Cobananthus

Full name and orig. publication: Cobananthus Wiehler, Selbyana 2: 94 (20 Aug. 1977).

Etymology: Composed of Cobán, capital city of the Province of Alta Verapaz in Guatemala, and the Greek άνθος, anthos = flower.

Synonyms: -

Infrafamilial position: Gesnerioid Gesneriaceae (Gesnerioideae) - Episcieae.

Description: Terrestrial or facultatively epiphytic, suffrutescent herbs. Leaves opposite, slightly anisophyllous. Axillary cymes of 1-3 flowers, bracteolate. Calyx orange or red, with a short pentagonal-campanulate tube, star-shaped. Corolla yellow, tubular, slightly gibbous, mouth not constricted; limb of small, rounded lobes. Stamens 4, included; anthers suborbicular. Nectary a single (double) dorsal gland. Ovary superior; ovoid, stigma obliquely bilobed. Fruit a subglobose, papyraceous, bivalved capsule.

Chromosome number: 2n = 18.

Type and only species: Cobananthus calochlamys (Donn. Sm.) Wiehler

Species names (incl. publication and synonyms): See Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2005: World checklist of Gesneriaceae: http://persoon.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Checklist.

Distribution: Endemic to the region of Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.

Ecology: Terrestrial or facultatively epiphytic, growing in forests. 

Notes: : This monotypic genus is similar to Alloplectus and Columnea (to which genera the species was formerly ascribed), differing from both by its thin-walled, subglobose capsule of the episcioid type. The floral characters even place it outside the Episcia alliance. The molecular data of Smith (2000) place it into the Episcia-alliance.

Selected references: Smith, Amer. J. Bot. 87: 883-897 (2000), molec. syst.

Bibliography: See Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2005. Bibliography of the Gesneriaceae. 2^nd edition: http://persoon.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Bibliography.

Illustrations:

Cobananthus calochlamys (Donn. Sm.) Wiehler Selbyana 2/1, pl. 28b (1977)

last modified: 2007-07-13