Sphyrospermum majus Grisebach, Fl. Brit. W.I. 143. 1859. Sophoclesia major (Grisebach) Bentham & Hooker f., Gen. Pl. 2: 576 (1876). Type. Trinidad, Cruger 27 (holotype: K).Sophoclesia subscandens Klotzsch, Linnaea 24: 30. 1851. Type. Venezuela, Moritz 1338 (holotype, B, n.v.; frag. & photo NY).
Sophoclesia ovata Klotzsch, Linnaea 24: 30. 1851. Type. Venezuela, Moritz 1340 (holotype: B, n.v.; frag. NY).
Sophoclesia flaccida Seemann, Bot. Voy. Herald 164. 1854. Type. Panama, Darién, Seemann s.n. (holotype: K; frag. NY).
Sophoclesia cordifolia (Bentham) Klotzsch var. normalis O. Kuntze, Rev. gen. pl. 2: 384. 1891. Type locality: Costa Rica.
Sophoclesia robusta Rusby, Descr. S. Amer. Pl. 77. 1920. Type. Bolivia, Bang s.n. (holotype: NY).
Sophoclesia trinitensis Britton, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 48: 335. 1922. Type. Trinidad, Britton et al. 1316 (holotype: NY).
Sophoclesia domingensis Urban & Ekman, Ark. Bot. 21A(5): 54. 1927. Type. Haiti, Ekman 5219 (holotype: B, n.v.; frag. & photo NY).
Vaccinium valerii Standley, Fieldiana, Bot. 18: 884. 1938. Type. Costa Rica, Standley & Valerio 51853 (holotype: F). Themistoclesia valerii (Standley) Sleumer, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 71: 390. 1941.
Terrestrial or epiphytic shrublet, mostly
2-6 dm tall, branches pendent, arching, or scandenty; stem subterete,
striate, glabrate; twigs subterete, ribbed or striate, densely to
moderately spreading puberulent, glabrate. Leaves coriaceous, ovate
to ovate-lanceolate, (1-)2-3.5(-5) x 0.8-)1.5-2.5(-3) cm, base rounded,
subcordate, or broadly obtuse, apex obtuse or rounded to acute, sometimes
shortly but bluntly acuminate, margin entire and slightly recurved, moderately
short-pilose with white hairs on both surfaces, glabrate, usually also
appressed glandular-fimbriate beneath with fimbriae ca. 0.1 mm long;
3(-5)-plinerved from the base, midrib and lateral nerves often impressed
above (sometimes raised) and raised beneath, often all but midrib obscure
beneath, reticulate veinlets usually slightly raised but obscure;
petiole terete, rugose, 1-2(-3) mm long, glabrous to pilose. Inflorescence
axillary, flowers 1(-2) per axil, sometimes extending beyond the leaves;
floral bract ovate, obtuse, ca. 0.3 mm long, pilose; pedicel terete,
(10-)15-25 mm long, pilose or glabrous, also often with inconspicuous,
appressed, glandular fimbriae; bracteoles nearly basal, minute, oblong-aristate,
ca. 0.4 mm long, pilose. Flowers 4-5-merous, with calyx ca. 3 mm
long, usually moderately to densely spreading pilose, occasionally sparingly
so or glabrous, usually also appressed glandular-fimbriate; hypanthium
subglobose or thickly fusiform to shortly cylindric, 1-1.5(-2) mm long;
limb cylindric-campanulate, erect, 1-1.6 mm long; lobes deltate,
acute, 0.5-0.8 mm long, often with a tuft of hairs at the tip; sinuses
rounded; corolla membranous to subcarnose, cylindric-urceolate, (4-)5-7(-9)
mm long and 1.2-3 mm diam., white to bright red, glabrous or puberulous
distally, sparsely and inconspicuously glandular-fimbriate, the lobes spreading,
narrowly riangular, acute, ca. 0.6 mm long; stamen usually either
4-5 or 8-10, slightly shorter than the corolla, 6.5-8 mm long; filaments
slender, 2-5 mm long, pilose or glabrous; anthers 2-4 mm long;
thecae ca. 1-1.6 mm long; tubules distinct, ca. 1.5-2.3 mm long,
dehiscing by clefts to 1.3 mm long. Berry globose to thickly fusiform,
fleshy, to 15 mm diam., pilose or glabrous, white or white with a violet
tinge at maturity.
Distribution. Southern Mexico to N Bolivia, east to French Guiana, and Hispaniola; premontane wet and rainforest, montane wet and rainforest, and elfin forest, at 150-3350 m altitude.
Vernacular name: tembo tape (Cayape, Ecuador).
Uses: Medicinally leaves macerated with water and applied to area for heart pains.
Cultivated: ACAD, E, NY.
