1952] 



PLANTS COLLECTED IN ECUADOR 



59 



Ceratostema flexuosum (A. C. Smith) Macbr. Univ. Wyom. Publ. 11: 42. 1944. 



Periclesia flexuosa A. C. Smith, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 28: 357. pi. 7. 1932. 



The species upon which the genus Periclesia was founded is also seen to be 

 inseparable from Ceratostema, in view of subsequently described species of the 

 complex. The 4-merous flowers and connate filaments can now hardly be considered 

 of generic significance. The species remains known only from the type, Lobb 79, 

 of which the precise locality is uncertain. 



Ceratostema reginaldii (Sleumer) A. C. Smith, comb. nov. 

 Periclesia reginaldii Sleumer, Bot. Jahrb. 71: 400. 1941. 



Ceratostema macranthum A. C. Smith, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 29: 361. 1950. 



Azuay: The eastern Cordillera, 1-8 km. north of the village of Sevilla de Oro, 

 8,000-9,000 ft. elev., Camp E-4342, E-4619. "Oriented Border, Paramo del Castillo 

 and surrounding forested areas (crest of the eastern cordillera on the trail between 

 Sevilla de Oro and Mendez), 9,000-11,000 ft. elev., Camp E-722, E-485L Loja: 

 "Oriente" Border, crest of the Cordillera de Zamora, east of Loja, ca. 10,000 ft. 

 elev., Camp E-108. Santiago-Zamora: Eastern slope of the cordillera, <valley of 

 the Rlos Negro and Chupianza (on the trail from Sevilla de Oro to Mendez), Tambo 

 Chontal to Tambo Consuelo, 5,700-8,000 ft. elev., Camp E-1579. 



Field notes indicate that the species is diverse in habit, being a climbing 

 vine (sometimes epiphytic), an erect or spreading shrub, or a tree up to 6 m. high; 

 the leaves are deep green and shining above, paler and dull beneath; the inflo- 

 rescence parts are deep crimson to red, the corolla being somewhat paler within 

 and sometimes with salmon-pink lobes; the fruit is green or pale yellowish and is 

 noted as being eaten by birds. 



In recently proposing the new species C. macranthum I failed to consider the 

 description of Periclesia reginaldii, of which type material is not available to me. 

 However, a careful perusal of Sleumer's description indicates that the two species 

 are identical. Sleumer referred his plant to Periclesia because of the connate 

 filaments; these are, even in the type of C. macranthum and especially in some of 

 the Camp specimens cited above, firmly coherent in young flowers, becoming at 

 length essentially free. The type of C. reginaldii is R. Espinosa 785 , collected 

 near Loja. 



The six collections cited above form a remarkable accretion to the known material 

 of the species, -which, as might be expected, proves more variable than indicated 

 in the two previous descriptions. The following emendations should be noted. All 

 of the Camp collections prove to have a much more fugacious indument than de- 

 scribed for C. macranthum, or, indeed, they are essentially glabrous throughout. 

 The leaves and inflorescence parts (including calyx and corolla) are in the present 

 series glabrous at anthesis, or the calyx-limb may be puberulent only within. As 

 to leaf-shape, nos. 108, 4342, and 4851 are very similar to Steyermark 54311, the 

 type of C. jnacranthum. Numbers 722 and 4619 have leaf-blades more or less ovate 

 and rounded at base, attaining dimensions of 12 x 8 cm. The inflorescence, in the 

 Camp series , sometimes has as many as 15 flowers (although fewer usually develop) 

 and a rachis up to 22 cm. long. The pedicel-length is very variable, sometimes 

 15-75 mm. on the same specimen (e* g. no. 722). Slight extensions of floral di- 

 mensions may be noted as follows: Calyx sometimes as short as 30 mm. (25 mm. 

 on no. 1579) at anthesis, with lobes rarely as short as 10 mm.; corolla up to 55 

 mm. in length, with lobes up to 25 mm., these sometimes partially fused into 3 or 

 4 instead of 5; anthers up to 45 mm. (or perhaps more) in length, with thecae up 

 to 20 mm. The most extreme specimen of those cited is no. 1579, which has the 

 leaf-blades nearly lanceolate, 6-7 x 2-3 cm. (i. e. much narrower than usual), and 

 the calyx in young fruit comparatively short. 



