Macleania mollis A.C.Sm.

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Macleania mollis A.C.Sm.

  • Primary Citation

    Phytologia 1: 132. 1935

  • Type Specimens

    Specimen 1: Holotype -- A. Rimbach 119, verif. A. C. Smith, 1934

  • Common Names

    gualicón

  • Description

    Description: Terrestrial shrub, to 4 m tall; stem terete, striate, glabrate; twigs subterete, complanate, bluntly angled, densely soft pilose with whitish to yellowish-white hairs ca. 1 mm long. Leaves coriaceous, ovate, ovate-ellitic, or broadly ovate, rarely suborbicular, (2-) 4-5.5(-6.5) x (1.3-)2.5-4.5 cm, base rounded and shallowly cordate or obtuse, apex obtuse or bluntly acute, rarely short-acuminate, margin entire and slightly revolute, pilose on both surfaces with soft white hairs, glabrate above, persistent to glabrate along nerves beneath; 3-5(-7)-plinerved from at or near the base, midrib usually impressed above but rarely thickened and raised in the proximal 1 cm then impressed distally, prominently raised beneath, lateral nerves plane to impressed above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised on both surfaces; petiole subterete, rugose, 2-5 mm long, densely pilose. Inflorescence axillary, fasciculate, 1-3-flowered, surrounded at the base by a few ovate, acute, pilose bracts to ca. 2 mm long; floral bract ovate, acute to acuminate, pilose dorsally, 2-3 mm long; pedicel subterete, ribbed, 1-5 mm long, pilose; bracteoles basal, broadly ovate, short-acuminate, ca. 2 x 2 mm. Flowers with calyx 4-6 mm long, pilose to densely short-pilose with white hairs ca. 0.4 mm long; hypanthium obconic, terete or 5-angled, 2.5-3 mm long; limb erect-spreading, 1.5-3 mm long; lobes deltate, acuminate, ca. 1.5-2 x 3 mm; sinuses obtuse to broadly rounded; corolla tubular-urceolate, bluntly pentagonal, 15-23 mm long and 5-7 mm diam. near base, red to coral red, pilose, the lobes spreading, oblong-ovate, obtuse to acute, ca. 2 mm long; stamen 10, equal, 9.5-11 mm long; filaments 3-4 mm long, glabrous; anthers 7-9 mm long; thecae 4.5-5 mm long; tubules 2, connate nearly to apex, equalling the thecae, 2.5-4.5 mm long, dehiscing by clefts ca. 1.3 mm long; style exserted or equalling corolla. Mature berry not seen, but spherical, glabrate, ca. 8 mm diam., glabrate, maroon when immature.

    Distribution: Endemic to Ecuador; cloud forest and elfin forest scrub, at 800-3050 m altitude. Rare and endangered.

    Type: Ecuador. Chimborazo: Near Riobamba, 1932, Rimbach 119 (holotype, NY, photo NY neg. 9988; isotypes, A, B, F, US).

    Local name: gualicón

  • Floras and Monographs

    Macleania mollis A.C.Sm.: [Article] Smith, Albert C. 1952. Plants collected in Ecuador by W. H. camp. Vaceiniaceae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 8 (1): 41-85.

    Macleania mollis A.C.Sm.: [Article] 1935. Phytologia. 1: 132.