Cavendishia complectens Hemsley, Biol. cent.-amer., Bot. 2: 272.  1881.  Type.  Costa Rica. Without location, Endres 257 (holotype, K, photo DUKE, NY; isotype, W).

        Epiphytic or terrestrial shrub to 2 m tall, glabrous throughout;  stem base ca. 3 cm in diam., stem and leaves often with odor of wintergreen;  mature branches erect or pendant, terete or bluntly angled, smooth or rugose-striate;  bark grayish- or reddish-brown.  Leaves subsessile, amplexicaul, oval to suborbicular, (5-)8-16(-18) x (4-)5.5-15(-17) cm, basally deeply cordate with lobes rounded and usually imbricate, apically obtuse to broadly rounded, rarely notched or bluntly cuspidate;  pinnately veined, midrib raised or impressed proximallly above, raised and conspicuous beneath, lateral nerves impressed or raised on both surfaces, arcuate-ascending but anastomosing to form a weak collective marginal nerve, veinlets slightly raised and obscure or conspicuous;  petioles subterete, rugose, to 5 mm long and 3 mm diam.  Inflorescence usually solitary but with as many as three rachises arising in the terminal axil, or rarely largest rachis once-branched at base, 8-80-flowered;  rachis terete to bluntly angled, swollen at each floral node, (1.2-)2-9(-20) cm long and 1-2.5 mm in diam. at anthesis (increasing to 3 mm diam. after anthesis), pinkish-green at anthesis but later turning purplish;  floral bracts coriaceous or membranaceous, flat or concave and then cucullate or oyster shell-shaped, ascending and often appressed to flowers at anthesis but spreading, perpendicular to, or appressed to rachis after anthesis, striate, smooth or becoming ribbed after drying, elliptic, ovate-lanceolate, obovate, or semiorbicular, 4-16(-20) x 5-10(-17) mm, basally narrowed and somewhat auriculate, apically acute or broadly rounded and then often splitting, dark pink to red, marginally scarious and glandular-fimbriate;  pedicels cylindric, minutely striate or rugose, 0.5-9(-11) mm long and 0.5-1 mm in diam., pinkish-green at anthesis later turning purplish;  bracteoles coriaceous or membranaceous, flat or concave and sometimes enveloping calyx, striate or smooth, oblong, lanceolate, spathulate or semiorbicular, 1-10 x (0.5-)1.5-10 mm, basally slightly auriculate, apically rounded or obtuse, marginally glandular-fimbriate, dark pink.  Flowers:  calyx 4-10 mm long;  hypanthium hemispheric, smooth or minutely muricate, 1-3.5(-6.5) mm long and 2.5-6 mm in diam., nonapophysate or with a very narrow basal rim, purplish-green; limb cylindric or campanulate, 2.5-6.3 mm long, pale green;  lobes reniform, broadly ovate, ovate-oblong, or oblong, imbricate, 1.5-5 x 1.5-4.5 mm, the tips flaring or erect at anthesis, connivent and tightly curling around base of style after anthesis, marginally glandular-fimbriate, whitish-green;  sinuses acute;  corolla cylindric or bottle-shaped and narrowed at throat, 6-12 mm long and 4-6.5 mm in diam. at widest part, completely white, or white at base grading to purplish-black in basal 1/4, then midsection green, and limb and lobes white;  lobes oblong, obtuse, 2-2.5 mm long;  stamens conspicuously unequal, 4.5-8.5 mm long;  filaments with few scattered hairs distally, alternately 2-3 mm and 2.7-4.3 mm long;  anthers alternately 2.5-7 mm and 2.2-6.5 mm long;  thecae 0.6-4 mm long;  style 6-9 mm long.  Berry 9-13 mm in diam.

        Distribution (Map).  Nicaragua southwards to Peru at elevations of 70-2100 m.
     

     Key to Subspecies of Cavendishia complectens

    1.  Floral bracts ascending at anthesis but spreading or perpendicular to
         rachis thereafter, membranaceous, smooth, the venation reticulate
         and    inconspicuous; calyx lobes broadly ovate to reniform (rarely
         oblong), broader than long, smooth with venation immersed, the tips
         spreading at  anthesis; Nicaragua to NW Colombia
                                                       .........................subsp. complectens
    1.  Floral bracts tightly appressed to flowers, coriaceous, conspicuously
         striate, the venetion parallel and strongly raised on both surfaces;
         calyx lobes oblong to ovate-oblong, longer than broad, striate (at
         least within) with venation raised, the tips usually erect at anthesis;
         central Chocó and N Antioquia Depts., Colombia to Peru
                                                         .............................. subsp. striata

    Cavendishia complectens Hemsley subsp. complectens.  Images:  Habit of floral buds.  Fruits. Line-drawing.

    Chupalon complectens (Hemsley) O. Kuntze, Revis. gen. pl. 2: 383.  1891.


        Leaves (5-)8-16(-18) x (4-)5.5-10(-13) cm.  Floral bracts membranaceous, smooth or becoming ribbed after drying, elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, flat, apically acute, (10-)11-16(-20) mm long, ascending at anthesis but spreading or perpendicular to rachis after anthesis;  pedicels (2-)4-9(-11) mm long;  bracteoles membranaceous, smooth, oblong, or lanceolate, (1-)3-4(-7) x (0.5-)1-2(-4) mm, flat;  calyx lobes reniform, broadly ovate, or rarely oblong, broadly imbricate, (1.5)2-3(-4) x (1.5-)3(-4.5) mm, spreading at anthesis.

        Distribution (Map).  Nicaragua to NW Colombia (Chocó Dept.), found in cloud or mossy forest, disturbed forest edge, remnant trees in pastureland, fence-row trees, thickets, and on weedy roadside slopes, at elevations of 800-1800 m.
     

