Psammisia kraenzliniana Hoerold, Bot. Jarb. Syst. 42: 308. 1909. Type. Ecuador: Cauzacito, Guanasa, Aug 1882, Sodiro 92/7 (holotype, B†, photo ACS neg. 108; lectotype, designated by Luteyn (1996), NY fragment ex B). There are two sheets at P, but they do not have locality data and the date is Mar 1887 which does not fit holotype.Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub with arching, lianoid branches to 3-6 m long; stem terete to subterete, smooth to ribbed, densely puberulent, glabrate; twigs subterete, bluntly angled, densely puberulent. Leaves coriaceous, elliptic- to oblong-lanceolate, (4.5-)11-18 x (1.5-)3-5(-9.5) cm, base obtuse to rounded and very shallowly subcordate, apex long-acuminate to somewhat caudate-acuminate, densely puberulent on both surfaces, (blade with glands at base beneath); 5-7-plinerved from near (to within 1 cm) base, midrib and lateral nerves impressed above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised on both surfaces; petiole terete, rugose, 3-10 mm long, puberulent. Inflorescence racemose (4-)10-16-flowered; rachis subterete, bluntly angled, striate, (4-)5-15(-23) cm long, moderately to densely puberulent; floral bract usually caducous, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 4-6(-8) mm long, puberulent; pedicel terete, striate to ribbed, (8-)13-30 mm long, puberulent; bracteoles located near middle of pedicel, lanceolate, acuminate, 3.5-4.5(-5) mm long, weakly puberulent, marginally glandular-fimbriate. Flowers with calyx 8-17 mm long, weakly to densely puberulent; hypanthium cylindric-campanulate, striate-rugose, 2-4 mm long; limb cylindric-campanulate, irregularly splitting (from bud) deeply into 3-4(rarely 5) lobes these sometimes bifid, 6-13 mm long; lobes oblong-ovate to triangular, acute, apiculate, (3-)4-8 mm long, usually strongly reflexed at anthesis; sinuses acute; corolla tubular, constricted in distal half, (14-)22-40 mm long and 7-11 mm diam., weakly to densely puberulent, distally glandular-fimbriate, basally yellowish-green at anthesis but soon turning orange and then red, the distal constricted portion pale yellowish-green at anthesis then turning to orange and then red, the lobes spreading, oblong-triangular, acute-acuminate, to 5-6 mm long, greenish; stamen 10-14 mm long; filaments distinct, 3.5-5 mm long, weakly to densely marginally distally puberulent, the connectives conspicuously spurred near the apex, the spurs wide-spreading; anthers ca. 8-8.5 mm long, the base strongly incurved; thecae 4.5-6 mm long; tubules distinct to base, very thick and shouldered apically, ca. 3.5-4 mm long, dehiscing by clefts ca. 2 mm long; style as long as or shortly- to long-exserted from corolla, glabrous. Berry spherical, ca. 20 mm diam., crowned by persistent calyx limb, green.Psammisia puberula Hoerold, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 42: 309. 1909. Type. Ecuador. Pichincha: nr Bolona, Sodiro 92/4 (holotype, B†, photos ACS neg. 150 and F neg. 4697; lectotype, designated by Luteyn (1996), NY fragment ex B).
Distribution. Endemic to Ecuador; tropical moist forest, lower montane wet forest to montane rainforest, at 450-3000 m altitude.
Cultivated: ABG, NCSC.
