Macleania rupestris (Kunth) A.C.Sm.

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Macleania rupestris (Kunth) A.C.Sm.

  • Primary Citation

    Phytologia 1: 131. 1935

  • Basionym

    Thibaudia rupestris Kunth

  • Common Names

    chamburo, choglón, chupa lulún, colca macho, hualicón llucho, joyapa blanca, joyapita, tamadero, yurac joyapa, uva camarona, uvo, uva, quereme, sagalita, chaquilulo, cacagüito, joyapa, gualicón, uvito

  • Description

    Description: Epiphytic or terrestrial shrub 0.6-2 m tall, often with lianoid branches to 6 m long, rarely small tree, often with basal lignotuber to 1 m diam.; stem glabrous to rarely moderately puberulent; twigs glabrous to densely short-pilose with white hairs to 0.8 mm long. Leaves coriaceous, flat to rarely bullate, oblong, elliptic, ovate-elliptic to ovate, sometimes spatulate, (2-)4-8(-15) x (1.2-)2-5(-7.5) cm, base rounded to broadly cuneate, sometimes attenuate, very rarely subcordate, apex obtuse or rounded to acute, margin entire to rarely remotely but conspicuously crenate, slightly revolute, usually glabrous both above and below but occasionally puberulent or spreading short-pubescent on the lower surface near the base, occasionally sparsely punctate above; pinnately nerved with 3-4 arcuate-ascending lateral nerves per side, midrib, lateral nerves, and reticulate veinlets all slightly impressed above and raised beneath, the midrib sometimes conspicuously thickened and raised proximally; petiole subterete, sometimes carinate above, sometimes narrowly winged, rugose, 3-11 mm long, usually glabrous but sometimes short-pilose. Inflorescence axillary, short-racemose, (4-)10-20-flowered, glabrous throughout or occasionally moderately spreading short-pilose, surrounded at the base by a series of normally caducous (sometimes persistent), broadly ovate to oblong, obtuse, glabrous to short-pilose bracts to 4-8 mm long, the tips not reflexed; rachis usually stout and congested with overlapping swollen nodes, coarsely to sharply angled, (0.5-)1-1.5(-8) cm long, usually glabrous; floral bract persistent or deciduous, sometimes reflexed, deltate or ovate to oblong, obtuse, rarely acuminate, 2-5(-7) x 2-3 mm, glabrous, often ciliate, sometimes marginally glandular-fimbriate; pedicel subterete, ribbed to striate, (7-)10-24 mm long, glabrous to puberulent; bracteoles nearly basal to medial, broadly deltate to oblong, 1-2(-4) mm long. Flower clusters often pointing backwards; calyx glabrous to densely short-pilose, 5-7 mm long; hypanthium short-cylindric to cylindric-campanulate, terete or bluntly angled, striate to slightly rugose, 2.5-4(-5) mm long and 4 mm diam., the base rounded to truncate, deep red to crimson; limb spreading-campanulate, 2-5 mm long; lobes broadly triangular to oblong-ovate, acute to acuminate, 1-2.5 mm long; sinuses broadly rounded to acute when torn; corolla carnose, cylindric to somewhat cylindric-urceolate or bottle-shaped, narrowing distally, terete or pentagonal, rarely slightly zygomorphic, (11-)13-19(-24) mm long and 6-9 mm diam., glabrous or sometimes short-pilose, sometimes with glandular fimbriae distally, deep red or pinkish-red at base, paler or yellowish or white distally, the lobes deltate to oblong, acute, 1.5-3 mm long, pale red, pink to white, ciliate; stamen 10, 9-16 mm long; filaments distinct, 2-5.5 mm long, glabrous or marginally short-pilose distally; anthers 8-14 mm long; thecae 4-8 mm long, basally and apically incurved; tubules 2, laterally connate over entire length, rarely distinct nearly to the base, rarely appearing solitary, 3-6.2 mm long, dehiscing by clefts about 1/3-1/2 the length of the tubule; style usually long-exserted, (14-)20-30 mm long, glabrous. Berry spherical, glabrous, 12-15 mm diam., dark bluish-black.

    Distribution: Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador. and Peru; lower montane dry forest, premontane dry and wet forest, montane moist, wet and rainforest, subalpine rainforest, Polylepis forest, to humid páramo, at 2000-4267 m altitude.

    Type: Type. Ecuador. Loja: nr Loja and Alto de Pulla, Humboldt & Bonpland s.n. (holotype, P-Humb. & Bonpl.; isotype, B ex Herb. Humb. destroyed, =F neg. 4699 isotype; possible isotype, P). The P isotypes (two) are without number or data other than collected by Bonpland in Amerique Equatoriale; they are both M. rupestris. There is a photo in NY annotated by A. C. Smith in 1934 as "type photo"; but I am not certain this matches the P holotype sheet.

    Local names: Colombia: cacaguito, uva camarona; Ecuador: chamburo, chaquilulo, choglón, chupa lulún, colca macho, gualicón, hualicón llucho, joyapa (quichua name), joyapa blanca, joyapita, sagalita, yurac joyapa

    Uses: fruit edible, either sweet or insipid, and is sometimes found in marketplaces fresh and as jam; wood for fuel; branches as forage for cattle. Medicinally the fruit eaten fresh for lung trouble; decoction of fruit for the nerves; leaves as hot poultice on bruises. Visited by hummingbirds Eriocnemis luciani and E. mosquera (fide Bleiweiss 1125).

    Cultivated: ACAD, E, MO, NCSC, NY.

  • Floras and Monographs

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    Macleania rupestris (Kunth) A.C.Sm.:

    Macleania rupestris (Kunth) A.C.Sm.: [Article] Smith, Albert C. 1952. Plants collected in Ecuador by W. H. camp. Vaceiniaceae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 8 (1): 41-85.