? Ceratostema speciosum André, Illustr. Hort. 17: 52, pl. 9. 1870. Pellegrinia speciosa (André) Sleumer, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 12: 288. 1935. Plutarchia speciosa (André) A. C. Smith, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 63: 312. 1936. Type. Ecuador. Loja: Wallis s.n. (holotype unknown).Terrestrial or scandent, epiphytic shrub to 3 m tall, sometimes arising from lignotuber; stem terete, the bark cracking longitudinally, puberulent to glabrate; twigs terete to subterete, bluntly complanate, striate, densely to moderately short-pilose with white hairs 0.3-0.5 mm long, glabrate; buds scales narrowly triangular, aristate, 2-5 mm long. Leaves subcoriaceous, ovate, elliptic-ovate, or oblong-ovate, 2.5-6.5(-8) x 1-4 cm, base rounded, sometimes subcordate, apex obtuse or rounded to subacute, rarely acuminate, margin flat or recurved, entire, glabrous or more normally pale puberulent to short-pilose on both surfaces when young becoming glabrate above and glabrate to persistently short-pilose beneath, also sparsely glandular-fimbriate especially beneath, midvein often drying a conspicuously lighter color than lamina; pinnately nerved with 3-5(-7) pairs of nerves per side, rarely these oriented nearer the base causing the leaves to appear plinerved, midrib and lateral nerves plane or slightly raised or infrequently impressed above, only midrib conspicuous, raised beneath but there inconspicuous, reticulate veinlets slightly raised above and raised beneath but inconspicuous on both surfaces; petiole subterete, flattened above, rugose, 2-5(-8) mm long, densely short-pilose, glabrate. Inflorescence axillary, short-racemose, 2-4-flowered, surrounded at the base by a few ovate, acuminate, short-pilose bracts to 3 mm long; rachis sharply angled, 0.4-1.7 cm long, densely short-pilose with white hairs 0.2--0.3 mm long; floral bract deltate, acuminate, 1.5-4 x ca. 2 mm, dorsally short-pilose, margin glandular-fimbriate, sometimes persistent; pedicel subterete, sharply angled to ribbed, 10-18 mm long, densely to sparsely short-pilose; bracteoles nearly basal, similar to floral bract. Flowers with calyx 10-15(-20) mm long, short-pilose; hypanthium obconic, strongly 5-angled (or appearing winged when dried), 4-5.5(-8.5) mm long, white villose; limb erect or spreading, lobed nearly to the base, 5-10(-11.5) mm long, sparsely short-pilose, sometimes inconspicuously glandular-fimbriate; lobes ovate-deltate, conspicuously veined, acute to acuminate, 4-8(-10) x 4-6 mm; sinuses acute; corolla cylindric, carnose, broadly and bluntly 5-angled with deep furrows between angles (especially conspicuous when fresh), (22-)34-50 mm long and 7-10 mm basal diam., not basally ventricose but broadening at throat, red to crimson with yellow to yellowish-green apices, short white pilose, the lobes elongate-deltate, acute, (4-)5.5-10 mm long; stamen 10, alternately slightly unequal, equal to corolla, (22-)40-42 mm long; filaments distinct, 3-6 mm long, glabrous; anthers (21-)30-42 mm long; thecae (8-)11-19 mm long, the base subacute; tubules fused half to entire length, (13-)21-25 mm long, longer than the thecae, dehiscing by oblique pores 0.5-1 mm long; style subequalling the corolla or slightly exserted, 41-45 mm long, glabrous; nectariferous disc cupuliform, fleshy, glabrous. Berry not seen.
Distribution. Endemic to Ecuador, and known
from only 15 collections; montane wet forest and elfin scrub at 2360-3200
m altitude. Rare.