Cavendishia melastomoides (Klotzsch) Hemsl.

Description

Description: Epiphytic or rarely terrestrial shrub, 0.5-3 m tall, usually with pendulous branches; stem base 1-7.5 cm in diam.; mature branches pendent, terete, smooth, glabrous and often appearing glaucous, red or green suffused with red when fresh, but drying tan to reddish-brown; bark gray; twigs subterete, bluntly angled, striate, glabrous or rarely sparsely short-pilose, provided with tiny, reddish, caducous glands. Leaves lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate, or elliptic, 3-8.5(-10) x (1-)1.5-4 cm, basally rounded, truncate, or cuneate, apically long-acuminate or caudate-acuminate, glabrous or rarely short-pilose then becoming glabrate; 3(-5)-plinerved, midrib impressed and prominent above or somewhat plane distally, raised and conspicuous beneath, lateral nerves slightly raised on both surfaces or rarely impressed above, obscure or conspicuous beneath, veinlets slightly raised on both surfaces but more or less obscure; petioles subterete, flattened adaxially, rugose, (3-)4.5-9 mm long and 0.5-1.5 mm in diam., glabrous or densely short-pilose becoming glabrate. Inflorescence usually with all parts viscid, (4-)6-10(-18)-flowered (with lowest 1-4 nodes often sterile); rachis subterete or bluntly angled, sometimes ribbed, glabrous, (2-)3-8(-15) cm long and 1-1.5 mm in diam., pale green to pink, often provided with few to many, red, sessile or short-clavate glandular fimbriae; floral bracts often caducous, often translucent when fresh, smooth or ribbed when dry, oblong, oblanceolate, or elliptic rarely semiorbicular, 4-22 x 3-12 mm, basally cuneate or truncate, slightly clasping, apically acute or rounded, often apiculate and glandular-callose, rarely emarginate, with minute, red, clavate, glandular fimbriae abaxially, glabrous, rose to pale green often then with pinkish margins or entire bract turning pink with age; pedicels striate, ribbed, glabrous, (7-)10-21(-27) mm long and 0.4-1 mm in diam., pale green to pinkish-green, often provided with either seesile or clavate, reddish glandular fimbriae; bracteoles positioned basally to ca. midway up pedicel, smooth or conspicuously nerved, ovate, ovate-lanceolate and often cochleariform, or semiorbicular, 1-5 x 0.5-6 mm, apically acute and glandular-callose in distal 1/3-1/2, or rounded with glandular-callose apiculum, green or pinkish-green. Flowers: calyx glabrous, (3-)4.5-7.5 mm long, dark pink or red at anthesis later turning green; hypanthium smooth or rugose, 5-angled or ribbed, 1-2(-3) mm long, basally broadly apophysate with apophysis margin deeply 5-lobed and perpendicular to calyx axis or somewhat ascending; limb cylindric or somewhat spreading, smooth or rugose, often conspicuously striate, (2-)2.5-5(-6.5) mm long; lobes triangular, (0.5-)1-1.5 mm long, erect after anthesis, completely glandular-callose, usually dark green or reddish-green at anthesis; sinuses obtuse or broadly rounded and almost flat; corolla cylindric, slightly narrowed at throat, sometimes curving upwards distally, viscid or not, 16-41 mm long and 3-7 mm in diam., glabrous or weakly pilose distal 1/2, tube dull white, blue, or dark reddish-maroon, lobes triangular, obtuse, 1-2.5 mm long, erect to reflexed at anthesis; stamens 16-34.5 mm long; filaments glabrous or pilose, alternately 2.5-6 mm and 5.5-12.5 mm long; anthers alternately 14-32 mm and 11.5-25 mm long; thecae 3-8 mm long; style 18.5-40 mm long. Berry 11-14 mm in diam.

Distribution: Costa Rica and western Panama, at elevations of 950-2800 m.

Type: Costa Rica. Heredia: 3 km beyond Cerro Redondo (La Cruz), E slopes Volcán Barba, 1890-2020 m, 22 May 1972 (fl), Luteyn 2980 (neotype: NY; isoneotypes: CAS, DUKE, E, F, GH, LL, MICH, MO, MSU, US, WIS). The lectotype cited by Smith (1932) and Luteyn (1976), Warszeqica s.n. from Costa Rica, deposited at B, was presumably destroyed. No other original material is known although the Warszewicz collection is represented in photo (F neg. 4668 and ACS neg. 177).

Key to Varieties of Cavendishia melastomoides: 1. Corolla (19-)26-41 mm long, reddish-maroon or blue. 2. Rachis and pedicels usually densely glandular-fimbriate; floral bracts apically rounded or acute; bracteoles lanceolate or narrowly ovate-lanceolate, glandular-callose i distal 1/3-1/2; corolla reddish-maroon; Costa Rica ............. var. melastomoides 2. Rachis and pedicels usually with only a few,scattered glandular fimbriae or none; floral bracts apically slightly notched and callose-apiculate; bracteoles broadly ovate to semi-orbicular, callose-apiculate; corolla blue; Panama ........... var. coloradensis 1. Corolla 16-20 mm long, white .............. var. albiflora