Macleania is a genus of plants in the family Ericaceae. Description They are epiphytic or terrestrial shrubs. Alternate leaves, petiolate, coriaceous, pinnatinervias or plinervias. Subfasciculate or racemose inflorescences, axillary or terminal, with few to numerous flowers, bibracteolate pedicels, deciduous bracteoles; hypanthium articulated with the pedicel, cylindrical or campanulate; calyx limb erect and patent, (3–) 5-lobed, lobes subacute and triangular; corolla subcylindrical or elongated urceolate, 5-parted, triangular lobes, acute to subacute; stamens usually 10, equal, usually about half as long as corolla, filaments free or connate, anthers strong with strongly granular thecae, tubules nearly as long as anther sacs, or laterally connate or fused to form a tubule simple, rarely completely free, opening by elongated free or fused slits, introrse; style threadlike and about the same length as the corolla or longer, ovary 5-locular. The fruit is a berry with numerous small seeds.
Taxonomy The genus was described by William Jackson Hooker and published in Icones Plantarum 2:t. 109. 1837, based on a specimen brought from Peru. Johann Friedrich Klotzsch identified ten species in 1851. Later Hooker separated Psammisia from Macleania. Oscar Drude (1891) and William Wright Smith (1942), as well as other botanists, pointed out the remarkable nature of this genus and its relationship with Psammisia. Macleania was named for John Maclean (1786-1857), a Scottish merchant who exported plants from Lima, Peru.The Weekly Standard and Express (Blackburn, Lancashire, England). 30 Sep 1857, Wed. Page 3
Species include: Image Name Distribution Macleania alataEcuador. Macleania amplexicaulis Colombia (Cauca) Macleania angulataPeru. Macleania antioquiaeColombia. Macleania benthamianaEcuador to Peru. Macleania bullata Colombia to Ecuador. Macleania coccoloboidesEcuador. Macleania cordifolia Ecuador to Peru. Macleania costeroides Ecuador (Napo) Macleania crassaColombia (Cauca, Valle del Cauca. ) Macleania dodsoniiEcuador. Macleania epiphytica Panama. Macleania ericae Ecuador. Macleania farinosa Peru. Macleania floribunda Peru. Macleania hirtifloraEcuador, NW. Venezuela Macleania insignisS. Mexico to Central America Macleania loesenerianaEcuador. Macleania macranthaColombia to N. Peru. Macleania maldonadensisEcuador. Macleania mollis Ecuador. Macleania pendulifloraColombia (Antioquia). Macleania pentapteraEcuador. Macleania poortmannii Ecuador. Macleania pubifloraColombia (Boyacá, Cauca, Nariño.) Macleania recumbensEcuador. Macleania robustaColombia (Magdalena. ) Macleania rotundifolia Ecuador. Macleania rupestrisNicaragua to Venezuela and Bolivia Macleania salapa Ecuador to Peru. Macleania smithiana Colombia to Ecuador. Macleania spectabilisColombia. Macleania strictaColombia. Macleania subsessilisEcuador. Macleania tropica Colombia.
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