    Cavendishia complectens Hemsley subsp. striata (A. C. Smith) Luteyn, Fl. Neotrop.  Monogr. 35: 120.  1983.  Cavendishia striata A. C. Smith, J. Arnold Arb. 27: 104.  1946.  Type.  Colombia.  Valle:  Cordillera Occiental, W slopes, banks of Río Digua, La Elsa, 1000-1200 m, 9 Nov 1943 (fl), Cuatrecasas 15306 (holotype, GH, photo NY neg. 9093; isotypes, F, NY, US, photo NY neg. 9092).

        Leaves (5-)8-16(-18) x (4-)5.5-15(-17) cm.  Floral bracts coriaceous, cucullate or oyster shell-shaped, appressed to the flowers at and after anthesis, striate, elliptic, obovate, or suborbicular, (4-)9-13 mm long, apically broadly rounded and often splitting;  pedicels 0.5-7 mm long;  bracteoles membranaceous or coriaceous, flat, concave, or cucullate often completely enveloping the calyx, usually striate, oblong or spathulate to suborbicular, 1.5-10 x 0.6-10 mm.  Calyx lobes oblong to ovate-oblong, usually narrowly imbricate 1.5-5 X ca. 2 mm, erect (rarely flaring) at anthesis.

        Distribution (Map).  W Colombia to N Peru, at elevations of 70-2100 m.

        Cultivated:  E.
     

     Key to Varieties of Cavendishia complectens subsp. striata

    1.  Inflorescence open, lax; floral bracts not covering entire calyx at
         anthesis; flower pedicels (1-)2.5-7 mm long; bracteoles oblong to
         narrowly ovate, flat with venation obscure, 1.5-4(-6) x 0.6-3 mm,
         shorter than pedicels or if longer then merely appressed to
         hypnathium; corolla usually white at base and apex with a dark
         purple band in the middle, rarely completely white; S Chocó
         (Colombia) to Peru ........................................................ var. striata
    1.  Inflorescence very congested, compact, cylindric; floral bracts
         completely concealing calyx and lower corolla at anthesis; flowers
         subsesile, the pedicels ).5-1.5 mm long; bracteoles spathulate to
         semiorbicular, cucullate, conspicuously striate, (4-)5.5-10 mm long
         and broad, longer than pedicels and     usually enveloping calyx at
         anthesis; corolla completely white; Cordillera   Occidental of NW
         Antioquia to central Chocó Depts., Colombia ............ var. cylindrica
     

    Cavendishia complectens Hemsley subsp. striata (A. C. Smith) Luteyn var. striata  Luteyn, Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 35: 120, figs. 48E-F and 49C-D.  1983.  Illustration:  Luteyn (1996), pl. 8.   Images:  Color slide. Line-drawing.

        Inflorescence relatively lax, open, the corollas and calyces usually discernible at anthesis;  floral bracts 4-11 x 6-8 mm, not completely covering calyx at anthesis;  pedicels (1-)2.5-7 mm long;  bracteoles oblong to narrowly ovate, flat, with venation obscure, 1.5-4(-6) x 0.6-3 mm, shorter than pedicels, or if longer, then merely appressed to hypanthium.  Calyx 5-7 mm long;  hypanthium 1-2.5 mm long;  limb (3.5-)3.8-5 mm long;  lobes (1.7-)2-2.8 x 2 mm;  corolla 6.2-8 mm long, white at base and apex, with a dark purple band in midsection;  style (4.5-)4.8-8 mm long;  stamens alternately 4.5 mm and 4.5-5 mm long;  filaments alternately 2-2.2 mm and 2.7-3 mm long;  anthers alternately 2.5-2.7 mm and 2.2-2.3 mm long;  thecae 0.6-1 mm long.

         Distribution (Map). Southern Chocó, Colombia to central Peru, at elevations of 70-2000 m.

        Local name:  hoja verde.

        Uses:  Cultivated at ABG, NCSC, NY.
     

    Cavendishia complectens Hemsley subsp. striata (A. C. Smith) Luteyn var. cylindrica Luteyn, Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 35: 121.  1983.  Type.  Colombia.  Chocó:  Medellín-Quibdó rd., km 153-154, 500-550 m, 5 Apr 1979 (fl), Luteyn & Lebrón-Luteyn 7227 (holotype, COL; isotypes, AAU, E, F, GH, HUA, L, MO, NY, P, QCA, TEX, US, plus 10 duplicates distributed by COL, photo NY neg. 10868).  Images:  Habit. Flower. Line-drawing.

        Inflorescence congested, compact, cylindric with floral bracts completely concealing calyx and lower part of corolla at anthesis;  floral bracts (7-)9-13 mm long and broad;  pedicels 0.5-1.5 mm long;  bracteoles spathulate to suborbicular, concave, cucullate, conspicuously striate (4-)5.5-10 mm long and broad, longer than pedicels and usually enveloping calyx (totally or partially) at anthesis.  Calyx 4-9 mm long;  hypanthium 1.3-2.7 mm long;  limb 2.5-6.3 mm long;  lobes 1.5-5 mm long;  corolla 7-11 mm long, completely white;  stamens subequal or alternately 8-8.2 mm and 8.3-8.5 mm long;  filaments alternately 2.5-3 mm and 3.8-4.3 mm long;  anthers alternately 6 mm and 5-5.3 mm long;  thecae 2-2.5 mm long;  style 8.2-9 mm long.

         Distribution (Map).  NW Antioquia and central Chocó Depts., Colombia, at  500-2100 m elevation.  This variety should be considered Rare and endangered.