Ceratostema megabracteatum Luteyn

Description

Description: Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub to 3 m tall from single stem up to 5 cm diam.; stem and twigs terete to subterete, somewhat striate, densely short-pilose with white to gray trichomes. Leaves coriaceous, amplexicaul, ovate, ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, broadest at the base or in the middle, then noticeably constricted below the middle with a shallow sinus on each side, (5-)8.5-15 x (2.5-)5-8 cm, base cordate-auriculate with rounded auricles, apex acuminate with the apex itself acute, margin entire, yellowish- or brownish-green when dry, sparsely short-pilose along the nerves above and densely soft-pilose with solitary hairs and fascicles of 4-6 hairs beneath; pinnately nerved or weakly plinerved with 3-5 lateral nerves per side, midrib, lateral nerves and reticulate veinlets impressed above, midrib and lateral nerves conspicuously raised beneath; buds lanceolate, (12-)22-25 mm long; petiole subterete, densely short-pilose, up to 5 mm long and 3 mm diam. Inflorescence axillary, racemose, pendent, 10-25-flowered; rachis bluntly angled, ca. 5-9 cm long, pale yellowish-green, densely woolly with white or cream-colored trichomes; floral bracts persistent, covering the flowers at anthesis, membranous, noticealbly reticulate veined, lanceolate, (45-)60-70 x 15-20 mm, pale yellowish-green suffused with red at the base, densely woolly as rachis; pedicel 10-12(-17) mm long and 3-4 mm diam., pale yellowish-green; bracteoles located midway up the pedicel, similar to floral bracts but 35-45 x 10 mm. Flowers with calyx (22-)25-35 mm long; hypanthium cylindrical, coarsely 10-ribbed, densely woolly, 5-7 mm long, dark green; limb erect, sparsely pilose, 16-30 mm long, pale yellowish-green suffused with red; lobes lanceolate, 15-25 x 4-5 mm, erect after anthesis; sinuses acute; corolla cylindrical and very fleshy (2 mm thick at base) when fresh, slightly swollen basally, densely short-pilose with white trichomes, 45-50 mm long and 10-12 mm diam. at middle (ca 15 mm diam. at base), dark pinkish-red, lobes lanceolate, spreading at anthesis (15-)17-20 mm long, purplish-black within; stamen 10, equal, 42-43 mm long; filaments distinct, glabrous, 7-8 mm long, golden-yellow; anthers 37-38 mm long, golden-yellow; thecae coarsely granular, 15-16 mm long; tubules slender, about half the diameter of thecae, ca. 22 mm long, dehiscing by oblique, oval pores 1-1.2 mm long. Berry blue-black.

Distribution: Endemic to Ecuador, and known only from about 10 collections; cloud forest at 1850-2240 m altitude. Rare and possibly endangered.

Notes: It was also noticed that the pith of the stem of C. megabracteatum disappear with age and thereby provide a home for tiny, black, non-biting ants. The species is locally common in the remnant forests and pasturelands around Cosanga.

Type: Ecuador. Napo: Baeza-Tena road, 1-5 km SE of Cosanga, 2030-2175 m, 6 Apr 1978 (fl, fr), Luteyn & Lebrón-Luteyn 5676 (holotype, NY; isotpes, AAU, L, MO, QCA, US).

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