Ceratostema pubescens Luteyn, Sida 21(3): 1275, fig. 3. 2005. Type. Ecuador. El Oro: Manu-Chilla road, Km 36, 10 km W of Guanasan, 3°28’S, 79°33’W, 2600 m, 4 Oct 1996 (fl), G. P. Lewis et al. 2640 (holotype: NY; isotypes: AAU n.v., BRIT, COL, E n.v., K n.v., LOJA n.v., QCNE n.v.).

Coarse, terrestrial shrubs, sometimes semi-scandent, 2-3 m tall with stems to 10-12 cm diam., arising from lignotubers; mature stems somewhat contorted, erect or pendulous, subterete, coarsely and bluntly angled, densely short-pilose with whitish, simple trichomes, the bark grayish; twigs subterete, bluntly angled, striate, reddish-brown, densely pilose with whitish, simple trichomes to ca. 2 mm long; axillary buds with outer scales 2, valvate, pseudostipular, narrowly lanceolate, long-acuminate, 6-11.5 x 1.5-2 mm, carinate, short-pilose with whitish, simple trichomes. Leaves alternate, congested, petiolate, the blades coriaceous, flat to slightly revolute, sometimes slightly bullate, ovate, 4-10.5 x 2.5-6.5 cm, basally rounded and often subcordate, apically short-acuminate, glabrous to weakly short-pilose with whitish, simple trichomes adaxially and there also bearing multicellular-multiseriate, reddish, glandular-fimbriate trichomes, densely white pilose abaxially and there also reddish, glandular-fimbriate, discolorous (when fresh dark to yellowish-green adaxially and whitish-green abaxially, when dry olive-green adaxially and reddish-brown abaxially), the venation 3-5(-7)-plinerved with inner lateral nerves arising 1-2 cm above the base, the midrib thickened and raised in proximal 1 cm then plane to slightly impressed distally adaxially, raised and conspicuous abaxially, the lateral nerves plane to impressed adaxially and raised abaxially, the reticulate veinlets inconspicuous to obscure, weakly impressed adaxially and weakly raised abaxially; petioles subterete, rugose 4-10 x 2-4 mm, densely long-pilose with simple trichomes. Inflorescences axillary, racemose, pendent, to (10-)ca. 30-flowered; rachis persistent, subterete, bluntly angled, ca. 4-8 cm long, the proximal several (to 4) nodes bearing sterile bracts; floral bract 1, lanceolate, long-acuminate, 11-16 x 3-5 mm, the venation conspicuous, moderately short-pilose with simple trichomes, marginally glandular-fimbriate with multicellular, multiseriate trichomes; pedicel subterete, striate, 10-14 mm long, densely short-pilose with simple trichomes and also short-glandular-fimbriate with multicellular, multiseriate trichomes, articulate with calyx; bracteoles 2, alternate, located basally to distally along pedicel, similar to floral bract but 6-16 x 2.5-3 mm. Flowers 5-merous, pendulous; calyx 17-20 mm long, short-pilose with simple trichomes and also sometimes short-glandular-fimbriate with multicellular, multiseriate trichomes, the tube cylindric to obconic, terete in cross-section, 4-6 mm long, densely short-pilose with white to yellowish trichomes, the limb slightly spreading, 13-17 mm long, moderately short-pilose, the lobes membranous, concave, ovate, acuminate, 11-13 x 4-5 mm with venation conspicuous, the sinuses acute; corolla membranous (fleshy when fresh), weakly bistratose, broadly and bluntly pentagonal in cross-section, cylindric and only slightly expanded basally, 45-57 x 6-9 mm, red to scarlet when fresh, short-pilose with whitish to reddish simple trichomes, also short-glandular-fimbriate with multicellular, multiseriate trichomes, the lobes wide-spreading and slightly reflexed exposing the stamens, lanceolate, bluntly acute, 7.5-13.5 x 2-5 mm, green when fresh; stamens 10, nearly equaling corolla in overall length, alternately slightly unequal with each other, 45-51 mm and 46.5-53.5 mm long, the filaments distinct, alternately 9-11 mm and 9.5-13 mm long, glabrous, the anthers alternately 38-42 mm and 40-44 mm long, the thecae alternately 12-13 mm and 13-14 mm long, the tubules 2, alternately 25-29 mm and 28-31 mm long, distinct in distal 1/2-1/3, dehiscing by introrse, oblique, short clefts ca. 1.5-2 mm long; style shortly exserted, 48-59 mm long, glabrous, red to pink with green apex when fresh. Fruit a spherical, short-pilose berry at least 13 mm diam., apparently translucent pale greenish when mature.

Distribution. Endemic to Ecuador, where it occurs in rocky outcrops of “Southern Ecuadorean Scrub” vegetation along a very narrow and local cloud belt zone, at ca. 2600-3100 m. Common associates include Puya and Pitcairnia (Bromeliaceae), Macleania (Ericaceae), and lichen-covered boulders. Some corollas have holes at their bases made by nectar robbing birds. The fruit is said to be edible and a local common name is “salapa blanca grande.”

Ceratostema pubescens is characterized by having a coarsely shrubby habit, densely pubescent leaf blades, long and narrow bud scales that appear pseudostipular, multi-flowered and racemose inflorescences, elongate bracteoles, large calyces and corollas, terete calyx tubes, conspicuously veined calyx lobes, and bluntly 5-angled corollas with proportionately short lobes. In Luteyn’s (1996) key to the Ecuadorean species of Ceratostema, this species is found nearest C. fasciculatum Luteyn, which differs morphologically by its basally cuneate and short-attenuate leaf blades (vs. rounded to subcordate), fasciculate and 4-6-flowered inflorescences (vs. racemose and to 30-flowered), longer floral bracts (20-26 mm vs. 11-16 mm), longer bracteoles (15-24 mm vs. 6-16 mm), overall longer calyx (20-27 mm vs. 17-20 mm), shorter corolla (38-43 mm vs. 45-57 mm), shorter stamens (36-40 mm vs. 45-51 mm), and eastern slope geographical distribution (i.e., Zamora-Chinchipe vs. western slope El Oro). The exact phylogenetic relationship of the new species awaits further study.