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
Synonyms:

Thibaudia alnifolia Dunal, Proclesia alnifolia (Dunal) Klotzsch, Chupalon alnifolium (Dunal) Kuntze, Cavendishia alnifolia (Dunal) Hoerold
Description:

Species Description - Erect shrub (0.3-)l-2.5(-4) m tall; fresh stems, leaves, and fruits with strong odor of wintergreen when crushed; mature stems terete, ± smooth, glabrous or deciduously strigose, dark brick-red when fresh; bark thin, grayish, exfoliating in thin strips; twigs subterete, often ribbed or complanate, striate, often bright red when fresh, provided with scattered, minute (ca. 0.2 mm long), dark red or black, glandular-tipped setae, or white puberulent and also strigose with stiff, straight, appressed, basally swollen, eglandular, stramineous hairs to 2 mm long; buds ovate, slightly flattened, scales numerous, striate, surface glabrous but densely ciliate. Leaves coriaceous, nitid, obovate to obovate-elliptic, (2.5-)3.5-5(-9) × (1.5-)2.5-3.5(-5.5) cm, base broadly to narrowly cuneate, attenuate and decurrent onto petiole (or rounded but still attenuate), apex rounded to obtuse (emarginate), apex itself bluntly callose-mucronate, margin bluntly serrate with each tooth terminating in a short (ca. 0.1 mm long), gland-tipped hair, both surfaces superficially glabrous but bearing along the veins (especially densely beneath) glandular setae like those of twigs, these often deciduous and then leaving dark-colored punctae (also weakly strigose as on twigs along nerves beneath and then glabrate); midrib and lateral nerves (3-4 per side) plane to slightly impressed but not conspicuous above, raised and conspicuous beneath, reticulate veinlets plane, slightly impressed or slightly raised but inconspicuous above, raised and very conspicuous beneath; petiole subterete, rugose, flattened (puberulent above) glandular-setose as on twigs beneath (strigose beneath), 2.5-5(-8) mm long, inflorescences clustered at branch tips, axillary, racemose, (10-) 15-20-flowered; rachis subterete, ribbed and bluntly angled, (3-)5-7(-8.5) cm long, surrounded at base by a series of ca. 10-12, imbricate, ovate to elliptic, obtuse, striate, glabrous, ciliate bracts to 6 mm long, densely white puberulent and also scattered or densely glandular-setose as on twigs, also densely strigose with straight to crisped hairs as on twigs but to 1 mm long; pedicels subterete, 7-10 mm long, puberulent and glandular-setose as on twigs (strigose as on rachis); bracteoles nearly basal, membranous, linear-ovate, often aristate, or obovate, (2-)3.5-4.5 × 0.5-1.2(-2) mm, ciliolate, glabrous or often short-pilose within or glandular-setose without as on twigs; floral bract usually deciduous by anthesis, membranous, ovate to elliptic-ovate, 4-7 × 2-5 mm, ciliate, acute to obtuse, often short-pilose distally within or glandular-setose without as on twigs. Flowers conspicuously nodding at anthesis; calyx 3.5-4.5 mm long, lobes ovate, (2-)3-4 × 1.5-2 mm, acute, densely ciliate, usually glabrous without (glandular-setose, or strigose), densely short-pilose distally within; corolla urceolate to cylindric-urceolate, bluntly 5-angled, 4-6(-8) × 3.55 mm, glabrous (strigose along angles), white when fresh, lobes ovate, ca. 1 mm long, obtuse; stamens 3.2-4.5 mm long; filaments 2.3-3 mm long, sparsely to densely short-pilose; anthers 1.3-1.4 mm long, awns conspicuous; ovary densely short-pilose; style 3-3.5(-5) mm long, glabrous. Fruiting calyx 6-8 mm diam., glabrous (or strigose), blue-black.

Distribution:

Venezuela South America| Colombia South America|

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