COJITAMBENSIS   Pino & Montesino, 2020

Series Racemosae

Type : K. Montesinos, 001, Ecuador, Prov. Canar, Cantón Azogues, Cojitambo, slopes of Cojitambo mountain facing NW, in scrub and vertical rocks, 3000 m, April 2, 2019.

Etymology : Named after the ruins of Cojitambo, where the type was collected.

Distribution : Ecuador, provinces Cañar and Azuay.

Description by G. Pino (in CSJ US 92(1): 28-31. 2020) :

A large succulent glabrous herb with conspicuous decumbent stems.

Stem erect when young, mostly decumbent in old plants growing on vertical walls or shade, 2 - 3 cm diam. at base, 30 - 60 (-200) cm long or more in very old plants.

Branches 0 - 10 or more, erect, short, born from base or alternately every 30 - 100 cm.

Rosettes 12 - 18 cm diam.

Leaves 15 - 35, crowded at the apex of the stems, narrowly obovate to oblong, sessile, 7 - 13 cm long, 2.5 - 4.5 cm wide in upper third, 3.5 - 5.5 mm thick at the middle, upper side flat to slightly concave, glaucous green, lower side obscurely keeled, with central nerve prominent, both sides reddish at distal margins and tips, apex acute with an acute mucro.

Flowering stems equilateral or unilateral racemes, rachis 40 - 60 cm long, light green at base, pink and dark red distally, bracts 25 - 30, soon deciduous, ovate lanceolate to oblong or obovate, erect, 2 - 4 x 0.5 - 1.8 cm, flat or slightly channeled on upper side, same colour as leaves, pedicels short, 1 - 2 mm long, with 1 small oblong bracteole at base, soon deciduous, 12 - 16 x 2.5 - 3 mm.

Flowers 20 - 35, 1.5 - 2 cm long, 0.8 - 1.2 cm diam. at base, 5 - 6 mm diam. at apex, sepals united at base, unequal, narrowly triangular, acuminate, erect or incurving, inner and outer sides convex, 7 - 9 x 2.5 - 4 mm, both sides red, tips sometimes recurved, corolla narrowly pyramidal, petals oblong, acute, keeled, cream to pale yellow outside and inside, apex and keel reddish, tips slightly recurving.

Flowering time : August to October.

Note :

E. cojitambensis occurs in the same area as E. quitensis var. cuencaensis. It differs from the latter in larger rosettes, larger, more numerous, lighter and more glaucous leaves, longer scapes with more flowers, twice as large and differently coloured.