Anthopterus wardii, also known as aengue mishito, is a species of neotropical blueberry in the family Ericaceae native to the tropical regions of Central and South America, such as Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador.
Description Vegetative characteristics Anthopterus wardii is a small, epiphytic or occasionally terrestrial, scandent, sparsely branched shrub with up to long branches. The elliptic to ovate-elliptic leaves are long, and wide.Luteyn, J., Pedraza-Peñalosa, P., & New York Botanical Garden. (n.d.). Anthopterus wardii Ball. Blueberry Relatives of the New World Tropics (Ericaceae). Retrieved March 20, 2025, from https://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/projects/ericaceae/taxon-details/?irn=111268 Generative characteristics The androecium consists of 10 stamens.Vargas, W. G. (2002). Guía ilustrada de las plantas de las montañas del Quindío y los Andes Centrales. pp. 261–262. Kolumbien: Editorial Universidad de Caldas. The fruit is a bright purple,Parker, P. (2018). A Little Book of Latin for Gardeners. Vereinigtes Königreich: Little, Brown Book Group. smooth, subglobose berry.
Taxonomy It was published by John Ball in 1884.Hooker, William Jackson, Bentham, George, Brenan, John Patrick Micklethwait, Green, P. S., Hill, Arthur William, Hooker, Joseph Dalton, Hooker, William Jackson, Oliver, Daniel, Prain, D., Salisbury, E. J., Taylor, George, & Thiselton-Dyer, William T. (1871). Icones plantarum or figures, with brief descriptive characters and remarks, of new or rare plants, selected from the author’s herbarium (Vol. 15, p. 51). Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longman, etc. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16154058
Distribution and habitat It is native to Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama where it occurs in tropical lowland and montane forests.
Conservation The IUCN conservation status is least concern (LC).
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