Capanea (in its traditional sense)

Capanea Decne. ex Planch., Fl. Serres Jard. Eur. 5: t. 499-500 (1849).

Etymology: The name appeared in Decaisne's publication in two variants: Campanea in the text and Capanea in the table. There are strong arguments that Campanea, from the Latin campana = bell (alluding accurately to the corolla form), is the correct spelling, but the name was validly published as Capanea by Planchon (l.c.) and thus has to be retained.

Synonym: Campanea Decne. (1849), nom. inval.

Description: Epiphytic or terrestrial herbs, shrubs or vines, with scaly rhizomes. Stem erect, scandent or pendent, with dense pubescence. Leaves opposite, ± isophyllous; (sometimes very shortly) petiolate; lamina membranous, asymmetric with oblique base, usually tomentose. Inflorescences axillary, 1-8 flowered cymes, with elongate peduncules and pedicels, usually overtopping the stem apex, pendent. Flowers large, and showy, zygomorphic, resupinate in C. grandiflora (less clear with C. affinis). Sepals shortly connate at base. Corolla erect in the calyx, tubular or campanulate, tube broad, ventricose, sometimes constricted at throat, limb wide, with subequal lobes, corolla often greenish with lines or spots. Stamens 4, ± exserted at anthesis; filaments adnate to base of corolla tube, broadly based, sometimes coiled; anthers divergent, apically coherent, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Nectary of 5 large, usually separate glands. Ovary more than half inferior; style exserted at anthesis; stigma stomatomorphic. Fruit a dry, globose or ovoid capsule, with persistent calyx, opening by (2-)4 valves.

Chromosome number: 2n = 26.

Species number: 11 species have been described, but only two are currently believed to exist (Skog, pers. comm.): C. grandiflora (Kunth) Decne. ex Planch. and C. affinis Fritsch

Type species: C. grandiflora (Kunth) Decne. ex Planch.

Distribution: Northern South America to Guatemala.

Notes: The size, coloration and pendent position of the flowers of C. grandiflora indicate pollination by bats (Vogel 1966a, b), while C. affinis is presumably hummingbird-pollinated.

Selected references: Denham, Taxon 24: 392-393 (1975), orthogr.; Skog, Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 65: 821-825 (1979), reg. rev. (Panama).

Tax. details, cytology, and bibliography: Gesneriaceae Resource Centre (GRC). Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Page content and update responsibility/contact: Anton Weber.
Because of the synonymisation of Capanea this page is no longer updated.