Psammisia sophiae Pedraza

Terrestrial or epiphytic shrubs, more or less erect, 0.5–0.6 m tall; stems vinaceous and shiny, terete to subterete, glabrous, bark smooth; twigs subterete, glabrous. Axillary buds compressed; prophylls 2, inconspicuous, valvate, ovate, 1–1.2 mm long, margin eciliate, apex acute, glabrous. Leaves alternate; petiole caniculate (more so distally), pulvinate almost along entire length, 1.4–2.2 cm long, glabrous; lamina subcoriaceous, very smooth and flexible, elliptic, 19–34.5 × 4.5–12.5 cm, base attenuate and decurrent, margin entire and eciliate, apex acuminate, discolor in vivo with the abaxial side contrastingly light green, when dry the abaxial side is still lighter but with a dark marginal band, adaxially apparently glabrous, the hairs inconspicuous (< 0.5 mm long), unicellular and eglandular (all indumentum composed of this type of hair except when indicated), abaxially puberulous, the hairs with swollen bases that give them the aspect of minute punctuations; laminar glands absent; venation pinnate, with up to 3 visible orders in dry specimens, midrib adaxially raised and abaxially flat, 9–13 secondaries per side, these alternate or subopposite, evenly dispersed along the lamina, ascending, adaxially and abaxially slightly raised, brochidodromous. Inflorescence an axillary, solitary, 3–5-flowered raceme; inflorescence bracts, floral bract, and bracteoles alike, persistent, chartaceous, ovate, 1.2–1.4 × 1–1.5 mm, margin entire and eciliate, apex acute, glabrous on both sides, venation obscure; rachis magenta (fuchsia), 1.8–3 mm long, glabrous, a few inconspicuous warts at base; pedicel magenta (fuchsia), articulate with calyx, 7.5–13 mm long, glabrous although a few, small, glandular hairs at articulation; bracteoles 2, basal, opposite, only differing from other bracts in having an inconspicuous glandular margin. Flowers 5-merous, actinomorphic, diplostemonous. Calyx magenta (fuchsia) with the lobes whitish (more so in bud), cupuliform, 7.5–8 mm long (10.5–11 mm in vivo), glabrous; tube cupuliform, terete, 5.5–5.8 mm long (7.8–8.5 mm in vivo); limb erect, 2–2.2 mm long (2–3.2 mm in vivo); lobes deltate, 1.1 × 2.5 mm long (1.2–1.5 × 3.5–4 mm in vivo), with a thin glandular margin (excluding apex and sinuses) that is inconspicuous in dry specimens, margin eciliate, apex blunt acute; sinuses obtuse (U-shaped); aestivation unknown. Corolla fleshy, not bistratose, globose (but wider in the apical half), basal half terete, apical half with 5 deep, wide and blunt ribs that surpass the corolla lobes by 1.5–2 mm and which slightly connivent distally, the ribs opposite to corolla lobes, 4 mm long, 2 mm wide; basic corolla color dull white but magenta between the ribs, from their bases up to the lobes sinuses, and continuing along the very margin of the lobes, the color pattern is such that when observed from the top, the corolla seem to have stripes with a color combination that is reminiscent of a Christmas candy cane, total corolla length 10 mm (7.5 mm long in immature flowers), ca. 8 mm diam. (ca. 11 mm in vivo), ca. 2 mm wide at throat, glabrous within and without; lobes deltate, 1–1.5 × 1.5–1.6 mm, apex acute, slightly reflexed; aestivation valvate. Stamens 10, equal, ca. 5.5 mm long, included, not adherent to corolla; filaments free, triangular, 2–2.2 mm long, adaxially inconspicuously glabrate, abaxially glabrous; adjacent anthers differing moderately in width, ca. 5.2 mm long, the innermost with an incipient bump on each side of the connective; thecae 3.2–3.7 mm long, prognathous, without basal appendage, papillate; tubules 2, free, straight, 1.5–2 mm long, smooth, dehiscing by introrse slits almost as long as the tubules, 1.2–2 mm long. Ovary 5-locular; nectary not pulvinate or evident, top of ovary completely flat; style ca. 7 mm long, included; stigma punctiform. Immature berry green, 8 mm diam.; seeds numerous, isodiametric, black when dry, with mucilaginous coat; embryo apparently white.