1958] 



THE BOTANY OF THE GUAYANA HIGHLAND PART III 



21 



Rapateaceae Robert Sehomburgk, Die Rapatea Frideriei Augnsti und Saxo- 

 Friderieia regalis, entdeckt und besehrieben 8. 1845. 



Flowers hermaphrodite, actinornorphic or essentially so, trimerous. Sepals 3, 

 lanceolate, usually free, rigid, indurated, hyaline at the base, imbricate. Petals 

 3, usually connate at the base, the lobes lanceolate, ovate or obovate, convolutely 

 imbricate. Stamens 6, the filaments usually connate at the base and/or adnate to 

 the corolla-tube ; anthers basifixed, 4- or sometimes 2-celled, dehiscing: by 1, 2, or 

 4 apical or subapical pores. Ovary superior, perfectly or imperfectly 3-celled 

 with axial, subbasal, or basal placentation ; ovules several or solitary, anatropous. 

 Seed subglobose, oblong-, pyramidal, semiannulate, or subprismatic, appendicu- 

 late or exappendiculate, striate or muriculate; albumen mealy, copious; embryo 

 lenticular. 



Perennial monocotyledonous herbs with short, commonly simple, usually 

 erect, subfleshy rootstock, and linear or giadiate leaves, with blades rotated more 

 or less through 90 degrees surmounted on strongly developed conduplicate 

 sheaths. 



Type: Rapatea pctiudosa Aubl. 



A family of 16 genera and some 80 species, all of the American tropics§ except 

 the monotypic Maschalocephalus dinklagei Gilg & Schumann of Liberia and 

 Sierra Leone, Africa. Flowers often of great beauty. 



A. Subfam. Saxofridericioideae Maguire, subfam. nov. 



Carpella pluriovulata ; placenta axillari vel aliquando in septo ; seminibus plus-minusve 

 prismaticis, pyramidalil)iis, vel lunatis. 



B. Trib. Saxofridericieae Maguire, trib. nov. 



• Corolla flava pura ; petalis obovatis vel obcordatis, conspicue exsertis. 



B. Trib. Schoenocephalieae Maguire, trib. nov. 



Corolla (et quidem spicula in total rubra vel rubritincta ; petalis anguste laneeolatis, 

 inclusis (Kunhardtia exeepta). 

 A. Subfam. Rapateoideae Maguire, subfam. nov. 



Carpella uniovulata ; placenta basilari vel subbasilari axillari; seminibus ovalis vel oblongis. 



C. Trib. Rapateeae Endlicher, Gen. PI. 1: 131. 1836-1840. 



Seed longitudinally striate, without apical appendage or with a papillate-mitriform ap- 

 pendage; cephalar bracts conspicuously exceeding the inflorescence. 

 C. Trib. Monotremeae Maguire, trib. nov. 



Semina alba granulata nec in longitudine striata ; appendicibus apiealibus applanatis ; 

 braeteis cephalaribus vulgo plus-minusve aequalibus vel brevioribus quam inflorescentiis 

 mat'iris. 



$ In recent years two additional monotypic African genera, Apartea Pellegr. and Lange- 

 vinia Jac.-Fel., have been attributed to the Bapateaceae. 



Of the two species involved, the first, Apartea le-testui Pellegr. (Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 77: 

 473, 474. 1930) was transferred a year later to the Cyperaceae by its author as Mapania le- 

 testui (Pellegr.) Pellegr. (Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 78: 180. 1931). This transfer seems to have 

 been advisedly made. The second, Langevinia monosperma Jac.-Fel. (Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. 

 Paris II. 19: 88. 1947), from African Cameroons {Jacques-Felix 2472), was based on fruiting 

 material only. The specimen (or specimens) is said to be rapateoid in habit, which is indeed 

 suggested by the published figure (I.e.). It is further said to be (I have seen no material of 

 it) devoid of perianth and stamens, and to have a 1-locular, indehiscent drupaceous fruit, char- 

 acteristics altogether inconsistent with the Bapateaceae. In the otherwise phyletically and 

 morphologically little-complicated Bapaeaceae, the fruit is invariably a 3-locular dehiscent cap- 

 sule. Therefore, until I can examine specimens and until confirmatory flowering material is 

 at hand, in spite of the similarity of habit I prefer to exclude Langevinia from the Bapateaceae. 



