1958] 



THE BOTANY OF THE GUAYANA HIGHLAND PART III 



TS 



in, Dec 10, 1955, Wurdaclc # Monachino 39781 (MICH), 39782 (MICH. type). BRAZIL: 

 Amazonas, Rio Negro, Tapurucuara, between mouth of Rio Curicuriari and Barcellos, Schultes 

 4- Lopez 8918, Sept-Oct 1947 (US). 



The thin revolute margins of the hypanthinm, on which occasionally persist 

 small irregular lobes in addition to the calyptra, suggest the possibility that this 

 species might be assigned to Marlierea instead of Calyptra nth cs. It is closely 

 similar in morphology, however, to Calyptranth.es multiflora Berg, a widespread 

 species of the Upper Amazon and Orinoco Basins; the two are so much alike 

 that they might conceivably be conspecific, and surely are congeneric. Unfor- 

 tunately I have never seen flowering material of C. multiflora and its generic 

 position can not be surely determined from specimens which are in bud only, or 

 in fruit only. It would be premature to transfer it to Marlierea before flowering 

 specimens have been studied. 

 Range of C. multiflora north of the Amazon: 



VENEZUELA: Amazonas, margen anegada y arboreada del cano Macasi. Capihuara, 

 Alto Casiquiare, elevation 120 m, 4-6-42, L. Williams 15794 (US) ; Brazo Casiquiare, Holt 4' 

 Blake 672, February 1931 (NY) ; Esmeralda, edge of river, elevation ea. 325 ft, Tate 308, 

 November 1, 1928 (NY). Bolivar; Alto Rio Paragua, near mouth of Rio Carapo, elevation 

 300 m, September 5, 1943, Cardona 918 (F) ; Alto Rio Paragua, Salto Guaiquinima, elevation 

 300 m, October 10, 1943, Cardona 993 (F) ; Guaiquinima, elevation 285 m, Killip 37499 (US). 

 Apure: Along Rio Cinaruco above Las Galeras de Cinaruco, elevation 80-90 m, January 24, 

 1956, Wurdaclc $ Monachino 41346 (MICH). 



A specimen which suggests a condition intermediate between C. florifera and 

 C. multiflora is Schultes & Cabrera 13642, from Soratama, Rio Apaporis, entre 

 el no Pacba y el no Kananari, elevation 250 m, Amazonas- Vaupes, Colombia, 18 

 June 1051 (MICH). This has the broad leaves of florifera, and apparently the 

 pubescence and tendency to darken of multiflora. 



An undescribed species of unknown genus has been collected twice in fruit, 

 and will key out near Catyptranthes florifera. It is described as a tree 12-15 m 

 high; it is glabrous except the pale-hairy vegetative buds; leaves ovate, rigidly 

 coriaceous, 2..V4 cm wide, 5.5-10 cm long, 2-2.7 times as long as wide, gradually 

 but prominently acuminate, rounded and subcordate or cordate at the base, on 

 very stout and short petioles 1.5-2 mm thick, 2-3 mm long; midvein broad and 

 flat or convex above, 1-1.5 mm wide at the base; lateral veins scarcely apparent 

 above, the surface very smooth and featureless; margins cartilaginous, somewhat 

 revolute when dry ; paired panicles up to 5 cm long in fruit, probably twice 

 compound and freely branched, the fruit (somewhat immature) globose with a 

 short conical base. 1.5-2 cm in diameter, with a thick woody pericarp 3 mm 

 thick, the whole with terminal convex disk 3-3.5 mm wide, surrounded by the 

 narrow remains of the hypanthinm tube; seed 1, myrcioid. 



The paired panicles and the naked umbo at the end of the fruit suggest that 

 this plant belongs to Calyptra nth es or to Marlierea, but in the absence of flowers 

 it seems premature to assign it definitely to a genus. 



VENEZUELA: Amazonas: Cano San Miguel, Bio Guainia, margen arboreada y periodi- 

 camente anegada, elevation 127 m, March 25, 1942, Williams 14877 (F, US). COLOMBIA: 

 Vaupes, Rio Guainia basin, Rio Naquieni, vicinity of Cerro Monachi, June 1948, Schultes 4' 

 Lopez 10049 (US). 



Two fruiting specimens from the middle Orinoco lowlands are referred to 

 C. multiflora with some question : the leaves reach maximum dimensions of 4-7 

 cm wide, 12-14 cm long, and the fruits are oblate, 1-1.5 cm in diameter; leaves 

 and fruits appear to be larger than might be expected in this species, but both 

 specimens include some leaves of more usual dimensions for C. multiflora, and 

 the general appearance is exactly of that species. 



