Calceolaria harlingii Molau

  • Authority

    Molau, Ulf. 1988. Scrophulariaceae Part I. Calceolarieae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 47: 1-325. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Scrophulariaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Calceolaria harlingii Molau

  • Type

    Type. Ecuador. Cañar: Above Rivera on road to Pindilig, forest remnants, 2800 m, 9 Mar 1985, Harling & Andersson 23000 (holotype, GB).

  • Description

    Latin Diagnosis - Frutex scandens, ramis divaricatis. Folia decussata, breviter petiolata; lamina subcoriacea, lanceolata, glabra, 3.8-5 x 0.8-1 cm, ad apicem acimunata, ad basin cuneata, margine dentato. Inflorescentia glabra. Sepala ovata, acuminata, sepalo dorsali maximo, 7.5-9.2 x 4.7-5.5 mm in anthesi. Corolla flava, labio superiore 7-8 x 6-7 mm, labio inferiore 8-10 x 7-8 mm; elaeo-phorus adest. Antherae fuscae, glabrae, 1.6-2.5 mm, totae dehiscentes; thecae divaricatae vel leviter deflexae, subglobosae. Stylus rectus, 3.2-3.5 mm. Capsulam maturam non vidi.

    Species Description - Scandent shrub, reaching several meters above the ground; stems and inflorescence glabrous, the branches divaricate. Leaves decussate, short-petiolate; blade subcoriaceous, lanceolate, 3.8-5 x 0.8-1 cm, attenuate at apex, cuneate at base, the margins dentate or denticulate, ± deflexed; upper surface deep green, slightly rugose; lower surface pale green, pinnate-venose; petioles 2-5 mm. Inflorescence diffuse, composed of one or two pairs of 4-8-flowered cymes, the primary peduncles often much suppressed, 0.1-1.5 cm long, the pedicels slender, 2-3.3 cm; cyme bracts present though often rudimentary. Sepals thin, green, ovate, acuminate, externally glabrescent, internally glabrous except for a short-tomentose border along the margins, the dorsal one largest, 7.5-9.2 x 4.7-5.5 mm at anthesis. Corolla type VI, uniformly bright yellow, unspotted, externally puberulous, the upper lip 7-8 x 6-7 mm, the lower lip 8-10 x 7-8 mm, saccate in 50-60% of its length; elaiophore present. Stamens type 2; anthers yellow-brown, glabrous, 1.6-2.5 mm, dehiscing throughout, the thecae subglobose, equal, divaricate or somewhat deflexed; filaments ca. 1 mm. Style straight, glabrous, 3.2-3.5 mm. Capsule not seen at maturity.

  • Discussion

    Calceolaria harlingii is a typical primary cloud forest species, and as such it may be endangered, at least in the future. It is unique within the section with regard to leaf shape and texture combination, and also with regard to corolla shape. The corolla type (VI) of C. harlingii was hitherto unknown in the section Polyclada.

    In the key to the species of sect. Polyclada, C. harlingii keys out together with C. chrysophaera. It is readily distinguished from the latter species by being almost glabrous, and by leaf-blade texture and corolla shape. The phenetic similarities with C. chrysosphaera in some characters does not entail a close phylogenetic relationship, and the two species probably belong to separate evolutionary lines within the section. The most closely allied species of C. harlingii seem to be C. discotheca and C. brachiata, both distributed in the N Andes (Ecuador and N Peru).

    Distribution and Ecology: Known only from two collections, taken in remnants of virgin cloud forest at the eastern slopes of the Andes of central Ecuador. This endemic may have a somewhat wider distribution than indicated by these two records, since the nearest 100 kilometers northward from the Pindilig-Rivera area are botanically almost unexplored.

  • Distribution

    Ecuador South America| Cañar Ecuador South America|