Cavendishia leucantha Luteyn
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Description
Description: Epiphyte or terrestrial shrub to 3 m tall; mature stems subterete, striate, glabrous, reddish-brown; bark thin and reticulately exfoliating into strips; twigs terete or bluntly angled, densely cinereous puberulent, reddish-brown. Leaves ovate, oblong-ovate, or elliptic, (2-)3.5-5(-6) x (1-)1.5-2.5(-3) cm, basally rounded often subcordate, apically sharply short-acuminate, sparsely short-pilose above (more apparent towards base) and glabrous beneath; weakly 3-5-plinerved often appearing pinnate, midvein often conspicuously thickened and raised through proximal 1/3 otherwise impressed above, lateral nerves often much thinner than midvein, slightly but conspicuously raised at base becoming plane or slightly impressed distally above, all veins raised beneath; petioles terete, somewhat rugose, 2-3 mm long and 1.2-1.5 mm in diam., densely cinereous puberulent becoming glabrate. Inflorescence paniculate, 20-100-flowered; rachis and lateral branches subterete, striate, glabrous, the primary axis 5-10 cm long and 1 mm in diam., the lateral branches 1.5-5 cm long and 0.75 mm in diam.; floral bracts caducous, clasping, somewhat cucullate, ovate to oblong-ovate, ca. 7 x 4.5 mm, basally truncate and auriculate, apically rounded, ciliate, marginally and dorsally glandular-fimbriate, glabrous, translucent white but tinged with green when fresh; pedicels terete, striate, 6-8 mm long at anthesis and ca. 0.2-0.3 mm in diam.; bracteoles basal, oblong to ovate, 0.75 mm long, apically obtuse, ciliate, marginally glandular-fimbriate becoming especially dense near distal tip. Flowers: calyx glabrous, 1.5 mm long, greenish-white when fresh; hypanthium pentagonal, ca. 1 mm long and in diam., basally truncate and slightly apophysate; limb eret, ca. 0.5 mm long; lobes triangular to slightly ovate, acute, ca. 0.5 mm long, connivent after anthesis, with an oblong somewhat thickened, translucent gland on each side but not covering the tip; sinuses acute; corolla tubular with greatest diam. about the middle, glabrous, ca. 6 mm long and 5 mm in diam., white when fresh, lobes triangular, completely reflexed at anthesis, ca. 1.5 mm long; stamens 3-3.3 mm long; filaments densely and coarsely short-pilose ventrally, alternately 1.2-1.4 mm and ca. 1.5 mm, the longer ones narrowly constricted distally; anthers alternately ca. 2.2 mm and 2 mm long, the longer ones straight at the base, the shorter ones curved inward; thecae 0.7-0.8 mm long; tubules dehiscent over their entire length; style 3.5 mm long. Berry ca. 5-6 mm diam.
Distribution: Endemic to Colombia, to the Chocó/Valle Dept. border of the Cordillera Occidental along the Ansermanuevo-San José del Palmar road, in disturbed cloud forest and along the steep roadcut slopes, at elevations of 1200-2000 m.
Conservation Status: Rare and endangered.
Type: Colombia. Valle: Ansermanuevo-San José del Palmar road, km 60-62, 1870-1950 m, 19 Apr 1979 (fl, fr), Luteyn et al. 7281 (holotype: COL; isotypes: AAU, BISH, CAS, DUKE, E, F, HUT, IBE, K, L, MEXU, MO, NY1, NY2, UNICAMP, US, photo NY neg. 10856).
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Floras and Monographs
Cavendishia leucantha Luteyn: [Article] Luteyn, James L. 1983. Ericaceae--part I. Cavendishia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 35: 1-290.
