Macleania popenoei S. F. Blake, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 35: 122.  1922.  Type.  Ecuador.  Loja:  Cordillera de Zamora, E of Loja, 2440-2745 m, 8 Apr 1921 (fl), Popenoe 1330 (holotype, US, NY fragment ex US, photo ACS neg. 62).

Macleania multibracteata Mansfeld, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 9: 436.  1925. Type.  Peru.  Huánuco:  Huallaga, between Chaglla and Muña, 2500 m, 30 Jun 1913 (fl), Weberbauer 6704 (holotype, B†;  lectotype, designated by Luteyn (1996), NY fragment ex B, photo ACS neg. 74;  isolectotype, F).

    Terrestrial shrub 2-5 m tall, sometimes sprawling or spreading, sometimes arising from lignotuber 30-50 cm diam.;  stem subterete, smooth and sinuous, nitid, glabrous;  twigs subterete, bluntly angled, smooth or striate, nitid, glabrous or short-pilose;  buds with bracts narrowly ovate-lanceolate and with tips usually long-acuminate and strongly reflexed.  Leaves coriaceous, elliptic, oblong, or ovate-oblong, (4-)7-18 x (1.5-)3-5(-9.5) cm, base rounded and sometimes short-attenuate to long-attenuate, apex obtuse to acute, sometimes rounded, margin subentire sometimes appearing remotely crenate, glabrous on both surfaces or rarely short-pilose especially along the nerves, also punctate due to deciduous, impressed glandular fimbriae;  pinnately nerved with 2-5 lateral nerves per side or rarely 3(-5)-plinerved with acuminate apices, midrib thickened and slightly raised in the proximal 1 cm then distally slightly impressed above, strongly raised beneath, lateral nerves slightly impressed above and strongly raised beneath, reticulate veinlets plane on both surfaces;  petiole subterete, flattened above, rugose, sometimes slightly winged, 6-20 mm long, glabrous or short-pilose.  Inflorescence axillary, short-racemose, 8-20-flowered, all parts essentially glabrous or short-pilose, surrounded at the base by numerous, imbricate, persistent, oblong to ovate, or narrowly ovate-lanceolate, acuminate to long-acuminate, ciliolate, scarious-margined bracts up to 13 mm long, often with tips reflexed;  rachis congested, subterete, coarsely angled, 6-15(-20) mm long;  floral bract often persistent and totally reflexed, broadly ovate to narrowly ovate, acuminate, sometimes abruptly narrowly triangular distally and long-acuminate, 2.5-8 mm long, densely ciliolate, margin scarious, base seemingly coriaceous and dark in color with the distal 1/2-3/4 membranous and lighter in color;  pedicel subterete, 5-10 mm long, rarely distally sparsely but conspicuously glandular-fimbriate at articulation;  bracteoles nearly basal, oblong or ovate, obtuse to distinctly short caudate-acuminate, ca. 3-3.5 mm long, ciliolate, glandular-fimbriate margined.  Flowers with calyx 4.5-7 mm long;  hypanthium obconical, rugose, 2-3 mm long and 3.5 mm diam., the base truncate;  limb spreading-campanulate, 2-4 mm long;  lobes broadly deltate to ovate, apiculate, 1.5-2.2 mm long, thin-margined, sometimes tearing irregularly;  sinuses rounded;  corolla cylindric-urceolate, 12-15 mm long and 4-5 mm diam., sometimes with coarse short glandular fimbriae distally, crimson to coral or pale pink toward base, pale distally, the lobes oblong, acute, 1.5-2 mm long;  stamen 10, 8-11 mm long;  filaments distinct, ca. 2-2.2 mm long, pilose at margins distally with hairs to 0.4 mm long;  anthers ca. 8-10 mm long;  thecae 3.5-6 mm long;  tubules 2, laterally connate with septa present or not then emptying into an apparent solitary tubule, ca. 3.5-4.5 mm long, dehiscing by clefts about half their length;  style slightly to long-exserted.  Berry cylindro-spherical, 20 mm long and to 15 mm diam.

    Distribution.  Ecuador and Peru;  montane cloud forest to subpáramo and páramo at 2530-3500 m altitude.

    Local name:  guayapa, joyapa.

    Uses:  fruits edible "sweet, but flat in comparison to real blueberries" (Camp E-3939).