Description

Shrubs: branches basitonic to mesotonic, in axils of cataphylls or basal foliage leaves; twigs angular, soon becoming terete, ca. 2 mm diam.; epidermis black; terminal bud slender, ca. 4 X 1 mm; cataphylls caducous; indument sericeous to absent, caducous by next flush, the hairs sparse, up to 0.3 mm long, straight, appressed, ascending, silver. Leaves: petioles slender, 0.7–1 cm X 0.7–1.2 mm, adaxially flattened; blades chartaceous, flat, narrowly elliptic to obovate, 2–9 X 1–4 cm; base acute, minutely decurrent, 40–70°; apex obtuse to rounded, 70–130°; margin plane; primary vein above slightly raised, below raised; secondary veins 4–10 pairs, equidistant, brochidodromous, above and below slightly raised, diverging at ca. 80°, straight, the angle uniform along blade length; tertiary veins above and below slightly raised, random-reticulate; higher order veins above and below slightly raised; surface above shiny greenish-brown, below dull greenish-brown; indument above absent, below minutely sericeous, the hairs isolated, up to 0.6 mm long, straight, appressed, ascending, silver, denser on the veins, caducous by next flush. Staminate inflorescences: along whole length of flush, pendulous?, peduncles 1–5 cm long, the hypopodia 1–3 cm X ca. 0.5 mm, branch orders 3, the second-order branches 2–4, clustered apically, lowest branch up to 1.2 cm long, color and indument of all axes as on twigs; bracts and bracteoles caducous (not seen). Staminate flowers: pedicels ca. 4 X 0.4 mm, the diameter even throughout; receptacle obconical, ca. 1.6 X 2 mm; tepals chartaceous, ovate, ca. 1.5 X 1 mm, at anthesis spreading, reddish-black, adaxially puberulous; stamens of whorls I and II spathulate, the anthers roundish, ca. 1.2 X 0.8 mm, glabrous, the locelli 4, apical, in a shallow arch, introrse, the glands absent; whorl III capitate, ca. 1.6 X 0.8 mm, glabrous, the anthers globose, the locelli 4, the upper pair latrorse, the lower pair extrorse (the upper almost introrse), the glands globular, ca. 0.6 mm diam.; whorl IV absent; all stamens yellowish-brown; pistillode teardrop-shaped, ca. 1.5 X 0.6 mm, glabrous. Pistillate flowers: pistil ca. 1.5 X 0.8 mm; ovary ovoid, ca. 1.2 mm long, glabrous. Fruits unknown.

Field notes

Shrubs up to 5 m tall and 9 cm diam. Inflorescence axes purple; tepals yellowish-green.

Distribution (Figure 7)

Both collections are from the “Cordillera El Avila”, a mountain range between Caracas and the Caribbean, at ca. 1900 m elev., in cloud forest.  Flowers in March, during the dry season.

Additional specimens examined

Venezuela. Dtto. Federal: El Avila National Park, El Avila ridge, 3 Mar 1992 (pist. fl), Meier 1797 (MO).

Discussion

Rhodostemonodaphne avilensis is a small tree to large shrub, with a dense, shiny green foliage, purple peduncles, and yellowish tepals.  The small leaves with cuneate bases, obtuse apices, and conspicuous venation are quite characteristic.  In leaf shape and size R. avilensis is similar to R. elephantopus, but that species is a large lowland forest tree, and has inconspicuous venation.  Furthermore, the inflorescences, and flowers of each species suggest different relationships, those of R. avilensis and R. capixabensis being similar while those of R. elephantopus and R. kunthiana show a partial resemblance.

The leaves of R. avilensis are similar to those of Ocotea congestifolia Lasser from the same general area.  The leaves of O. congestifolia are, however–-as the epithet implies–-clustered at the tips of the twigs and less rigid than those of R. avilensis.

The low stature of the plant, with its dense, evergreen, shiny foliage, and contrasting colors of its inflorescences and (presumably) infructescences, are characteristics of high ornamental value.  Efforts should be made to bring this plant into cultivation, where it may serve as a beautiful garden plant for high altitude cities.