Psammisia montana Luteyn
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Authority
1996. Fl. Ecuador. 54: 183, fig. 12.
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Family
Ericaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type: Ecuador. Carchi: Tulcán-Maldonado rd, 61-75 km W of Tulcán, 2160-2560 m, 6 Nov 1992 (fl), Luteyn & Sylva S. 14758 (holotype, NY; isotypes, AAU, CAS, GB, K, QCA, US).
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Description
Species Description - Terrestrial shrub with branches arching to 3 m long; stem terete to subterete, striate, glabrous; twigs subterete, bluntly angled to ribbed, glabrous. Leaves subcoriaceous, elliptic, elliptic-ovate, or narrowly ovate, 5-15 x 1.5-4.5 cm, base rounded or broadly cuneate and then slightly attenuate, apex acuminate to long-acuminate, margin flat, glabrous on both surfaces, often upper surface with scattered glandular fimbriae especially distally, lower surface provided with numerous, scattered, circular, concave, dark reddish-brown glands, 0.2-0.5 mm diam., both surfaces often pustulate; pinnately nerved with 5-7 lateral nerves per side, midrib raised above and beneath, lateral nerves plane or slightly raised distally above and raised beneath but sometimes inconspicuous, reticulate veinlets obscure above but raised and inconspicuous beneath; petiole subterete, slightly flattened above and sometimes narrowly winged, rugose, 3-5 mm long, glabrous. Inflorescence solitary, axillary, subfasciculate to possibly very short-racemose, 2-5-flowered; rachis (when present) bluntly angled, 3-8 mm long, glabrous; floral bract ovate, short-acuminate, 1.5-2.5 xca. 3 mm, glabrous or dorsally puberulent, margin scarious and with scattered glandular fimbriae; pedicel subterete, ribbed, 10-18 mm long, glabrous, with a ring of coarse, glandular fimbriae distally at articulation with calyx; bracteoles located near or below middle of pedicel, ovate, acuminate, 1.5-2.3 xca. 2 mm, glabrous or dorsally puberulent, marginally scarious, glandular-fimbriate and these often fusing laterally. Flowers with calyx 6.5-7.5 mm long, puberulent; hypanthium terete, cylindric-campanulate, 3.2-3.5 mm long; limb erect-spreading, 3-4 mm long; lobes ovate-deltate, acute,ca. 2 mm long; sinuses broadly rounded to acute; corolla thick-carnose, tubular, narrowing distally, 17-21 mm long and 7-10 mm diam., red, glabrous or puberulent, with scattered glandular fimbriae or a ring of coarse, glandular fimbriae at about the constricted area of the throat, the lobes spreading to slightly reflexed, oblong-ovate, acute, 2.5-4 mm long, white to greenish-white or whitish-yellow; stamen 9-10 mm long; filaments distinct, 3-4 mm long, margins short-pilose in distal half, the connectives obscurely spurred, with only a vestigial bump on shoulder; anthers 7-8 mm long; thecae 4.5-5 mm long, strongly incurved at base, apiculate; tubules geniculate, distinct, 2.5-3 mm long, dehiscing by a short oval cleft 1.3-1.5 mm long; style exserted,ca. 18-22 mm long, glabrous. Berry not seen.
Distribution and Ecology - West-central Colombia to northern Ecuador (Carchi); premontane and montane cloud forest, at 1200-2700 m altitude.
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Discussion
Conservation Status: Rare and endangered.