Bejaria

  • 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

  • Scientific Name

    Bejaria

  • Type

    Type species. Bejaria aestuans Linnaeus. Named in honor of José Bejar, an eighteenth-century professor of botany at Cadiz, Spain. See Clemants (1994) for a discussion of spelling of the genus and a propsal to conserve Bejaria against Befaria.

  • Synonyms

    Bejaria aestuans Mutis ex L., Acunna, Acunna oblonga Ruiz & Pav., Jurgensenia Turcz., Jurgensenia mexicana Turcz.

  • Description

    Genus Description - Terrestrial, evergreen, shrubs or trees, prostrate to erect, to 15 m tall, bark fissured or sometimes deeply fissured, often fibrous, indumentum tomentose, hispid, glandular-hispid or none. Leaves petiolate or subsessile; blades flat to revolute, coriaceous to chartaceous, glabrous or frequently tomentose, hispid, or glandular-hispid especially along the midvein, the abaxial surface often glaucous; margin entire, rarely slightly crenate, flat or usually slightly re volute; brochidodromous. Inflorescence terminal, axillary, or both, racemose, sometimes paniculate; flowers bracteate; bracteoles 2, usually inserted on the lower 1/2 of the pedicel or occasionally just below the calyx. Flowers perfect, 5-7-merous, calyx continuous with the pedicel, persistent in fruit; corolla spreading, campanulate, salverform, globose-campanulate, fusiform, or infundibular, aestivation quincuncial or in 7-merous flowers with 3 lobes fully outside, 2 lobes fully inside, and 2 lobes 1/2 inside and 1/2 outside, petals often slightly tomentose especially distally, usually pink, red, or white; stamens 10-14(-18), subequal to corolla to long exserted, the filaments ligulate, usually flattened in crosssection, thickest near base, usually tomentose on basal 1/3, usually whitish or yellowish; the anthers ovoid, glabrous or rarely slightly tomentose, dehiscence introrse by a terminal or subterminal cleft; ovary glabrous or rarely long-pilose, 5-7-locular with apical-axile placentation and numerous ovules; nectariferous disc surrounding the ovary base, unlobed; style terete, subequal to the corolla or exserted, sometimes apparently elongating after anthesis; stigma capitate or 7-lobed. Fruit a 5-7-locular, woody capsule, depressed obovoid or depressed globose, apically depressed, glabrous, brown to black; seeds numerous, 0.5-2 mm long, oblong, testa long-celled reticulate, thin-walled.

  • Discussion

    Notes

    Unless otherwise stated, transverse measurements of the rachis, pedicel, filament, and style were made at or near the base of the organ, whereas leaf, bract, and calyx lobe widths and calyx diameter were measured at their widest points. Furthermore, the petals and calyx lobes are adaxially glabrous unless otherwise stated.

    Descriptive nomenclature follows Radford et al. (1974).

  • Distribution

    A neotropical and subtropical genus of 15 species found in Florida, Cuba, and central Mexico south to Bolivia and east to Guyana.

    United States of America North America| Cuba South America| Mexico North America| Central America| Bolivia South America| Peru South America| Ecuador South America| Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Guyana South America|