LUNDELL: THE GENUS PARATHESIS 3 
sometimes less than 1 mm. long, notably in P. subcoriacea Lundell, P. Skutchii 
Lundell, and P. latifolia Lundell. 
All flowers are either corymbose or umbellate in bud, but in flower, especially 
late flowering stages, the rachis of the corymb often elongates. The most marked 
development of this is found in P. Donnell-Smithii Mez, where the fruits are in 
racemes. Hence the flowers in Parathesis are often described as subcorymbose 
or subcorymbose-racemose where the elongation of the rachis takes place. The 
elongation occurs as flowering progresses, and fruits sometimes are near maturity 
at the base of the raceme while buds and flowers still are developing at the apex. 
In P. Eggersiana Mez (Plate 8), the terminal corymbs which flower first are 
racemose-corymbose, while the lower corymbs in earlier flowering stages are 
corymbose. In other species, such as P. hondurensis Standl. (Fig. 35) and P. 
subulata Lundell (Plate 30), the rachis is not accrescent, and the fruits are either 
umbellate or corymbose. 
Pedicels are short only in a few species, the most notable reduction being in 
P. crassiramea Lundell, where they are fleshy and almost as thick as they are 
long (Fig. 19). Usually the pedicels equal or exceed the flowers in length, and 
they are slender or even filiform in some species. Each is subtended by a bract. 
They are often accrescent. 
The small flowers of Parathesis are perfect, symmetrical, punctate, and always 
pubescent. They are usually 5-merous, sometimes 4-merous, with 6-merous 
flowers occasionally present with the others. 
The persistent calyx is useful in separating most species. The sepals, open in 
bud, are united at base. Their shape and size are usually consistent in each taxon. 
In the few species where sepals show considerable variation in size, as in P. 
chiapensis Fern. and P. Donnell-Smithii Mez, the other floral parts are variable 
likewise and hybridization is suspected. After anthesis the corolla falls away 
and the sepals turn inward to form a tight covering around the ovary. This is a 
characteristic of generic significance! 
The petals, united at base only, are valvate. They are revolute, usually 
tomentulose outside, either papillose-tomentose over entire surface within 
or glabrous at base. Except for size, and distribution of tomentum within, 
they do not show much variation of value for differentiation of species. 
The stamens, attached at base of the corolla tube, are opposite the petals. 
Except in a few species where they coalesce laterally at base, the filaments are 
free; they are punctate of epunctate, glabrous or rather sparingly papillose or 
pubescent with gland-tipped hairs. In a majority of the species the filaments are 
short and stout, mostly shorter than the anthers, but in some equaling or sub- 
equaling them. In others they are slender and elongate, two to three times longer 
than the anthers, notably in P. macronema Bullock, P. Rekoi Standl., P. pana- 
mensis Lundell, and P. adenanthera (Miq.) Hook.f. 
Characteristics of the anthers are highly important in the separation of species. 
In color they are bright yellow and conspicuous. Dorsally attached, they dehisce 
introrsely by longitudinal slits or by apical pores. After anthesis the pores lose 
their shape and the slits open up, so that the presence of pores is not always 
discernible, and little used in the classification. 
The anthers are subsaggital and vary in shape from linear-lanceolate to oblong 
to ovate. The basal lobes are small and sometimes vestigial in P. cubana (A.DC.) 
Mol. & Gomez Maza. The apex may be acute or acuminate, obtuse and apicu- 
