Vaccinium jefense Luteyn & Wilbur

Description

Description: Viney epiphyte or arching terrestrial shrub to 2 m tall; mature stems green becoming reddish-brown, drying brown, subterete, glabrous; bark thin, cracking into longitudinal strips; immature branches and twigs of the new growth subterete, glabrous to densely hirsute distally. Leaves coriaceous, entire, elliptic or ovate-elliptic, (4.5-)8-12(-13.5) x (2.5-)3-7 cm, basally rounded and cordate, apically acuminate, dark green above and paler beneath, drying olive to grayish-brown, glabrous above, sparsely to moderately hirsute beneath along the principal veins, the lower surface also with numerous minute glandular fimbriae; pinnately veined with 3 pairs of lateral nerves, the vines impressed above and raised beneath causing the leaves to be bullate, proximal 1-2 cm of midrib conspicuously thickened above; pseudostipules (bud scales) lanceolate, subulate, ca. 3 mm long, hirsute; petioles terete, rugose, hirsute, becoming glabrous, 5-9 mm long and 2-2.5 mm in diam. Inflorescence axillary but often appearing terminal, racemose or subcorymbose, 8-17-flowered, the rachis, pedicels, bracteoles, calyx and corolla totally green; rachis 1-1.5 cm long, subterete, reddish-brown, glabrous or sparsely hirsute, densely glandular fimbriate; floral bracts linear-lanceolate, 3-9 x ca. 1 mm, hirsute, glandular-fimbriate, conspicuously nerved; pedicels terete, striate, sparsely hirsute, densely glandular fimbriate, ca. 15 mm long and ca. 1 mm in diam., elongating to 26 mm after anthesis, articulate with the calyx; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 5-8 x ca. 0.5 mm, hirsute, glandular-fimbriate. Flowers with the calyx 7-9 mm long, sparsely to moderately hirsute and glandular fimbriate; hypanthium cylindric, 10-ribbed, slightly angled opposite the sinuses, 2-2.5 mm long and 2-3 mm in diam.; limb campanulate, 5.5-7 mm long including the lobes; lobes oblong to ovate, acute, 5-6 x 1.7-3 mm, often basally slightly imbricate, conspicuously nerved; corolla cylindric, 11-12 mm long and 5.5-7.5 mm in diam., sparsely hirsute and glandular-fimbriate especially on the surface of the lobes, the lobes triangular, ca. 3 x 3 mm; stamens 10, ca. 8 mm long; filaments distinct, ca. 3 mm long, broadest basally, marginally densely sericeous especially on the connective, translucent when fresh; anthers ca. 7 mm long, strongly curved inwards at the base; thecae granular, ca. 3 mm long, orangish-brown when fresh; tubules ca. 4 mm long, sparsely pilose, dehiscing by laterally oriented apical slits ca. 1.5 mm long, yellowish-brown; style included, glabrous, 9-10 mm long. Fruit not seen.

Distribution: Endemic to Panama, where it is found in premontane cloud forest. Rare.

Type: Panama. Panamá: Summit of Cerro Jefe, 1000 m, Luteyn & Kennedy 3955 (holotype, DUKE; isotypes, MO, NY).

Map Distribution

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