Psammisia sodiroi Hoerold

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Psammisia sodiroi Hoerold

  • Primary Citation

    Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 42: 306. 1909

  • Common Names

    gualicón

  • Description

    Description: Epiphytic or terrestrial shrub with somewhat lianoid branches to 4 m long, usually completely glabrous throughout, rarely branches, lower leaf surface, and flowers short-pilose with spreading hairs; stem terete to subterete, bluntly angled, hollow, striate, glabrous; twigs subterete to complanate, bluntly angled, striate, glabrous. Leaves ovate-elliptic to lanceolate, (6-)13-23(-30) x (2-)3.5-8(-15) cm, base rounded or obtuse and sometimes narrowly revolute at very base, apex acuminate to long-acuminate, margin usually thinner than lamina proper, usually glabrous on both surfaces, rarely densely short-pilose along nerves beneath, usually also with scattered glandular fimbriae beneath, the lamina often papillose due to probably immersed hydathodes; pinnately-nerved with 4-6 lateral nerves, midrib and lateral nerves plane to slightly impressed above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised on both surfaces; petiole subterete, ± flattened also, rugose, 5-10(-18) mm long, glabrous. Inflorescence subfasciculate to short-racemose, 4-15(-20)-flowered; rachis congested, up to 10 mm long, glabrous; floral bract concave, ovate, acute, 2-4 mm long, glabrous; pedicel subterete, ribbed, 10-15 mm long, glabrous, rarely short-pilose, without glandular fimbriae, orange; bracteoles usually located along lower half pedicel, rarely apical, ovate, acute to acuminate, ca. 1-2.5 mm long, glabrous. Flowers with calyx 6-7 mm long, glabrous or rarely densely puberulent, without glandular fimbriae, orange; hypanthium cupuliform or campanulate to obconical, terete, often grading into the limb, 2-4 mm long, the base rounded; limb campanulate-spreading, ca. 3 mm long; lobes broadly ovate, apiculate, 1-2 mm long, the margin appearing torn or thin, often of a different color than rest of lobe; sinuses acute; corolla conical-cylindric, gradually narrowing to throat, 10-15(-16) mm long and 5-9 mm diam., glabrous, lacking glandular fimbriae, the proximal 2/3 orangish-red to dark wine red and the distal 1/3 green, the lobes strongly reflexed, oblong, obtuse to acute, ca. 2-3 mm long; stamen ca. 7-8 mm long; filaments distinct or slightly coherent at base, ca. 1.5-3 mm long, short-pilose distally, the connectives broad, thick, distally shortly to minutely but (usually) definitely spurred; anthers 6-7.5 mm long; thecae ca. 3.5-4 mm long, the base strongly incurved; tubules distinct, ca. 3-3.5 mm long, dehiscing by clefts ca. 1-2 mm long; style (long-)exserted, to 19 mm long, glabrous. Berry to 10 mm diam.

    Distribution: Colombia and Ecuador; tropical wet forest, premontane wet and rainforest, lower montane wet forest, to montane wet and rainforest, at 200-3000 m altitude.

    Type: Ecuador. Pichincha: Nanegal Valley, Sep [Jul] 1902 (fl), Sodiro 92/4b (lectotype, designated by A. C. Smith (1932), B?, photos F neg. 4700 and ACS neg. 152). Ecuador. Pichincha: Mindo, Aug 1871 (fl), Sodiro 92/12 (neolectotype, designated by Luteyn (1996), F fragment ex B).

    Local name: Ecuador: gualicón.

    Cultivated: ABG, E, NY.

  • Floras and Monographs

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

    Psammisia sodiroi Hoerold: [Article] 1909. Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 42: 306.