Macleania alata Luteyn
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Authority
1996. Fl. Ecuador. 54: 137, figs. 9A-D.
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Family
Ericaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type: Ecuador. Pichincha: Quito-Santo Domingo de los Colorados old rd, 3 km from the turnoff at Km 69, towards Bellavista, 2050 m, 17 Sep 1986 (fl), Zak 1209 (holotype, AAU; isotypes, MO, NY, QCA).
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Description
Species Description - Terrestrial shrub with branches to 4 m long; stem subterete, complanate, bluntly winged, glabrous; bark gray, cracking longitudinally; twigs subterete, striate, glandular-fimbriate, strongly and bluntly to sharply winged from each node downwards through 1-2 nodes, the wing to 3 mm broad where it starts. Leaves subcoriaceous, usually bullate, sometimes flat, ovate to elliptic-ovate, (5.5-)6-11 x (2-)2.5-5 cm, base obtuse to broadly cuneate, sometimes short-attenuate, apex narrowly acuminate, margin flat, glabrous but moderately densely glandular-fimbriate on both surfaces with brownish hairs 0.1-0.2 mm long; 5(-7)-plinerved with the inner (distal) pair of lateral nerves usually subopposite, midrib thickened and raised in the proximal 1.5-2.5 cm then distally plane to slightly or strongly impressed above, raised and conspicuous beneath, lateral nerves raised to plane or strongly impressed above, raised beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised to impressed above, raised and ± conspicuous beneath; petiole subterete, usually flattened above, rugose, 2-3 mm long, puberulent, glabrate. Inflorescence axillary, solitary, fasciculate, (1-)2-4-flowered; floral bract ovate, acute, 1-1.5 x 0.8-1 mm, glabrous, margin with few glandular fimbriae; pedicel subterete, angled and/or ribbed, 9-14(-18) mm long, glabrous but with scattered, reddish, glandular fimbriae; bracteoles basal, similar to floral bract. Flowers with calyx weakly articulate or seemingly continuous with pedicel, 8-13 mm long, glabrous but glandular-fimbriate with reddish hairs; hypanthium long-prismatic, winged entire length but not extended distally beyond the limb, 6-10 mm long; limb spreading-campanulate, 2-4 mm long; lobes apiculate, deltate, acute, 1-1.5 mm long; sinuses broadly rounded; corolla cylindric, terete, 20-23 mm long and 7-8 mm diam., glabrous without but densely white pilose at throat within, also with scattered glandular fimbriae without, red to orange-red, the lobes ovate-elliptic, acute to obtuse, 2-3 mm long; stamen 7.5-12 mm long; filaments connate into a tube, 5-6 mm long, glabrous, the connectives alternately shouldered; anthers 8.3-8.5 mm long; thecae 4.3-4.5 mm long; tubules fused into one, ca. 4 mm long, dehiscing by a single cleft, ca. 3 mm long; style slightly exserted, 21-26 mm long, glabrous. Berry not seen.
Distribution and Ecology - Endemic to Ecuador; cloud forest at 2050 m altitude.
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Discussion
Conservation status: Rare and endangered.