Psammisia amazonica Luteyn

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Psammisia amazonica Luteyn

  • Primary Citation

    Opera Bot. 92: 117. 1987

  • Type Specimens

    Specimen 1: Isotype -- V. Huashikat 1410, verif. J. L. Luteyn, 1995

  • Description

    Description: Epiphytic, climbing shrub, to 1 m tall, bearing a lignotuber in cultivation, glabrous throughout; stem terete striate, mature bark grey; twigs puberulent, young bark reddish-brown and exfoliating. Leaves coriaceous, with odor of wintergreen when crushed, elliptic, (3-)6-10 x (2-)3.5-6(-13) cm, base rounded and sometimes ± subcordate, apex rounded and sometimes retuse; 5-plinerved from near the base, midrib and lateral nerves impressed above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised on both surfaces but obscure; petiole terete, rugose, 3-5 mm long. Inflorescence axillary, solitary, racemose, 4-15(-25)-flowered; rachis subterete, 1-8 cm long; floral bract ovate, acute, 1-1.3 mm long, sometimes marginally glandular-fimbriate; pedicel subterete, angled, striate, 15-17 mm long, elongating to 28 mm after anthesis; bracteoles nearly basal, ovate, acute, ca. 0.7 mm long, glabrous, possibly glandular at base. Flowers with calyx 4-5 mm long, dark orange; hypanthium cylindric-campanulate, rugose, ca. 2 mm long, the base truncate; limb campanulate, 2-3 mm long and 7-8 mm diam. across the lobes; lobes broadly triangular, acute to bluntly acute, ca. 1.5-2 mm long, yellowish (fide label), each bearing dorsally one round, slightly concave, dark gland 0.2-0.4 mm diam., that secretes a "sugar" when young (fide label); sinuses broadly rounded; corolla thickly coriaceous, subglobose-urceolate, ca. 8-9 mm long and 7-8 mm diam., orange, the lobes triangular, ca. 1 mm long, purplish-black; stamen ca. 8 mm long; filaments connate, ca. 3 mm long, glabrous, attached to the thecae just below the middle, lacking spurs; anthers ca. 5-6 mm long, strongly laterally compressed; thecae ca. 3.5-4 mm long; tubules ca. 1.5 mm long, conical and tapering from a very broad base, dehiscing by subapical slits ca. 0.2-0.5 mm long near base of tubule; style ca. 7 mm long; nectariferous disc annular, thick, conspicuous. Berry spherical, ca. 15 mm diam., blue, without seeds (in cultivation).

    Distribution: Ecuador (Morona-Santiago Prov.) and Peru; rainforest at 180-700 m altitude. Rare.

    Type: Peru. Amazonas: valley of Río Santiago, ca. 65 km N of Pinglo, Quebrada Caterpiza, 2-3 km beyond the community of Caterpiza, 200 m, 28 Nov 1979 (fl), Huashitkat 1410 (holotype, MO; isotype, NY).

    Illustration: Luteyn (1996), fig. 11A-C.

    Cultivated: E.

  • Floras and Monographs

    Psammisia amazonica Luteyn: [Article] 1987. Opera Bot. 92: 117.