Schultesia benthamiana
Content
Description
Herb, 4-28 cm tall, usually unbranched. Stems and branches 0.05-0.15 cm in diam.; internodes 0.4-4 cm long, shorter at base. Leaves usually as long as or longer than internodes, lower leaves shorter than upper ones; blade linear-triangular to narrowly ovate, 0.4-3.5 x 0.1-0.35 cm, apex acute, only primary vein distinct below. Inflorescence terminal, rarely axillary (in larger plants), 1-6-flowered modified dichasia; bracts 7-40 mm long, usually as long as or longer than leaves, bracteoles 9-20 mm; pedicels 2-23(-35) mm long. Flowers erect to slightly nodding, upper ones appear sessile; calyx pale green to blue green, rarely pale yellow (wings darker), 9-23 mm long, 4-winged, connation 1/3-1/2 of its length, lobes linear-narrowly triangular, 6-15 x 0.5-2 mm, almost always longer than corolla tube, margin entire, membranous, apex acute to acuminate, wings obvious, green to blue-green, 0.5-2.2 mm broad, wing venation reticulate, sometimes somewhat transverse; corolla pale yellow to dull brown to pink to dark purple at base, or creamy orange, sometimes with lighter colored or purplish lines at base, throat darker sometimes lined, funnel-shaped, 17-34 mm long, connation 1/2 to just more than half of its length, lobes round-obovate, 6-15 x 5-13 mm, margin entire to slightly undulating, apex acute to broadly rounded and acuminate; stamens longest ones longer than corolla tube, almost always much shorter than style+stigma, unequal or 2 long and 2 short, inserted on corolla tube 1/3 from base, filaments white, 4.5-16 mm long, straight, with 23-dentate appendages ca. 1/2 length of filament, anthers white, yellow, or pale brown, narrowly ellipsoid, (0.8-)1.5-4(-5) mm long; pistil (11-)18-28(-32) mm long, ovary ellipsoid, 3-7 x 0.5-2 mm, darker disk-like ring at base, style 8-19 mm long, much longer than corolla tube and ca. 1/2 length of corolla lobe, stigma yellow or white, lobes broadly ovate-reniform, 1-2.5 mm long. Fruit ellipsoid, 5-10 mm long; calyx and corolla persistent, calyx wings 3-5 mm broad in fruit.
Distribution
Amazon, Caatinga and Cerrado forests present, Bolivar present, Guyana present present, Roraima territory present, Rupununi District present, Southern America: Brazil North (Amazonas present); Venezuela (Venezuela present)
Venezuela (Bolívar, Amazonas), Guyana (Roraima territory, Rupununi district), Brazil (Amazon, Caatinga and Cerrado forests); 30 collections studied, of which 20 from Guyana (GU: 20).