Cavendishia revoluta Luteyn

  • Authority

    Luteyn, James L. 1983. Ericaceae--part I. Cavendishia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 35: 1-290. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Ericaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Cavendishia revoluta Luteyn

  • Type

    Type. Panama. Panamá: Nr. top of Cerro Jefe, 900 m, 13 Sep 1970 (fr), Foster & Kennedy 1906 (holotype, DUKE, photo NY).

  • Description

    Species Description - Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub, glabrous throughout; mature branches terete, striate, minutely rugose, brown to reddish-brown when dry; twigs subterete, bluntly angled, striate, minutely rugose, light brown when dry. Leaves very thickly coriaceous, lanceolate to lance-ovate, 11-16 X 4-9.5 cm, basally obtuse, rounded, or short-attenuate and somewhat decurrent, apically acuminate, or acute and somewhat cuspidate, margins entire and tightly revolute; 5-7-plinerved, midrib conspicuously thickened and raised through proximal 2-2.5 cm otherwise weakly impressed above, the lateral nerves weakly impressed above and usually becoming slightly raised distally, veinlets raised and conspicuous above, all nerves raised and conspicuous beneath, or with veinlets sometimes obscure; petioles subterete, sometimes flattened adaxially, rugose, 4-10 mm long and 3-5.8 mm in diam. Inflorescence 9-15-flowered; rachis stout, bluntly and coarsely angled, white-speckled, ribbed, rugose, 3-5.5 cm long and 2.2-5 mm in diam., cream-pink when fresh (fide label data); floral bracts smooth, marginally glandular-fimbriate, elliptic, concave, 14-20 X 11-12 mm, basally cuneate and truncate, apically rounded; pedicels becoming wider distally, striate, 3.5-7.5 mm long (to 12 mm long after anthesis) and 1.5-2.5 mm in diam.; bracteoles elliptic or oblong, marginally glandular-fimbriate the fimbriae fusing laterally towards apex, 2-3 X 2 mm. Flowers: calyx 5.5-11 mm long; hypanthium cylindric to barrel-shaped, 2.5-5 mm long and 4-5.5 mm in diam., nonapophysate, provided with short, stout, reddish, glandular fimbriae when immature; limb cylindric, smooth, 3-8 mm long; lobes oblong to broadly triangular, 1-2.5 X 1.7-3 mm, connivent after anthesis, marginally lacerate-glandular, dark red, appearing thinner than main body of limb; sinus acute; corolla subcylindric, glabrous, 13-14 mm long and 6 mm diam., white (fide label data), drying very thickly coriaceous, lobes triangular, acute, ca. 1 mm long; stamens 9.5-10 mm long; filaments puberulent the distal half ventrally, alternately ca. 3.2 mm and 4 mm long; anthers alternately ca. 8 mm and 7 mm long; thecae 3-3.2 mm long; style persistent, ca. 11.5 mm long. Mature berry not seen.

  • Discussion

    Cavendishia revoluta is characterized by its overall coarse habit, and thick hard leaves with tightly revolute margins. The Coclé collection has leaf margins less tightly revolute and seemingly smaller calyces than those from Panama Prov.

    The species is without close relatives within sect. Quereme and many more collections with mature flowers are needed before either its morphological variation or interspecific relationships are understood. The label of Foster & Kennedy 1906, however, records a “distinct smell of wintergreen” in the leaves, perhaps indicating a relationship with C. quereme. Moreover, its flowers (only one mature one available) are similar to those of C. quereme.

  • Distribution

    Endemic to Panama, this rarely collected shrub occurs in the cloud forest on top of Cerro Jefe (Panama Prov.) at 825-900 m and north of El Copé (Coclé Prov.) on the Atlantic slopes at 500-700 m. It flowers sporadically, having been collected in bud in July, in flower in May, and post-anthesis in May and September.

    Panama Central America| Coclé Panamá Central America| Panamá Panama Central America|