Cavendishia bracteata (Ruiz & Pav. ex J.St.-Hil.) Hoerold

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Cavendishia bracteata (Ruiz & Pav. ex J.St.-Hil.) Hoerold

  • Primary Citation

    Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 42: 280. 1909

  • Basionym

    Thibaudia bracteata Ruiz & Pav. ex J.St.-Hil.

  • Common Names

    anizo, arrayán, botón-botón, cacagüito, chaquilulo, clavel georgino, colmillo, coral, coralito, esmeraldo, flor de montaña, flor del niño, gualicón, hualicón, iquilan, joyapa, maichcha, maycha, motilón, mozgal

  • Description

    Description: Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub, 1-4 m tall, rarely scandent and lianoid or arborescent and then to 15 m tall with stem base to 30 cm dbh; stem glabrous; twigs glabrous to densely pilose or glabrate. Leaves oblong, elliptic, ovate, or lanceolate, rarely oblanceolate or semiorbicular, (2.5-)4-15(-22) x (1-)1.5-5(-11) cm, base rounded, cordate, cuneate, subtruncate, or rarely short-attenuate, apex acute to acuminate, often abruptly, rarely obtuse, rounded, or cuspidate, sometimes metallic- or slate-blue when dry, glabrous or short-pilose along veins above and below or often glabrate, upper surface smooth to conspicuously scabridous; (3-)5-7(-9)-plinerved, nerves arising from base or often innermost pair of lateral nerves arising 1-2 cm above base, midrib rarely thickened and raised through proximal 2 cm, but usually impressed above and raised beneath, always very conspicuous sometimes flattened adaxially, lateral nerves impressed or slightly raised distally above and raised beneath, veinlets impressed or raised above and slightly raised but usually obscure beneath; petiole subterete, usually flattened adaxially, rugose, (3-)5-11(-17) mm long, glabrous, puberulent, or pilose, often glabrate. Inflorescence (2-)6-20(-40)-flowered, surrounded at base by bracts which may be glabrous to densely short-pilose, or often pubescence restricted to margins or apex; rachis subterete to bluntly angled, (0.5-)1-5(-8) cm long, green or red, glabrous to densely short-pilose, sometimes glandular-fimbriate; floral bract smooth or muricate, oblong, ovate, elliptic or oblanceolate, (11-)17-26(-40) x (5-)10-17(-27) mm, base narrowed and truncate, apex rounded or acute, pink to dark red, glabrous to densely short-pilose, sometimes ciliate along margins or at distal tip, sometimes provided with reddish glandular fimbriae abaxially or marginally; pedicel (1.5-)6-15(-20) mm, glabrous or pilose, often with glandular fimbriae scattered along length or densely aggregated at distal tip; bracteoles usually basal but sometimes to middle of pedicel, oblong, ovate, lanceolate, or linear-lanceolate, rarely aristate, 1-4(-11.5) mm, rarely longer than pedicel when linear, glabrous to densely short-pilose, sometimes ciliate, glandular-fimbriate with fimbriae distinct or often fusing laterally especially towards tip. Flowers with calyx (3.5-)4-6(-9) mm long, glabrous to densely short-pilose, often with few to many, thin or stout, short glandular fimbriae; hypanthium cylindric to campanulate, often somewhat pentagonal in cross-section, 1.5-3(-6) mm long, equal to or more commonly longer (rarely shorter) than the limb, base nonapophysate, although base often rounded, truncate, or rarely irregularly elongate or shallowly undulate; limb cylindric to campanulate, usually somewhat spreading, (1-)1.5-3(-4.5) mm long; lobes triangular, rarely ovate or oblong, (0.5-)1-2(-3) mm long, connivent after anthesis, margin glandular-fimbriate with fimbriae distinct or variously laterally fused, sometimes completely fused to form a thin continuous supramarginal gland, this rarely caducous; sinuses broadly rounded or acute, glabrous or rarely ciliate; corolla cylindric to bottle-shaped, narrowed to throat, (10-)14-23(-28) mm long, glabrous to short-pilose, with or without scattered glandular fimbriae, red, pale pinkish or white at base, otherwise tube dark pink to red, with limb and lobes yellowish-green, the lobes deltate, widely flaring at anthesis, 1-2(-3) mm long; stamen 11.5-19 mm long; filaments slightly coherent at base or more commonly distinct, alternately 2-4 mm and 3.4-6.5 mm long, glabrous or distally pilose; anthers alternately 10-16.5 mm and 7.5-14.5 mm long; thecae 2.5-6 mm long; style (12-)14-19(-27) mm long, glabrous or rarely short-pilose distally, sometimes exserted. Berry 8-14 mm diam., glabrous or sparsely pilose.

    Distribution: Veracruz, Mexico through Cental America, south in the Andes to Bolivia, and east through the Cordillera de la Costa of Venezuela to the State of Sucre; primary forest to secondary growth, often in disturbed sites from tropical wet forest or montane cloud forest to subpáramo at (300-)1000-3200(-4090) m altitude.

    Local names: gaulicón, zagala, natividad guamán, (Sarag-indian), sagala, zagalita, chaquilulo, hualicón, sagalito, salapa, motilón, iquilan, sagalita, joyapa.

    Uses: firewood ("leña"); the fruits are edible; a leaf infusion bath once a day to cure pimples ("granos") and itching ("sarnas"); forage for lambs.

    Cultivated: ABG, CGE, E, HBA, NCSC, NY, SCHN.

    Illustration: Luteyn (1996), pl. 7.

    Type: Peru. Huánuco: "In Peruviae Andium montibus altis frigidis, inter saxa, et argillosis locis and Pillao tractus," 1778-1788, Ruiz & Pavón s.n. (lectotype: MA, designated by Luteyn (1983), photo NY neg. 9256).

  • Floras and Monographs

    Cavendishia bracteata (Ruiz & Pav. ex J.St.-Hil.) Hoerold: [Article] Luteyn, James L. 1983. Ericaceae--part I. Cavendishia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 35: 1-290.

    Cavendishia bracteata (Ruiz & Pav. ex J.St.-Hil.) Hoerold: [Article] Smith, Albert C. 1952. Plants collected in Ecuador by W. H. camp. Vaceiniaceae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 8 (1): 41-85.