Tepuia intermedia Steyerm.

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Tepuia intermedia Steyerm.

  • Primary Citation

    Acta Bot. Venez. 2: 303, Fig. 22. 1967

  • Type Specimens

    Specimen 1: Isotype -- J. A. Steyermark 93980

  • Description

    Description: Shrub 0.5-1.5 m tall; mature stems terete to subterete, striate, minutely verrucose, short-pilose with whitish to grayish-white or ferruginous, curled hairs, glabrate; twigs subterete, bluntly angled, densely short-pilose as stems. Leaves thick-coriaceous, basically flat, elliptic-ovate, (1.5-)3-5.5 x (0.8-)1.3-2.5 cm, base obtuse or rounded, short-decurrent, apex acute and shortly and bluntly mucronate or obtuse to rounded, margin entire, narrowly revolute, bearing 1-2 pairs of pustular glands at base of lamina or onto petiole, glabrous above, densely tomentose, rarely glabrate, beneath with whitish-gray to ferruginous hairs obscuring most of the surface except the veins; pinnately nerved with midrib impressed above and raised beneath, lateral nerves (3-5 per side) and veinlets impressed above and raised beneath, ± conspicuous on both surfaces; petiole stout, subterete, narrowly canaliculate above, rugose, 3-7 mm long, pubescent as stems. Inflorescence (once-branched at base) 3-5-flowered; rachis, pedicels, floral bracts, and bracteoles densely short-tomentose with whitish to ferruginous hairs, glabrate; rachis stout, terete, 1-2(-5) cm long; floral bract concave, ovate, 1.5-2(-3) mm long (leaf-like, oblong, to ca. 5 mm long), obtuse; pedicel subterete (angled), 3-9 mm long; bracteoles broadly ovate, 2-3 mm long, acute or obtuse. Flowers with calyx 7-8 mm long, lobes ovate, 5.5-6 mm long, acuminate, densely short-pilose with ferruginous hairs over whole length or distal half to glabrate without, short-pilose distally within; corolla 10-11 mm long, densely short-pilose along the wings but glabrous in between, rose to scarlet when fresh, lobes broadly deltoid, 3-4 mm long, acute; stamens 6-8 mm long; filaments 4-6 mm long; anthers 2.5-3 mm long, base short-mucronate; thecae 1.5-2 mm long; tubules ca. 1 mm long; ovary densely long-pilose with ferruginous hairs obscuring the surface; style ca. 5.5 mm long, glabrous or distally sparsely long-pilose. Berry known only as immature, spherical, at least 8 mm diam., sparsely long-pilose.

    Distribution: Endemic to the Venezuelan Guayana and known only from the southern parts of Auyán-tepui, in low, shrubby vegetation over rocky soils, at elevations from 1800 to 2300 m. Flowering specimens have been collected in May, Aug, and Dec, and early fruiting in Aug.

    Type: Venezuela. Bolívar: Auyán-tepui, slopes below "El Libertador" monument, 2050-2300 m, 15 May 1964 (fl), Steyermark 93980 (holotype, VEN; isotypes, F, photo F neg. 59565, NY, photo NY neg. 10128, US, photo NY neg. 12216).

    Conservation status: Rare and endangered.

  • Floras and Monographs

    Tepuia intermedia Steyerm.: [Article] Luteyn, James L., et al. 1995. Ericaceae, Part II. The Superior-Ovaried Genera (Monotropoideae, Pyroloideae, Rhododendroideae, and Vaccinioideae P.P.). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 66: 560.

    Tepuia intermedia Steyerm.: [Article] Maguire, Bassett. 1978. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part X. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 29: 1-288.