Macleania cordifolia Bentham, Pl. hartweg. 223.  1846.  Illustrated: Eaton, Addisonia 18: 47, plate 600.  1934.  Type.  Ecuador.  Pichincha:  Hda. de Iraví, nr village of Perucho, Hartweg 1218 (holotype, K-Herb. Benth., photo NY neg. 10618;  isotypes, B†, BREM, CGE, FI, G, K-Herb. Hook., NY, OXF, P, W).  In 1931 A. C. Smith annotated the sheet in the Herbarium Hookerianum as "TYPE" (=holotype of current meaning) and the sheet in the Herbarium Benthamianum as "TYPE COLL." (=isotype).  As Bentham was the author of the species, I designated the specimen in his herbarium (i.e., Herbarium Benthamianum) as holotype.
     
    Macleania punctata W. J. Hooker, Curtis's Bot. Mag. 75: t. 4426.  1849.  Type.  Ecuador, Andes, Lobb s.n. (lectotype, designated by YEO (1967), K).

    Macleania speciosissima Hook.f., Curtis's Bot. Mag. 90: pl. 5453.  1864.  Type.  Colombia (?), Linden s.n. (holotype, K).


        Terrestrial shrub, often arising from a lignotuber;  stem terete, glabrous, pale brown;  twigs terete to subterete, striate to ribbed, glabrous.  Leaves coriaceous, ovate, elliptic-ovate, or oblong-ovate, (3-)4-10(-20) x 2-5(-9.5) cm, base cordate to subcordate, apex obtuse or subacute to nearly rounded, margin entire and slightly thickened, glabrous but sparsely to conspicuously punctate usually above;  5-7-plinerved from near the base, midrib thickened and slightly raised in the proximal 1 cm then distally plane to slightly impressed above, lateral nerves plane to slightly impressed above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised on both surfaces;  petiole subterete, broadly canaliculate above, rugose, 2-5 mm long, glabrous or short-pilose and glabrate.  Inflorescence axillary, short-racemose, 4-10-flowered;  rachis subterete, coarsely angled, congested, rugose, 0.5-1 cm long (sometimes elongating to 2 cm in fruit), glabrous;  floral bract ovate, acute to acuminate, 1.5-3 mm long, glabrous but marginally glandular-fimbriate;  pedicel subterete, striate, rugose, 8-18 mm long, glabrous;  bracteoles nearly basal, similar to floral bract but to 2 mm long, also often provided at base dorsally with 1-2 circular to oblong, concave, blackish, nectariferous glands.  Flowers with calyx 5.5-11 mm long;  hypanthium obprismatic, narrowly to broadly winged to sinuses, 3-8 mm long, glabrous;  limb campanulate, 2.5-3 mm long;  lobes apiculate, less than 1 mm long;  corolla cylindric to cylindric-urceolate, pentagonal, narrowed towards throat, 14-25 mm long and 4-10 mm diam., glabrous without but the throat densely white pilose within, the lobes oblong-ovate, acute, ca. 2 mm long;  stamen 9-11 mm long;  filaments connate into a tube, ca. 2-2.5 mm long, glabrous or puberulent;  anthers 7-9 mm long;  thecae 3.5-6 mm long;  tubules fused into one, 4-5 mm long, dehiscing by clefts 2-2.5 mm long;  style subequalling the corolla or exserted, glabrous.  Immature berry to 12 mm diam.

        Distribution.  Endemic to Ecuador;  cloud forest at (300-)1800-3356 m altitude.

        Uses:  fruits edible.  Visited by hummingbirds Adelomyia melanogenys, Colibri thalassinus, and Lesbianuna sp. (fide Bleiweiss 1102, 1105).