74 



MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN 



[VOL. 10 



VENEZUELA : Amazonas, alto Rio Orinoco, along Bio Padamo 10 km above mouth, ele- 

 vation 150 m, March 27, 1953, Maguire and Wurdack 34731 (MICH) ; Cerro Sipapo (Paraque), 

 forest near base camp, elevation 125 m, January 14, 1949, Maguire and Politi 28385 (MICH ). 



6. Calyptranthes lucida DC. Prodr. 3: 258. 1828. 



Tree 10-20 m high and 15-30 cm in diameter, glabrous except the vegetative 

 buds (thickly) and the abortive axes at the bases of the panicles (sparingly) 

 appressed-pubescent with reddish dibrachiate hairs 0.3-0.5 mm long, a few hairs 

 sometimes persisting about the base of the panicle proper; branchlets narrowly 

 winged as in Calyptranthes, the wings scarcely 0.2 mm wide; leaves elliptic-ovate, 

 2-4 em wide, 5.5-10 cm long, 2.2-3 times as long as wide, about equally narrowed 

 to the acuminate tip and the acute or cuneate base, the margins long-decurrent 

 on the channeled petiole 1 mm thick, 4-6 mm long; midvein impressed above, 

 prominent beneath; lateral veins closely and finely parallel, more than 25 pairs 

 including the intermediates, slightly elevated but inconspicuous on both sides ; 

 marginal vein about equaling the laterals, somewhat arched between them, 1-1. 5 

 mm from the margin; blades green and abundantly gland-dotted (often im- 

 pressed-punctate) above, paler and pale-dotted beneath; inflorescence of paired 

 panicles 4-7 (-9) cm long, 2-3 times compound, up to about 30-flowered. arising 

 from the lowest node of a tangentially compressed abortive axillary axis 1.5-3 

 mm long and up to 2 mm wide ; lowest branches of the panicle 2-3 cm long ; 

 peduncle 1.5-3 (-5) cm long, somewhat compressed. 1 mm wide at the summit; 

 flowers mostly appearing short-pedicellate near the tips; bracts and bracteoles 

 very soon deciduous; buds 2.5-3 mm long, obovoid, closed and obscurely apicu- 

 late, turbinate or constricted about the middle and then obtuse at the base ; 

 calyptra dome-like. 1.5-2 mm across; hypanthium in anthesis campanulate. about 

 2 mm high and wide, prolonged 1.5 mm beyond the summit of the ovary; style 

 5-7 mm long ; stamens about 60, to 5 mm long, the anthers 0.3 mm long ; petals 

 none; ovary bilocular with 2 ascending ovules in each locule^ fruit glandular- 

 verrucose, globose, 7-8 mm in diameter, crowned with the persistent hypanthium- 

 tube 2 mm wide, 1 mm high. 



The description of flowering material was taken from the Tafelberg specimens 

 collected by Maguire; description of fruit is from Tate's specimen from Duida 

 I concur, although somewhat reluctantly, with Amshoff's opinion that the Suri- 

 name plant is conspecific with the original specimens of C. lucida. which came 

 from Bahia. Brazil. Relatively few species have such a disjunct range inter- 

 rupted b^r the Amazon River, and study of the actual type-specimen of C. lucida 

 may show that this represents another species than the one considered here. 

 Berg's full description of C. lucida (in Mart. Fl. Bras. 14 1 : 51-52. 1857) could be 

 applied to the Suriname plant except that he states that the buds are 2 lines 

 (more than 4 mm) long, and that the midvein is scarcely impressed ("supra vix 

 impresso"). Study of a photograph of Martins' specimens (F.M. Xeg. 19888 ) 

 suggests that the branchlets are indeed narrowly winged as in the Surinaire 

 plant, that the buds are about 3 mm long, and that the midvein is impressed to 

 about the same extent as in the Suriname plant. 



VENEZUELA : Slope of Mount Duida, at Aguita, elevation 3100 ft, 1928 29. G. H. E. 

 Tati 894 (NT). SURINAME: Tafelberg: base north escarpment, Aug 11, 1944, Maguire 

 24300 (F, NY) ; Grace Falls, Arrowhead Basin, elevation 625 m, Aug 26, 1944, Maguire 

 24491 (F, NY) ; East Ridge Creek Gorge, elevation 750 m, Aug 29, 1944, Maguire 24542 

 (F, NY) ; base of cliffs, west escarpment, elevation 1400 feet, Sept 10, 1944, Maguire 24691 

 (F, NY), 24692 (NY). 



