Cavendishia wercklei Hoerold

Description

Description: Epiphytic and terrestrial shrub to 2 m tall; stem base 2-13 cm in diam.; mature branches terete to subterete, minutely striate, usually glabrous but sometimes scattered spreading hirsute, reddish-brown to tan; twigs subterete to flattened, minutely striate, glabrous or densely spreading hirsute usually glabrate, frequently with reddish, clavate, subsessile glands. Leaves lanceolate, lance-elliptic, oblong, or rarely ovate, (4-)7-12(-15) x (1-)2-4(-5) cm, basally rounded, cuneate, or obtuse, apically long-acuminate, weakly pilose along nerves and lamina base when young usually glabrate, but often persisting along nerves on abaxial surface; 3-5-plinerved, midrib, lateral nerves, and sometimes priamry veinlets impressed above thus sometimes causing leaves to be bullate, veinlets often plane or slightly raised distally above, all nerves raised and conspicuous beneath; petioles subterete, rugose, rarely minutely papillate, (5-)6-11(-12) mm long and 1-2 mm in diam., densely short-pilose adaxially, sparsely so abaxially and occasionally becoming totally glabrous. Inflorescence (6-)9-12(-19)-flowered, cylindric in bud, lowest one or two nodes often sterile; rachis long-tapering, bluntly angled or flattened, striate, glabrous, viscid, (3-)5-7(-9) cm long and 2-4 mm in diam., pink to rose-pink, densely covered by tiny, sessile to subsessile, globular or clavate, reddish glands ca. 0.2 mm in length; floral bracts usually caducous, smooth when fresh but usually conspicuously nerved when dry, oblong to obovate, (15-)20-30(-35) x 10-20 mm, basally narrowed to a truncate base, apically obtuse to rounded and rarely apiculate, glabrous, rose to pinkish-purple, abaxially with minute subsessile clavate reddish glands; pedicels swollen at both ends, smooth to coarsely striate or ribbed, viscid, glabrous, (9-)11-18 mm long and (0.5-)1(-1.5) mm in diam., pink to cream-colored, usually provided with reddish, sessile and round, or subsessile and clavate glands over entire length or only basally, rarely eglandular; bracteoles keeled, often conspicuously (1-)3-5-nerved, ovate or oblong-lanceolate, 2-4.5(-5) x (0.5-)1.5-2.5(-3.5) mm, apically acute and glandular-callose. Flowers: calyx glabrous, 6-9(-11) mm long, viscid; hypanthium cylindric, coarsely ribbed, 2-3.5(-5) mm long and (3.5-)4-6(-7) mm in diam., basally apophysate with apophysis undulate to shallowly lobed, equal to or extending below articulation often basally wide-spreading, rose to violet at anthesis but turning green; limb cylindric to campanulate, smooth when fresh, but usually drying conspicuously ribbed, rarely minutely papillate, (3.5-)4-6(-6.5) mm long, rose to rose-violet at anthesis but becoming pale green, whitish or pinkish; lobes triangular, obtuse or acute, 1.5-2 X 2-2.5 mm, erect after anthesis, completely glandular-callose and this extending onto limb surface, dark rose-purple at anthesis but becoming dark green; sinuses obtuse, broadly rounded, or rarely flat; corolla somewhat constricted basally, narrowed to throat, viscid, (25-)31-38 mm long and 6-8 mm in diam., short-pilose for distal 2/3 or sometimes velutinous, whitish to purplish-rose, lobes oblong, obtuse, 1.5-2 mm long; stamens 26-34 mm long; filaments alternately 3.5-5.5 mm and 8-11.5 mm long, long ones pilose distally, short ones subglabrous with a cluster of short, retrorse hairs at distal tip; anthers alternately 25.5-31 mm and 20.5-24 mm long; thecae 5.5-10.5 mm long; style 30-37 mm long. Berry ca. 13 mm in diam.

Distribution: Endemic to Costa Rica and very rare; known only from the Central Valley (Alajuela and San José Prov.), where it is found in disturbed cloud forest, at elevations of 1000-1500 m. Flowering specimens have been collected in May and June, and fruitng in July.

Conservation Status: Rare and endangered.

Type: Costa Rica. San José: CR Hwy. 220, La Palma, 1460 m, 16 May 1973 (fl), Luteyn 3604 (neotype: NY; isoneotypes: DUKE, F). The holotype deposited at B was destroyed but is represented by fragments (NY) and in photo (F neg. 4684).