Monographs Details:
Authority:
1932. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 28: 364.
1932. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 28: 364.
Family:
Ericaceae
Ericaceae
Description:
Species Description - Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub, sometimes lianoid, with branches to 2 m long; stem terete, glabrous; twigs subterete, bluntly angled, striate or ribbed, nitid, glabrous; bark blackish-red, exfoliating. Leaves coriaceous, flat to bullate, ovate to elliptic-ovate, (2-)4-8(-11) x (1.3-)2.5-4.5(-6) cm, base rounded, broadly cuneate to subattenuate, rarely subcordate, apex bluntly acute, abruptly short-acuminate, or long-acuminate, margin entire and slightly recurved, glabrous but weakly glandular-fimbriate beneath; 5-7-plinerved from near the base, midrib thickened and raised in the proximal 1-2 cm then distally impressed above and raised beneath, lateral nerves impressed above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets plane to slightly raised or impressed above and plane or raised beneath; petiole subterete, carinate and narrowly winged above, rugose, 3-5 mm long, glabrous. Inflorescence axillary, subfasciculate, 4-15-flowered; rachis stout, less than 5 mm long; floral bract ovate, acute, ca. 1-1.5 mm long; pedicel subterete, striate to ribbed, 5-9 mm long; bracteoles near middle, similar to floral bract, usually bearing at base dorsally 1-2 small, circular, concave to callos-thickened, blackish, nectariferous glands. Flowers with calyx 3-6 mm long, glabrous; hypanthium obprismatic, narrowly winged to sinuses, 2-4 mm long and in diam., the base truncate, the wings not extending beyond the limb margin; limb campanulate-spreading, 1-2 mm long; lobes triangular to deltate, acute, to 1 mm long; sinuses rounded; corolla carnose, subcylindric, sharply 5-angled to narrowly winged, 14-20 mm long and 3-6 mm diam. when dry, glabrous without but sparsely white-tomentose at throat within, the lobes ovate-triangular, acute or obtuse, 1-3 mm long; stamen ca. 7-8 mm long; filaments loosely connate into a tube, ca. 2.5-4 mm long, glabrous; anthers ca. 5.2-6 mm long ; thecae ca. 3-4 mm long; tubules fused into one (septum sometimes visible), ca. 2 mm long, dehiscing by a cleft ca. 1.2-1.5 mm long; style slightly exserted, to 20 mm long, glabrous. Immature berry spherical, ca. 15 mm diam., translucent whitish-green.
Distribution and Ecology - Colombia and Ecuador; tropical moist forest, premontane wet and rainforest, to montane wet and rainforest at 350-2720 m altitude. Cultivated ABG, NCSC, NY.
Species Description - Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub, sometimes lianoid, with branches to 2 m long; stem terete, glabrous; twigs subterete, bluntly angled, striate or ribbed, nitid, glabrous; bark blackish-red, exfoliating. Leaves coriaceous, flat to bullate, ovate to elliptic-ovate, (2-)4-8(-11) x (1.3-)2.5-4.5(-6) cm, base rounded, broadly cuneate to subattenuate, rarely subcordate, apex bluntly acute, abruptly short-acuminate, or long-acuminate, margin entire and slightly recurved, glabrous but weakly glandular-fimbriate beneath; 5-7-plinerved from near the base, midrib thickened and raised in the proximal 1-2 cm then distally impressed above and raised beneath, lateral nerves impressed above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets plane to slightly raised or impressed above and plane or raised beneath; petiole subterete, carinate and narrowly winged above, rugose, 3-5 mm long, glabrous. Inflorescence axillary, subfasciculate, 4-15-flowered; rachis stout, less than 5 mm long; floral bract ovate, acute, ca. 1-1.5 mm long; pedicel subterete, striate to ribbed, 5-9 mm long; bracteoles near middle, similar to floral bract, usually bearing at base dorsally 1-2 small, circular, concave to callos-thickened, blackish, nectariferous glands. Flowers with calyx 3-6 mm long, glabrous; hypanthium obprismatic, narrowly winged to sinuses, 2-4 mm long and in diam., the base truncate, the wings not extending beyond the limb margin; limb campanulate-spreading, 1-2 mm long; lobes triangular to deltate, acute, to 1 mm long; sinuses rounded; corolla carnose, subcylindric, sharply 5-angled to narrowly winged, 14-20 mm long and 3-6 mm diam. when dry, glabrous without but sparsely white-tomentose at throat within, the lobes ovate-triangular, acute or obtuse, 1-3 mm long; stamen ca. 7-8 mm long; filaments loosely connate into a tube, ca. 2.5-4 mm long, glabrous; anthers ca. 5.2-6 mm long ; thecae ca. 3-4 mm long; tubules fused into one (septum sometimes visible), ca. 2 mm long, dehiscing by a cleft ca. 1.2-1.5 mm long; style slightly exserted, to 20 mm long, glabrous. Immature berry spherical, ca. 15 mm diam., translucent whitish-green.
Distribution and Ecology - Colombia and Ecuador; tropical moist forest, premontane wet and rainforest, to montane wet and rainforest at 350-2720 m altitude. Cultivated ABG, NCSC, NY.