Orthaea oedipus Luteyn

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Orthaea oedipus Luteyn

  • Primary Citation

    Nordic J. Bot. 7(1): 36. 1987

  • Type Specimens

    Specimen 1: Isotype -- J. L. Luteyn 10652, verif. J. L. Luteyn

  • Description

    Description: Epiphyte or terrestrial shrub with branches to 1.5 m long; stem and twigs terete to subterete, then bluntly complanate, striate, glabrous. Leaves coriaceous, sometimes bullate, ovate, elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, 5.5-13 x 1.5-5.5 cm, base obtuse or rounded, rarely short-attenuate, apex acuminate to somewhat abruptly caudate-acuminate, margin entire to slightly revolute, glabrous but also deciduously glandular-fimbriate on both surfaces leaving tiny reddish punctae; 5-plinerved from the base, midrib and inner pair of lateral nerves impressed above sometimes only slightly and conspicuously raised beneath, outer pair of lateral nerves and reticulate veinlets raised above sometimes conspicuously and raised but inconspicuous beneath; petiole subterete, conspicuously canaliculate above, rugose, 4-5 mm long, glabrous or with caducous glandular hairs ca. 0.2-0.3 mm long. Inflorescence axillary, racemose, 10-15-flowered; rachis subterete, complanate, sometimes ribbed, 5-11 cm long, setose-pubescent especially proximally with glandular-tipped hairs to 2 mm long, or rarely essentially glabrous and only sparsely setose-glandular-pubescent; floral bract caducous, not seen; pedicel subterete, striate, 13-45 mm long at anthesis, gradually expanded distally with the receptacle greatly swollen and becoming nearly the size and color of the mature fruit, glabrous; bracteoles basal, oblong, obtuse, 3-4 mm long, glandular pubescent. Flowers with calyx 6-9 mm long, glabrous (Ecuador) or moderately to densely glandular pubescent; hypanthium cylindric-campanulate, 3-5 mm long, basally conspicuously apophysate; limb campanulate, 3-5 mm long; lobes apiculate to ovate-apiculate (Ecuador) and then to 1.5 mm long due to splitting of limb; sinuses broadly rounded and nearly flat to acute (Ecuador) when splitting; corolla cylindric, slightly narrowed distally, ca. 34 mm long, white proximally and pink distally, pubescent with stout, flat, glandular-tipped hairs 2-3 mm long distally, the lobes deltate, acute, ca. 1 mm long; stamen alternately 7-8 mm and 9-9.5 mm long; filaments connate below, alternately 4-5.6 mm and 6-7 mm long, glabrous; anthers ca. 3.2-4 mm long; thecae ca. 2 mm long; tubules ca. 1.2-2 mm long, dehiscing by terminal pores; style glabrous, ca. 32 mm long. Berry (not fully mature) spherical, ca. 12 mm diam, turning purple.

    Distribution: Colombia and Ecuador, and known from fewer than 6 collections; wet evergreen forest, premontane to cloud forest at 600-800(-1360) m altitude. Rare and endangered.

    Type: Colombia. Chocó: Bolívar-Quibdó rd, ca. 37-40 km W of El Carmen, 671-1360 m, 21-22 May 1984 (fl, fr), Luteyn et al. 10652 (holotype, JAUM; isotypes, AAU, CAS, COL, NY, US).

  • Floras and Monographs

    Orthaea oedipus Luteyn: [Article] 1987. Nordic J. Bot. 7(1): 36.