Buddleja pichinchensis
Encyclopedia
Buddleja pichinchensis is endemic to the southern Cordillera Central
of Colombia
and the northern and central highlands of Ecuador
, where it grows with Escallonia
in páramo
and subparamo regions at altitudes of between 3,300 and 4,200 m. The species was first named and described by Kunth
in 1818.
shrub or small tree 3 - 6 m tall in the wild, with a blackish fissured bark, becoming increasingly gnarled with age. The young branches are terete and covered with a thick tomentum
, bearing sessile
or subsessile lanceolate
coriaceous or subcoriaceous leaves, glabrescent
above, with dense felt-like tomentum
below. The faintly scented golden yellow inflorescences are 3 - 12 cm long, with 1 - 2 orders of branches, usually with 3 - 6 pairs of pendent pedunculate heads 1.2 - 2 cm in diameter, each head with 12 - 18 flowers, the corollas 3 - 5 mm long. Pollination is possibly by hummingbird
s.
) circa 2003, and some specimens may survive there.
Cordillera Central, Colombia
The Cordillera Central range is one of the three branches of ridges in the Andes Mountains that split in southern Colombia towards the north up to the Montes de Maria....
of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and the northern and central highlands of Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, where it grows with Escallonia
Escallonia
Escallonia is a genus of flowering plants of the Escalloniaceae family.Commonly used as a hedging plant, it grows about 1 ft per year, and reaches between 4-8 ft in height. It is happy in coastal areas, but not very tolerant of dry winds....
in páramo
Páramo
The term páramo can refer to a variety of ecosystems. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as “all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline”. A more narrow term classifies the páramo according to its regional placement - specifically located in “the northern Andes...
and subparamo regions at altitudes of between 3,300 and 4,200 m. The species was first named and described by Kunth
Carl Sigismund Kunth
Carl Sigismund Kunth , also Karl Sigismund Kunth or anglicized as Charles Sigismund Kunth, was a German botanist...
in 1818.
Description
B. pichinchensis is a dioeciousDioecious
Dioecy is the property of a group of biological organisms that have males and females, but not members that have organs of both sexes at the same time. I.e., those whose individual members can usually produce only one type of gamete; each individual organism is thus distinctly female or male...
shrub or small tree 3 - 6 m tall in the wild, with a blackish fissured bark, becoming increasingly gnarled with age. The young branches are terete and covered with a thick tomentum
Tomentum
Tomentum may refer to the following:*In botany, a covering of closely matted or fine hairs on plant leaves. *A network of minute blood vessels in the brain.* Tomentum in zoology are a short, soft pubescence...
, bearing sessile
Sessility (botany)
In botany, sessility is a characteristic of plants whose flowers or leaves are borne directly from the stem or peduncle, and thus lack a petiole or pedicel...
or subsessile lanceolate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
coriaceous or subcoriaceous leaves, glabrescent
Glabrousness
Glabrousness is the technical term for an anatomically atypical lack of hair, down, or similar structures...
above, with dense felt-like tomentum
Tomentum
Tomentum may refer to the following:*In botany, a covering of closely matted or fine hairs on plant leaves. *A network of minute blood vessels in the brain.* Tomentum in zoology are a short, soft pubescence...
below. The faintly scented golden yellow inflorescences are 3 - 12 cm long, with 1 - 2 orders of branches, usually with 3 - 6 pairs of pendent pedunculate heads 1.2 - 2 cm in diameter, each head with 12 - 18 flowers, the corollas 3 - 5 mm long. Pollination is possibly by hummingbird
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
s.
Cultivation
The species was briefly in commerce in the UK (Fillpots Nursery, ColchesterColchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
) circa 2003, and some specimens may survive there.