Cavendishia chocoensis A.C.Sm.

Description

Description: Epiphytic shrub with stems to 1.5 m long; mature branches terete, weakly striate, glabrous, glaucous; bark reddish-brown; twigs subterete, glabrous, glaucous, stramineous, sometimes with scattered minute stout glandular fimbriae with heads nearly spherical. Leaves oblong-elliptic or lance-ovate, (4-)5-15.5 x (1-)3-6.5 cm, basally narrowed and obtuse to broadly rounded, apically caudate-acuminate (acumen to 2.5 cm long), glabrous or midrib sometimes puberulous through proximal 1 cm above, glandular-fimbriate on both surfaces (sometimes very dense and conspicuous); 5-plinerved from near base or inner nerves arising 1 cm up from base, midrib conspicuously raised through proximal 1 cm but impressed distally above, lateral nerves impressed above (sometimes strongly), reticulate veinlets slightly raised or plane above, all veins raised beneath; petioles terete, rugose 3-7 mm long and 1-2 mm diam., glabrous or puberulent. Inflorescence 40-60-flowered, the proximal 2 cm without flowers; rachis subterete, slightly bluntly angled, glabrous or densely shortly white-hirsute, 10-18 cm long and 2 mm diam., the proximal 2-2.5 cm provided with sessile, spherical glands 0.1-0.5 mm diam.; floral bracts caducous, oblong, ca. 11 x 5 mm, basally subauriculate, apically acute, glabrous, green when fresh; pedicels subterete, striate, glabrous, 6.5 mm long at anthesis; bracteoles seemingly lacking. Flowers: calyx glabrous or densely shortly white-hirsute, 3.5-4 mm long; hypanthium cylindric, smooth, 1-3.5 mm long, basally truncate, nonapophysate; limb erecto-patent or campanulate, 2.5 mm long; lobes triangular-ovate, 1-1.5 mm long, suberect to connivent after anthesis, glandular callose marginally and over the distal 1/3 of the lamina or eglandular; sinuses subacute or narrowly obtuse; corolla subglobose-urceolate to globose-cylindric, contracted at base and throat, membranaceous, 6.5-8 mm long and 5-6 mm diam. at broadest point, glabrous, eglandular, green to green flushed with dark red when fresh, the lobes strongly reflexed and curled at anthesis, deltoid-ovate, obtuse, 1-1.2 mm long; stamens alternately 5-6.5 mm and 5.2-6.8 mm long; filaments connate the basal 1.5 mm, densely puberulent on both sides in free portions, alternately 2.5-2.7 mm and 3.1-3.5 mm long; anthers equal to alternately 3-3.2 mm and 2.6-2.8 mm long; thecae alternately ca. 1.3 mm and 1 mm long; tubules equal to or slightly broader than thecae, dehiscing by oval clefts alternately 1.2 mm and 0.8 mm long; style equaling the coroalla. Berry ca. 8-9 mm diam.

Distribution: Endemic to Colombia, at elevations of 100-2050 m.

Type: Colombia. Chocó: Dense forest along ridge in Yeracüí Valley, Corcovada region, upper Río San Juan, 200-275 m, 24-25 Apr 1939 (fl), Killip 35248 (holotype, US, photo NY; isotypes, COL (ster), NY, photo NY neg. 9689).

Key to the Varieties of Cavendishia chocoensis: 1. Rachis, pedicels, and calyx glabrous; calyx hypanthium 1-1.5 mm long; calyx lobes suberect after anthesis and glandular .......... var. chocoensis 1. Rachis, pedicels, and calyx densely shortly white-hirsute; calyx hypanthium 2-3.5 mm long; calyx lobes connivent after anthesis and eglandular ............ var. hirsuta