Anthopterus wardii Ball, Hooker Icon. Pl. 15: 1465.  1884. Thibaudia wardii (Ball) Hoerold, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 42: 274.  1909.  Type.  Colombia.  Valle: Buenaventura, near sea level, Ward s.n. (holotype: K-Herb. Hook., photo NY neg. 10613).  Images: Flowers.  Line-drawing.
     
      Anthopterus bracteatus A. C. Smith, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 32: 409.  1932.  Type.  Colombia.  Cauca:  Timbiquí, above Popayán, Lehmann BT949 [holotype: NY;  isotypes:  K(2x)].


         Epiphytic, scandent shrub with branches to 10 m long or sometimes terrestrial with arching branches;  stem terete to subterete, striate, glabrate;  twigs terete to bluntly angled, striate, puberulous.  Leaves alternate, elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 4-10 x 1.5-3.5 cm, base cuneate and obtuse or rounded to subcordate, apex acuminate, puberulous proximally along the midrib above, glabrous elsewhere, margin entire and slightly revolute, usually drying brown;  3-5(-7)-plinerved from near the base, midrib and lateral nerves impressed above and prominently raised beneath, reticulate veinlets plane to impressed above and raised beneath;  petiole subterete, flattened above, 3-5 mm long, puberulent.  Inflorescence axillary, racemose with usually 2-10 flowers, thin and delicate in appearance;  rachis subterete to bluntly angled, 1.2-4 cm long, pale green, glabrous but with scattered glandular fimbriae along length;  floral bract oblong-lanceolate, long-acuminate, ca. 3 mm long, pale green, glabrous but with scattered glandular fimbriae along margin;  pedicel subterete, striate, 10-15 mm long, orange to reddish-orange, glabrous but with scattered glandular fimbriae; bracteoles similar to floral bract but ca. 2 mm long.  Flowers glabrous with calyx 8-10 mm long, orange to reddish-orange, with scattered glandular fimbriae;  hypanthium obprismatic, ca. 5-6 mm long, the wings ca. 2-2.5 mm wide, conspicuously veined;  limb subspreading, 5-6 mm long;  lobes triangular-ovate, sharply acute, ca. 2 mm long, conspicuously veined;  sinuses obtuse;  corolla membranous when dry, somewhat obovate-urceolate with the wings widest above the middle, ca. 10-13 mm long and 10-12 mm in diam. at the widest point, narrowing towards the base and conspicuouly contracted at the throat, the semi-ovate wings 2-5 mm wide, bearing scattered glandular fimbriae, orange to reddish-orange to the throat where turning green, the lobes ovate, obtuse, 1-2 mm long, white;  stamen shorter than corolla, 7-10 mm long;  filaments essentially distinct but lightly connate for about 1/2 their length, somewhat sigmoid, ca. 4 mm long, with eddish, clavate, glandular hairs dorsally towards the apex;  anthers 4-6 mm long;  thecae mucronate at base where also seemingly lightly coherent, 2-3.5 mm long;  tubules about equalling the thecae, 2-3 mm long, dehiscing by introrse clefts about 1/2 or more the length of the tubule;  stigma truncate.  Berry blue.

         Distribution.  Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador;  mangrove swamps to premontane (rain or moist) forest at sea level to 1600 m altitude.

         Vernacular name:  aengue mishito.

         Uses:  used as a cure.  Cultivated at ABG, E, NCSC, NY, UC.