Psammisia chionantha Sleumer
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Family
Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)
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Scientific Name
Psammisia chionantha Sleumer
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Primary Citation
Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 45: 16. 1938
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Common Names
gualicó de montaña, kin-lui/.choa, quinlulo finchomo puga
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Description
Description: Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub, sometimes lianoid and high-climbing with branches to 3 m, glabrous throughout; stem terete, smooth, reddish-brown; twigs subterete, complanate, striate, nitid. Leaves rigidly coriaceous, ovate, ovate-elliptic, to oblong, (9-)12-21 x (3.5-)4.5-10 cm, base broadly cuneate to rounded, sometimes subcordate, apex acuminate to shortly cuspidate-acuminate, margin entire, lamina minutely glandular-fimbriate beneath, also with 1-2 pairs of circular, concave glands ca. 0.3-0.4 mm diam. at very base beneath; 5-plinerved with the inner pair of lateral nerves arising from near the base, midrib and inner pair of lateral nerves impressed above and conspicuously raised beneath, outer pair of lateral nerves obscure, reticulate veinlets slightly raised on both surfaces; petiole subterete, carinate, rugose, stout, 4-11 mm long and to ca. 2.5 mm diam. Inflorescence axillary, with corymbose racemes by elongation of lower pedicels, clearly pedunculate, the flowers congested distally, 6-14-flowered; rachis subterete to complanate and bluntly angled, striate, 5-8 cm long including peduncle; floral bract broadly ovate, acuminate, 2-3 mm long, marginally glandular-fimbriate; pedicel subterete, striate to ribbed, 1.5-4.5 cm long, elongating to 5.5 cm post-anthesis, deciduously glandular-fimbriate at articulation with calyx; bracteoles usually located just below middle, sometimes nearly basal, often subopposite, ovate to obovate, acute to short-acuminate, ca. 1.6-2 mm long, marginally glandular-fimbriate. Flowers with calyx 11-15 mm long; hypanthium turbinate to campanulate, often verrucose, ca. 4-5 mm long, the base often tapering to a short stipe; limb campanulate-spreading, 6-11 mm long, sometimes splitting irregularly and the lobes also bifid; lobes broadly ovate, apiculate, ca. 2-4 mm long, margins appearing torn; sinuses acute; corolla carnose, tubular, twice-constricted, the base inflated then narrowing twice gradually to throat, ca. 27-45 mm long and 8-9 mm diam. when dry but 14-17 mm basal diam. when fresh, lower 2/3-3/4 rose-red to dark red, upper constricted portion white, often glandular-fimbriate distally, the lobes spreading, elongate-deltate, obtuse to acute, ca. 4-9 x 2.5 mm, white; stamen 13-15 mm long; filaments distinct, ca. 5-7 mm long, puberulent on inner surface, the connectives broader than filaments, spurred, the spurs alternately very conspicuous and then strongly recurved to not conspicuous, sometimes connectives merely apically shouldered; anthers coarse, ca. 11-11.5 mm long; thecae ca. 7-8 mm long, the base tapering and sometimes strongly incurved; tubules seemingly connate in proximal half, ca. 3-4 mm long, dehiscing by clefts ca. 2 mm long; style exserted. Berry spherical, conspicuously crowned by persistent calyx limb, ca. 20 mm diam., apparently green with the limb portion reddish.
Distribution: Endemic to Ecuador (Colombia ?); tropical moist and wet forest to premontane rainforest, at 50-1460 m altitude.
Type: Ecuador. Pichincha: San Carlos de los Colorados, 150 m, 16 Jun 1936 (fl), Schultze-Rhonhof 2067 (holotype, B?; lectotype, designated by Luteyn (1996), K; photo NY neg. 10616).
Illustration: Luteyn (1996), plate 1.
Local names: Ecuador: gualicó de montaña, Kin-lui/.choa (Cayapa), quinlulo finchomo puga (Cayapa).
Uses: Flowers edible with salt.
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Floras and Monographs
