Cavendishia venosa A.C.Sm.

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Cavendishia venosa A.C.Sm.

  • Primary Citation

    Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 28(2): 474. 1932

  • Type Specimens

    Specimen 1: Isotype -- É. André s.n., verif. T. A. Zanoni, /10/2019

    Remarks: Fragment; taken from the Holotype at K-534864, photo on this NY sheet

  • Common Names

    cetro chiquito, mishitto wish, chaquilulo

  • Description

    Description: Epiphytic shrub with branches pendent to 3 m long and often sending out rootlets; branches muricate, glabrous or short-hirsute to glabrate. Leaves drying membranous to subcoriaceous, elliptic, ovate-elliptic or rarely ovate, 4-10(-14) x (1.5-)2-4 cm, base cuneate, obtuse or rarely rounded, apex long- to abruptly short-acuminate or caudate-acuminate, glabrous or weakly pilose above, glabrous beneath, acumen often weakly short-ciliate, glandular-fimbriate on both surfaces; 5-plinerved from at or near base, midrib and lateral nerves plane to weakly impressed above and conspicuously raised beneath, reticulate veinlets raised and very conspicuous above; petiole 2-3 mm long, glabrous or short-hispid. Inflorescence 8-15-flowered, the flowers restricted to distal 2/3 of inflorescence, slightly viscid when fresh, surrounded at base by numerous, subcoriaceous, striate, ovate to oblong bracts; rachis 1-2 cm long, glabrous or densely pilose; floral bracts strongly reticulately veined, oblong or more commonly spatulate, 25-40 x 15-25 mm, distally emarginate and somewhat scutellate, margin crisped and usually short-ciliate, dorsally glandular-fimbriate and glabrous or sparsely pilose, the proximal bracts rose-red but distally becoming basally pinkish and apically translucent white; pedicel 4-7(-10) mm long, glabrous or pilose; bracteoles none. Flowers with calyx glabrous or densely pilose, 9-10.5 mm long, glandular-fimbriate, cream-colored; hypanthium cylindric or slightly globose, 2.5-3 mm long; limb translucent, cylindric-campanulate, 4-7.5 mm long; lobes narrowly triangular, 2-3 mm long, margin glandular-fimbriate; sinuses rounded; corolla cylindric, 26-34 mm long, glabrous; stamen alternately slightly unequal, 7.5-9 mm long; filaments alternately 2 mm and 4.2 mm long, glabrous; anthers alternately 6.2 mm and 5.5 mm long; thecae slightly granular, ca. 2-2.5 mm long; tubules 3-4 mm long, dehiscing by clefts 1.2-2 mm long; style 24-32 mm long. Berry not seen.

    Distribution: Colombia and Ecuador; tropical wet and rainforest, premontane rainforest, and montane wet forest at 5-1600 m altitude.

    Local name: mishitto wish (Awápit).

    Uses: medicinally flowers as a charm for "duende" (spiritual illness) to rid evil spirits.

    Type: Colombia or Ecuador, locality unknown, André s.n. (holotype: K, photo NY neg. 9056).

  • Floras and Monographs

    Cavendishia venosa A.C.Sm.: [Article] Luteyn, James L. 1983. Ericaceae--part I. Cavendishia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 35: 1-290.