Monographs Details:
Authority:
1987. Opera Bot. 92: 110.
1987. Opera Bot. 92: 110.
Family:
Ericaceae
Ericaceae
Description:
Species Description - Terrestrial shrub ca. 1 m tall, but branches ± scrambling to 3 m long, glabrous throughout; stem terete, striate, drying reddish-brown. Leaves coriaceous, verticillate (3-5 leaves per node), ovate to lance-elliptic, 10-18 x 3.5-8 cm, base obtuse to rounded, apex long-acuminate; 7-9-plinerved, the inner nerves arising up to 4 cm above the base, midrib and lateral nerves impressed above and raised and conspicuous beneath, reticulate veinlets plane to slightly impressed above and plane to raised beneath; petiole terete, rugose, 4-8 mm long. Inflorescence axillary, solitary, racemose, up to ca. 25-flowered, entirely bathed in a translucent mucilage when in bud; rachis bluntly angled, glabrous but fimbriate, to 8 cm long; floral bract persistent, appressed, broadly imbricate (concealing the rachis, pedicel, and most of the flowers at anthesis), coriaceous, striate, ovate, obtuse, 13-18 x 10-13 mm, red to reddish-pink; pedicel cylindric-obconic, bluntly angled, fimbriate, ca. 2(-4) mm long; bracteoles basal, membranous, oblong-oblanceolate, rounded, mucronate, 5-6 mm long. Flowers with calyx 10-12 mm long, frimbriate, red; hypanthium ylindric, bluntly angled 4-5 mm long; limb cylindric-campanulate, 6-8 mm long; lobes oblong to narrowly ovate, acute, striate, 5-7 mm long, basally imbricate; sinuses acute; corolla cylindric-urceolate, broadest below the middle, bluntly angled, not conspicuously winged, ca. 11-12.5 x 6-7 mm when dry, lower 3/4 red, upper 1/4 pale yellowish-green, the lobes triangular, acute, ca. 1 mm long, pink to white; stamen 10, equal, ca. 8 mm long; filaments distinct, ca. 4 mm long, glandular-fimbriate dorsally at the connectives; anthers ca. 5.5 mm long; thecae ca. 4 mm long; tubules ca. 1.5 mm long; style 11-12 mm long. Fruit not seen.
Distribution and Ecology - Endemic to Ecuador; premontane to montane cloud forest at 1200-2400 m altitude.
Species Description - Terrestrial shrub ca. 1 m tall, but branches ± scrambling to 3 m long, glabrous throughout; stem terete, striate, drying reddish-brown. Leaves coriaceous, verticillate (3-5 leaves per node), ovate to lance-elliptic, 10-18 x 3.5-8 cm, base obtuse to rounded, apex long-acuminate; 7-9-plinerved, the inner nerves arising up to 4 cm above the base, midrib and lateral nerves impressed above and raised and conspicuous beneath, reticulate veinlets plane to slightly impressed above and plane to raised beneath; petiole terete, rugose, 4-8 mm long. Inflorescence axillary, solitary, racemose, up to ca. 25-flowered, entirely bathed in a translucent mucilage when in bud; rachis bluntly angled, glabrous but fimbriate, to 8 cm long; floral bract persistent, appressed, broadly imbricate (concealing the rachis, pedicel, and most of the flowers at anthesis), coriaceous, striate, ovate, obtuse, 13-18 x 10-13 mm, red to reddish-pink; pedicel cylindric-obconic, bluntly angled, fimbriate, ca. 2(-4) mm long; bracteoles basal, membranous, oblong-oblanceolate, rounded, mucronate, 5-6 mm long. Flowers with calyx 10-12 mm long, frimbriate, red; hypanthium ylindric, bluntly angled 4-5 mm long; limb cylindric-campanulate, 6-8 mm long; lobes oblong to narrowly ovate, acute, striate, 5-7 mm long, basally imbricate; sinuses acute; corolla cylindric-urceolate, broadest below the middle, bluntly angled, not conspicuously winged, ca. 11-12.5 x 6-7 mm when dry, lower 3/4 red, upper 1/4 pale yellowish-green, the lobes triangular, acute, ca. 1 mm long, pink to white; stamen 10, equal, ca. 8 mm long; filaments distinct, ca. 4 mm long, glandular-fimbriate dorsally at the connectives; anthers ca. 5.5 mm long; thecae ca. 4 mm long; tubules ca. 1.5 mm long; style 11-12 mm long. Fruit not seen.
Distribution and Ecology - Endemic to Ecuador; premontane to montane cloud forest at 1200-2400 m altitude.
Discussion:
Conservation Status: Rare and endangered.
Conservation Status: Rare and endangered.
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