Pedraza-Peñalosa, Paola. 2010.
Ericaceae
Killipiella styphelioides A.C.Sm.
Species Description - Epiphytic shrubs. Young branchlets ridged, ± smooth, puberulous, the hairs eglandular, brown, the indumentum of the mature branches similar but glabrous or glabrate. Leaves 1–3 per cm, spirally arranged, diffuse or patent; petiole 2–3.5 mm long, glabrate, the hairs eglandular; lamina lanceolate, 2–4.4 × 0.5–0.9 cm, basally obtuse, marginally entire, apically ciliolate with eglandular hairs (especially in young leaves), apically acute, adaxially glabrous or glabrate with inconspicuous eglandular hairs over the midvein, abaxially glabrate with minute glandular hairs, the venation hyphodromous adaxially with the midvein impressed, abaxially with the secondary veins marked and parallel. Axillary solitary flowers; bracts 6–9, chartaceous, ovate, elliptic, or suborbicular, 1.6–8 ×1.2–4 mm, marginally ciliate with eglandular and glandular hairs, apically obtuse or acute, abaxially glabrous; pedicel 2–2.8 mm long, reduced and hidden by overlapping bracts, glabrate with eglandular and glandular hairs; differentiated apical bracteoles 2, distinct, chartaceous, enveloping to upper half of calyx lobes or entire calyx, covering 72–100% of calyx, ovate or elliptic, 6.3–9.5 × 3.5–4.5 mm, marginally ciliate with eglandular and glandular hairs, apically acute, the surface softly longitudinally striate (sometimes appearing smooth in liquid-preserved material), abaxially and adaxially glabrous. Flowers 4-merous. Calyx aestivation imbricate, campanulate, 8.5–10 mm long; tube terete, 2.2–3 mm long, abaxially glabrate with inconspicuous glandular hairs; limb 6–7 mm long, abaxially and adaxially glabrous; lobes oblong-lanceolate, 5.7–6 × 1.2–2.1 mm, marginally ciliate with eglandular and glandular hairs, apically acute; sinuses obscured by the overlapping bases of the imbricate lobes. Corolla white, thick-fleshy, bistratose, tubular (but lobes very deep and spreading perpendicularly), 9–12 mm long, 2 mm diam., 2 mm wide at throat, abaxially glabrate, with glandular hairs, adaxially glabrous; lobes 5–6.2 × 1– 1.2 mm, apically acute, adaxially smooth. Stamens 8, 9.5–11.5 mm long, exserted about half their length; filaments distinct or connate into a tube, not all the filaments connate to the same extent, straight, ± linear with parallel sides, 3–4 mm long, abaxially glabrous, adaxially inconspicuously glabrate; anthers distinct, papillae on both thecae and tubules but especially conspicuous on the tubules; thecae 2.4–2.5 mm long, with a prominent basal appendage; tubules 2, distinct, 4.7– 6.5 mm long, dehiscing introrsely by longitudinal slits, 1.5–2.5 mm long. Ovary 4–locular; style 11.2–13.2 mm long, exserted. Berry white, ± spherical, 4 mm diam., the persistent calyx lobes converging and overlapping, green; embryo color unknown.
Distribution and Ecology - This unusual species grows in Chocó and Antioquia, in the Colombian Western Cordillera (Fig. 38). It is rare and known from very few collections. It grows in the lowland rainforest as well as in the transitional zone to the premontane forest, at 50–1100(–1200) m, in forests or pastureland with remnant vegetation. Flowering in Apr, May, and Nov; fruiting in May.
Disterigma parallelinerve (Figs. 34F, 37) is easily recognized by its relatively long and narrow leaves with parallel secondary veins adaxially; solitary flowers with numerous overlapping bracts; imbricate calyx aestivation with the sinuses obscured by the overlapping bases of the lobes at anthesis; long, white, and tubular corollas with the lobes so deep and reflexed as to expose the stamens for half of their length; staminal filaments may be either distinct or connate; conspicuous papillae on both thecae and tubules; and white fruits with the persistent calyx lobes converging, overlapping, and forming a cone. See Table XI for a comparison with other morphologically similar species. When Smith (1943) described Killipiella styphelioides (Fig. 37), he could not find any similarities between it and other known Vaccinieae. Although he did not doubt its position within the inferior-ovaried Vaccinieae, Smith noted the superficial resemblance of K. styphelioides with some Epacridaceae (now Ericaceae, Styphelioideae, superior ovary taxa mostly from Australia); the leaves were similar to the leaves of some Styphelia (Fig. 39) and its flowers had the general aspect of those of Styphelia and Epacris. Without doubt, Smith was taken by the unusual appearance of this neotropical plant; other similarly looking neotropical species would not be discovered until much later. Smith suggested Disterigma as the possible closest relative of Killipiella but he failed to recognize many similarities that he then regarded as restricted to the new genus (i.e., conspicuous pulvinate nectary, foveolate seeds, papillae on both thecae and tubules, anthers with basal appendages). In his description, Smith did not mention the presence of an apical pair of differentiated bracteoles in K. styphelioides, the key character of the monophyletic Disterigma, neither did he mention that the staminal filaments of this species are either distinct or connate. Although he pointed out that most of the ovules in K. styphelioides were aborted and only 1–3 seeds were developed; however, the fruits I have studied had numerous fully developed seeds. Other differences with the original description provided by Smith are found in the inflorescences; Smith interpreted the solitary flowers of K. styphelioides as "consisting of a short rachis bearing several imbricate bracts and a terminal flower . . . being the actual pedicel reduced to an inconspicuous length." Smith saw the solitary flowers as a reduction of a racemose inflorescence; although this transformation by reduction applies to the inflorescences of other Ericaceae, I have found no evidence of such a process taking place in Disterigma (see introductory chapter). The flowers of D. parallelinerve are truly axillary and are subtended by a short pedicel that is obscured by the numerous imbricate bracts and bracteoles.
Colombia South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Chocó Colombia South America|
Specimen - 02152164, J. P. Folsom 10596, Disterigma parallelinerve Pedraza, Ericaceae (261.0), Magnoliophyta; South America, Colombia, Antioquia
Specimen - 02152166, J. L. Luteyn 10664, Disterigma parallelinerve Pedraza, Ericaceae (261.0), Magnoliophyta; South America, Colombia, Chocó
Specimen - 02152167, J. L. Luteyn 10684, Disterigma parallelinerve Pedraza, Ericaceae (261.0), Magnoliophyta; South America, Colombia, Chocó
Specimen - 02152165, J. L. Luteyn 7217, Disterigma parallelinerve Pedraza, Ericaceae (261.0), Magnoliophyta; South America, Colombia, Chocó
Specimen - 02152163, J. L. Luteyn 7234, Disterigma parallelinerve Pedraza, Ericaceae (261.0), Magnoliophyta; South America, Colombia, Chocó