Cavendishia laurifolia (Klotzsch) Benth. & Hook.f.

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Cavendishia laurifolia (Klotzsch) Benth. & Hook.f.

  • Primary Citation

    Gen. Pl. (Bentham & Hooker) 2: 570. 1876

  • Basionym

    Polyboea laurifolia Klotzsch

  • Common Names

    pie de pájaro, rok'h-ik'h

  • Description

    Description: Epiphytic or terrestrial shrub to 1-3 m tall; stem base 2.5-5 cm in diam.; mature branches arching, terete, striate, glabrous; bark tan to grayish-brown; twigs subterete or flattened with blunt angles, striate, reddish-brown, densely puberulous and often with short, reddish, glandular fimbriae. Leaves slightly bullate when fresh, drying bullate or flat, lanceolate, ovate or lance-elliptic, (3.5-)6-13 x (1-)2-4 cm, basally rounded or obtuse rarely subcordate or cuneate, apically acuminate sometimes acumen to 2-3 cm long, puberulous above along proximal portions of midrb and lateral nerves glabrous beneath; 3-5-plinerved from near base, midrib slightly thickened and raised through proximal 0.5 mm otherwise impressed above, lateral nerves impressed above, veinlets raised and conspicuous above, midrib and lateral nerves raised and conspicuous beneath, veinlets plane or raised but obscure beneath; petioles subterete, smooth, striate or commonly rugose, 2-5 mm long and 0.5-1.5 mm in diam., densely puberulous adaxiallly. Inflorescence (8-)17-32(-45)-flowered with lowermost nodes bracteolate but sterile; rachis subterete, striate, weakly muricate, glabrous, 4-15(-20) cm long and 1-2 mm in diam., rose-pink at anthesis but turning whitish or pale green; floral bracts concave, oriented perpendicular to or somewhat recurved with respect to rachis, muricate, oblong, obovate or oblanceolate, 7-13 x 3.5-6.5(-10) m, basally narrowed, apically obtuse to broadly rounded or rarely acute, marginally scarious and densely glandular-fimbriate, glabrous, deep rose-pink; pedicels swollen distally, striate, (9-)14-22(-26) m long (14-17 mm at anthesis) and 0.5-1 mm in diam., rose-pink at anthesis but turning whitish or pale green, densely covered with reddish, caducous glandular fimbriae 0.3 mm long when young; bracteoles basal, oblong to ovate, 1-2.5 x 0.5-1(-2) mm, basally slightly auriculate, marginally densely glandular-fimbriate, rose-pink. Flowers: calyx 2.5-3.5 mm long, green in bud, dark wine-red at anthesis, later turning green; hypanthium cylindric but slightly pentagonal in cross-section, rugose, 0.5-1 mm long and 2.5-3(-4) mm in diam., basally slightly apophysate, densely covered in bud by reddish, glandular fimbriae; limb broadly campanulate, muricate, 1.5-3 mm long, densely glandular-fimbriate these usually persisting to fruit; lobes triangular or oblong, (0.2-)0.5-1 mm long, connivent after anthesis, marginally lacerate-glandular and/or glandular-fimbriate; sinuses acute in bud becoming broadly rounded to flat at anthesis; corolla bottle-shaped, bluntly 5-angled oposite calyx lobes, constricted basally, (6.5-)8-10(-12) mm long and 5.5-6.5 mm in diam. at widest point, tube with scattered glandular fimbriae, completely red or white lower 2/3, dark rose-red upper 1/3 plus limb and lobes, lobes oblong, acute, slightly flaring at anthesis; stamens alternately 6-7 m and 7-8.5 mm long; filaments densely puberulous distal half, alternately 1.5-3 mm and 2.5-4 mm long; anthers alternately 5-7 mm and 4-5.5 mm long; thecae 1.2-3 mm long; style 8-9 mm long. Berry 6-7 mm in diam.

    Distribution: Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Colombia, at elevations of 250-2200 m. In Mexico it is usually found in montane cloud forests dominated by Pinus-Quercus-Liquidambar, but has also been recorded from limestone areas. In Guatemala it occurs in virgin or disturbed forest, wet ravines, or along fence-rows. In Panama it is found only in the wet cloud forests of Cerro Pirre, Darién Prov., and I have collected it along steep roadsides and forest edge in Chocó Dept., Colombia (see Luteyn & Sylva S., 1999)

    Local names: Guatemala: Rok'h-ik'h, pie de pájaro (Alta Verpaz).

    Type: Guatemala. Alta Verapaz: Cobán, 1350 m, Oct 1907 (fl), von Tuerckheim 1626 (neotype, NY; isoneotypes, BM, BR, F, G, GH, MICH, MO, US, W). The lectotype cited by Smith (1932) and Luteyn (1976), Warszewicz s.n., from Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, was deposited at B and is presumably destroyed. No other original material is known, but that collection is represented in photo (F neg. 4670 and ACS neg. 179).

  • Floras and Monographs

    Cavendishia laurifolia (Klotzsch) Benth. & Hook.f.: [Article] Luteyn, James L. 1983. Ericaceae--part I. Cavendishia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 35: 1-290.

    Cavendishia laurifolia (Klotzsch) Benth. & Hook.f.: [Article] Luteyn, James L. 1976. A revision of the Mexican Central American species of Cavendishia (Vacciniaceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 28 (3): 1-138.