campanulate or spreading corollas with included stamens, short calyx lobes, and long-petioled leaves.

The pink, campanulate or spreading flowers of B. aestuans appear to be pollinated by bees; I have observed honey bees (Apis melifera) and an unidentified bee visiting Bejaria aestuans flowers in Ecuador and Venezuela.

Many of the species placed in synonymy here were based on characters such as vestiture and inflorescence type, which upon close examination are not consistent within populations or are not associated with geography or other morphological characters. Vestiture is the most obvious and the most abused character used to separate species. It has become painfully obvious that hair type and vestiture distribution cannot be used to characterize or distinguish Bejaria species. Within B. aestuans three hair types and many distribution patterns are found. In several instances I have observed different hair types on different individuals in the same population; for example, at Paramo La Negra, Venezuela, I collected individuals with tomentose leaf surfaces (Clemants & Dugarte 2437), hirsute leaf surfaces (Clemants & Dugarte 2438), and glandular-hirsute leaf surfaces (Clemants & Dugarte 2439). Similarly,

I have found no consistency in the distribution of the hairs on various organs, particularly on leaves; I have often found the distribution of hairs on leaves to be variable even within an individual.

Several species and even sections of the genus were based on differences in the inflorescence. Fedtschenko and Basilevskaja (1928) based their division of the genus on the difference between racemose and corymbose inflorescences. Although both racemose and corymbose inflorescences occur in B. aestuans, they are neither corelated with geography nor clearly distinguishable, so they cannot be used to separate species. The two inflorescence "types" are both simply variants of the same basic indeterminate inflorescence.

Although most previously recognized names can be easily put into synonymy once it is recognized that vestiture and inflorescence types are meaningless in this regard, two species, B. mexicana and B. laevis still appear distinct. Both entities are at the northern extreme of B. aestuans and both have some consistent character states which have led to their recognition.

Bejaria mexicana occurs along the Sierra Nevada Occidental from Durango to Oaxaca. It has larger white flowers and longer calyx lobes than typical B. aestuans. Although in its extreme form B. mexicana is apparently different from B. aestuans, intermediates can be found. Populations of B. mexicana from Durango and Sinaloa have shorter petals, and populations of B. aestuans from Oaxaca have larger petals and calyx lobes, approaching the sizes found in B. mexicana. Camp (1941a) suggested that the Oaxacan populations (known as B. discolor) represented a hybrid between B. mexicana and B. glauca (-B. aestuans). It would seem more appropriate to consider the Oaxacan populations as an intermediate stage in the evolution of the B. mexicana form from B. aestuans. I am not recognizing B. mexicana as a distinct species because there are no consistent characters to separate B. mexicana from B. aestuans.

Bejaria laevis occurs along the Sierra Nevada Oriental from San Luis Potosi to Oaxaca. It has longer, narrower leaves with more acuminate apices than typical B. aestuans. But in all other respects B. laevis, with its pink spreading corollas and short calyx lobes, fits easily into B. aestuans. I concur with Camp, who suggested that B. laevis is only a variant of B. glauca (= B. aestuans) (Camp, 1941a).

Bejaria mexicana and B. laevis might best be recognized as subspecies of B. aestuans, but because of the great variation in the B. aestuans complex I am reluctant to designate subspecies without more thorough study.

Common Names:

peosle, jara, flor de mayo, flor blanca, rosa del monte, madroño, coyopolin, madroño del agua, azajarillo, carbonero, encillo, carbón, guinda, clavelito, pegamoscos, pegajosa, pegajoso, rosa del Avila, paramito clavirosa, melote, meloso, rosa de los Andes, pega pega, pegosito, pegasita, meotero, curioito, pegasa, flor de María, azahar de angel, payama, laurel, Andean azalea, palo de acer, palo acero, rosa rosa

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