Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub with branches to 3 m long;  stem terete or subterete, smooth, striate or ribbed, glabrous, nitid or glaucous;  twigs subterete to bluntly angled or complanate, ribbed or smooth, glabrous but with scattered, minute, reddish to black sessile, spherical glands 0.1 mm diam.  Leaves coriaceous to nearly membranous, elliptic, oblong, or lance-elliptic, sometimes obovate or oblanceolate, (6.5-)8-14(-17.5) x 2-5(-7) cm, base rounded to obtuse or cuneate, apex acuminate to abruptly caudate-acuminate with acumen 2-3.5 cm long, margin flat or revolute, glabrous to moderately hispid on both surfaces, minutely glandular-fimbriate but appearing punctate after fimbriae fall;  3-5(-7)-plinerved from base, midrib and lateral nerves conspicuously impressed above and raised beneath causing leaves to be bullate, or all nerves slightly raised above and prominently raised beneath;  petiole terete but often channeled adaxially, weakly rugose to smooth, glabrous, (4-)6-13(-16) mm long and 1-2.5 mm diam.  Inflorescence 4-14-flowered, surrounded at base by numerous, subcoriaceous, glabrous, ovate to oblong or obovate bracts to 60 x 40 mm;  rachis subterete, nodes congested, glabrous, 1-2.5 cm long and 4-5 mm diam. (the proximal (2-)4-8 mm peduncular in nature);  floral bract oblong, oblanceolate, rounded and often splitting, 35-50 x 15-28(-30) mm, margin scarious or glandular, glabrous, glossy white with a pink tinge or pink to dark rose-red;  pedicel subterete or sharply angled, thin or stout, 5-12(-15) mm long (elongating to 22 mm) and 1.5-3.5(-5) mm diam., distally swollen, glabrous but usually with scattered to dense, sessile or very short-stipitate, spherical glands 0.1-0.2 mm diam.;  bracteoles linear, (4-)6-14 x 0.7-1 mm, glabrous, marginally bearing subspherical glands the lower ones of which are often short-stalked, the upper sessile and fused around tip.  Flowers with calyx glabrous, 7-12.5 mm long, pink to red when  fresh;  hypanthium subcylindric, coarsely 10-ribbed, 2-4.5 mm long, strongly apophysate;  limb cylindric or slightly spreading, (3.5-)5.5-7.5 mm long;  lobes triangular, acute, (1.5-)2.5-3.8 x ca. 2 mm, erect after anthesis, marginally with each side bearing an oblong callose gland 1-2 mm long, these not continuous at tip, or rarely with several short-oblong glands proximally fusing into one long gland distally;  sinuses rounded;  corolla cylindric, glabrous, 27-38 mm long and 6-8 mm diam., white or tinged with pink, the lobes oblong-triangular, obtuse, 1-3 mm long, reflexed at anthesis;  stamen 23-38 mm long;  filaments with upper 2/3 short-pilose ventrally, alternately 2-4.2 mm and 7-10.2 mm long;  anthers alternately 21.5-32 mm and 16-26 mm long;  thecae alternately 12-17 mm and 8-10.5 mm long;  style 28-40 mm long.  Berry ca. 15 mm diam., blue-black.

    Key to Varieties of Cavendishia engleriana

1. Leaves basally rounded to obtuse, glabrous, 5(-7)-plinerved;  petiole
    (4-)8-13(-16) mm long;  floral bract 35-50 mm long, marginally
    eglandular;  pedicel 7-12(-15) mm long;  bracteoles to 14 mm long;
    calyx lobes (2-)2.5-3.8 mm long  ............................. var. engleriana
1. Leaves basally cuneate, moderately hispid on both surfaces,
    3-plinerved;  petiole 6-8 mm long;  floral bract 30-36 mm long,
    marginally densely glandular;  pedicel 5-8 mm long;  bracteoles 4-7
    mm long;  calyx lobes 1.5-2.5 mm long .................var. ecuadorensis
 

Cavendishia engleriana Hoerold var. engleriana

Cavendishia marginata A. C. Smith, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 28: 499.  1932.    Type.  Colombia.  Cauca: Cordillera Occidental, Micay Valley, La Gallera, 1400-2100 m, 29 or 30 Jun 1922 (fl), Killip 7691 (holotype: NY, photo NY neg. 9698).

Cavendishia dodsonii Luteyn, Brittonia 29: 181.  1977.  Type.  Ecuador. Los Ríos:  Km 12, Patricia Pilar-24 de Mayo rd, Montañas de Ila, 540 m, 30 May 1976 (fl), Dodson 6097 (holotype: SEL, photo NY neg. 9429).

    Distribution (Map).  Colombia and Ecuador;  tropical wet and rainforest, premontane rainforest, and montane wet forest at 90-2900 m altitude.

    Local names:  queremal, tabacco, silla quilla (Cayapa).

    Uses:  plant hung over bed of patient;  treatment of urination problems.
 

Cavendishia engleriana Hoerold var. ecuadorensis Luteyn, Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 35:  232, fig. 70.  1983.   Type.  Ecuador. Pastaza:  Puyo-Puerto Napo road, 14-18 km N of Puyo, 1000-1025 m, 25 Apr 1978 (fl), Luteyn & Lebrón-Luteyn 5824 (holotype: NY, photo NY neg. 10860;  isotypes: AAU, CAS, COL, E, F, GH, L, MEXU, MO, QCA, US).  Image:  Line-drawing.

    Stem glaucous, very brittle when fresh.  Leaves coriaceous, very hard and brittle when fresh, (6-)10-14.5(-18) x (1.2-)2-3(-3.5) cm, base cuneate, margin slightly revolute, moderately hispid on both surfaces with hairs 1-1.5 mm long;  3-plinerved;  petiole 6-8 mm long and 1(-2) mm diam.  Inflorescence bracts 25-32 x 15-24 mm;  rachis 1-1.4 cm long;  floral bract 30-36 x 15-24 mm, margin densely glandular with spherical, sessile glands ca. 0.2 mm diam;  pedicel 5-8 mm long and 1.5 mm diam.;  bracteoles 4-7 mm long.  Flowers with hypanthium 2-3 mm long;  limb 6-7 mm long;  lobes 1.5-2.5 mm long;  corolla 27-30 mm long;  stamen 23-27 mm long;  filaments alternately 3.2-4.2 mm and 9.2-10.2 mm long;  anthers alternately 21.5-23 mm and 16-18 mm long;  thecae alternately 12-13 mm and 9-10 mm long.

    Distribution (Map).  Ecuador and Peru;  rainforest to premontane cloud forest at 600-1230 m altitude.  Known from only two collections, and should be considered Rare and endangered.