Cavendishia viridiflora Luteyn & Sylva

Description

Description: Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub to 2 m tall; mature stems terete, minutely striate, short-hirsute with yellowish to tan, flat, acicular hairs to ca. 1 mm long; bark reddish-brown, apparently glaucous; twigs similar to mature stems, also provided with tiny, red glands which break off leaving dark red papillae. Leaves chartacaeous when dry, ovate-elliptic, 7.5-12 x 3-5.2 cm, basally rounded, apically long-caudate-acuminate (the tip 2-3 cm long), marginally entire, persistently hirsute beneath, and also provided with tiny, red, capitate-glandular hairs (or fimbriae), somewhat glabrate above but persistently short-hirsute along veins; 5-7--plinerved from near the base, the midrib and lateral nerves impressed above and raised beneath, the reticulate veinlets slightly raised on both surfaces; petiole subterete, canaliculate above, rugose, glaucous, 5-6 mm long, moderately to densely hirsute especially at junction with blade above. Inflorescence axillary, racemose, 9-11--flowered; rachis complanate, bluntly angled, thin, (4-)5.5-7 cm long and 1-1.3 mm diam. at base, hirsute, and also provided with short, stout, red, glandular hairs with minute capitate heads; floral bract chartaceous, easily deciduous (caducous?), elliptic, 10-18 x 6-8 mm, apically rounded, marginally ciliolate, provided with tiny, capitate, glandular hairs dorsally, dark red when fresh; pedicels terete, rugose, 10-13 mm long, hirsute, minutely red glandular as rachis; bracteoles located near base, broadly ovate, acute, ca. 1.5 x 1 mm, the apex glandular callose and marginally with several stout glandular fimbriae which fuse distally, glabrous. Flowers with calyx green when fresh, ca. 6 mm long; hypanthium cylindric, ca. 2 mm long, basally apophysate and undulate, densely hirsute and provided with red glandular hairs with minute capitate heads as rachis; limb erect to slightly spreading, ca. 4 mm long, glabrous, with scattered red glandular hairs proximally as hypanthium; lobes broadly deltate, acute, ca. 2 mm long, completely glandular-callose, dark maroon when fresh; sinuses acute; corolla cylindric, bluntly pentagonal, viscid (when fresh), 17-19 mm long and 6-8 mm diam., glabrous, translucent pale green, the lobes reflexed at anthesis, deltate, ca. 2 mm long, whitish; stamens 16.3-17 mm long; filaments alternately 2.7-3 mm and 5-6.3 mm long; anthers alternately 15.3-16 mm and 13-14 mm long; thecae alternately 4.6-5.5 and 5.6-5.8 mm long; style about equalling corolla, glabrous. Berry not seen.

Distribution: Endemic to Colombia and known only from the Department of Antioquia (at Murrí).

Conservation Status: Rare and endangered.

Type: Colombia. Antioquia: Mun. Frontino, Correg. Nutibara, region of Murrí, Alto de Cuevas, ca. 6°45'N, 75°20'W, 1500-1880 m, 16-18 Oct 1987 (fl), Luteyn & Sylva S. 11704 (holotype: HUA; isotypes: AAU, CAS, COL, K, MEXU, MO, NY, TEX).