Cavendishia violacea A.C.Sm.

Description

Description: Epiphytic shrub with branches to 1 m long; stem terete, smooth, glabrous or densely puberulent; twigs subterete, weakly striate, puberulent. Leaves oblong, elliptic, or ovate-elliptic, (4-)5-15 x (1.5-)2-5 cm, base rounded or cuneate, apex caudate-acuminate, puberulent along major veins above; pinnately nerved or weakly plinerved, the 3-5 lateral nerves arising from below middle at angles of 10-30 from midrib, the midrib thickened through proximal half and raised on both surfaces, lateral nerves impressed above and conspicuously raised beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised on both surfaces; petiole terete, rugose 2-5 mm long and 1-1.5 mm diam., puberulent. Inflorescence 9-13-flowered, rachis subterete, bluntly angled, glabrous, (3-)5-9 cm long and 2-2.5 mm diam.; floral bract elliptic-oblong or oblanceolate, slightly cucullate, 12-15 x 7-10 mm, glabrous, purple; pedicel terete, glabrous, 8-10 mm long and ca. 1 mm diam., reddish-purple, provided at distal tip (articulation with calyx) with angular or oblong greenish-colored glands 0.1-0.3 mm diam. which secrete a white sticky latex; bracteoles nearly basal to located midway along pedicel, persistent, coriaceous, ovate, 0.5-2 mm long, glabrous, purple, glandular-callose totally or distally and along margins. Flowers with calyx glabrous, 5-7 mm long, reddish-purple; hypanthium subcylindric or campanulate, ca. 2 mm long, base strongly apophysate, the apophysis margin entire and directed upwards at anthesis or undulate; limb erecto-patent, 3-6 mm long; lobes triangular, acute, 1.2-2 mm long, erect after anthesis, glandular-callose only in the distal 2/3 or over entire surface and slightly onto limb; sinuses broadly rounded to nearly flat; corolla cylindric but becoming swollen distally then abruptly constricting into the short throat and lobes, glabrous, ca. 15 mm long and ca. 6 mm diam., white, the lobes deltate, obtuse, purple; stamen 11-11.5 mm long; filaments lightly puberulent distally on ventral surface, alternately 2-2.5 mm and 4-5 mm long; anthers alternately ca. 10.3 mm and 7.3 mm long; thecae slightly granular 2.5-3 mm long; style ca. 13-15 mm long. Mature berry not seen.

Distribution: S Colombia and N Ecuador; perhumid forest to premontane rainforest at (50-)900-1000 m altitude.

Conservation Status: Rare and endangered.

Type: Colombia. Valle: Pacific coast, Río Cajambre, Barco, 5-80 m, 21-30 Apr 1944 (fl), Cuatrecasas 17063 (holotype: GH, photo NY neg. 9084; isotypes: F, NY, US).