1958] 



THE BOTANY OF THE GUAYANA HIGHLAND PART III 



.1 



ca. 12 km w. Ilu-tepui at 1200 m alt., Feb 15, 1952, Maguire 31180; marshy places in open 

 savanna, Mesa Grande, Ilu-tepui, at 1600 m alt., Mar 12, 1952, Maguire 33342 ; Ptari-tepui, 

 sw-facing shoulder, Nov 2, 1944. SteyermarTc 59787(F) ; Ptari-tepui at 1615 m alt., Nov 15-17, 

 1944, Steyermarlc 60244 (F) ; Kavanayen, May 28, 1956, Lasser 1826 (NY) ; Kavanayen at 

 1300 m alt., Mar 30, 1952, Maguire 33680. 



Orectanthe sceptrum subsp. occidentalis Maguire, subsp. nov. 



Plantae vulgo 5-10 dm altae ; gemmis axillaribus f requentibus ; non glaucis ; 

 bracteis cephalaribus ovatis vel lanceolato-ovatis, 1.5-2.0 cm longis, acutiusculis. 



Type : scapose perennial herb 1 m high, scapes reddish, frequent in marshy 

 scrub savanna, Southeast Escarpment at 1900 m alt., Cerro Huachamacari, Terr. 

 Amazonas, Venezuela, December 11, 1950, Maguire, Cowan & Wurdack 30140 

 (NY). 



Paratypes: VENEZUELA: Amazonas: Cerro Sipapo: wet ledges, West Peak at 1800 m, 

 Dee 20, 1948, Maguire §• Politi 27777 ; savanna bog, Lower Carlo Negro, at 1400 m alt., Jan 



1, 1949, Maguire 4- Politi 28106; Upper East Basin at 1900 m, Jan 14, 1949, Maguire 4- Politi 

 28451; marshy area, North Mountain at 1500 m alt., Jan 25, 1949, Maguire £ Politi 28569; 

 savanna, South Escarpment at 2100 m alt., Jan 26-28, 1949, Maguire, Politi 4- Maguire 28645; 

 savanna, South Basin at 2000 m alt., Jan 26-28, 1949, Maguire, Politi 4' Maguire 28678. 

 Summit Mt. Duida : at 6300 ft. alt., Nov 26, 1928, Tate 398. Cerro Huachamacari: savanna at 

 1700 m alt., Dec 4, 1950, Maguire, Cowan $ WurdacTc 29822; summit East Ridge at 1820 m 

 alt., Dec 8, 1950, Maguire, Cowan # WurdacTc 30039; Escarpment Ridge 1800 m alt., Dec 14, 

 1950, Maguire, Couan 4' WurdacTc 30213. West Escarpment, Cerro de la Neblina at 1750 m 

 alt., Jan 15, 1954, Maguire, WurdacTc 4- Bunting. 37303. 



Distribution : marshy areas and wet savannas, cumbres of the sandstone 

 massifs of Venezuelan Amazonas. Specimens from Cerro Sipapo are usually 

 smaller than those from elsewhere and commonly develop offshoots from some of 

 the leaf-axils, and thus seem to represent a distinct minor variant. 



2. Orectanthe ptaritepuiana (Steyermark) Maguire, comb. nov. 

 Abolboda ptaritepuiana Steyermark, Fieldiana Bot. 28: 104. 1951. 



Caulescent perennial herb; herbage not glaucous; stems 0.5-2.0 m tall; leaves 

 numerous, rather laxly conferted but not rosulate, linear-lanceolate, obviously or 

 not at all brown-margined, pungently acute, 15-30 cm long, 1-5 cm broad; 

 peduncles more often several (solitary in the type) : sterile bracts in 2 whorls 

 of 3's; inflorescence and flowers otherwise similar to those of O. sceptrum. 



Type: in dense thickets and Bonnetia roraimae forest southwest facing shoul- 

 der, Ptari-tepui, Edo. Bolivar, Venezuela, Nov 2, 1944, Steyermark 59760. 



Distribution: at higher elevations, 1500-2000 m alt., on Roraima Sediments, 

 Edo. Bolivar, Venezuela. 



Specimens examined: VENEZUELA: Bolivar: Ptari-tepui, Steyermarlc 59760 (holotype 

 F, 2 sheets). Cerro Guaiquinima: coarse perennial herb dying on floAvering; bracts 4-5, open 

 savannas 1 km south of Cumbre Camp at 1800 m alt., Dec 29, 1951, Maguire 32823; young 

 plants with a single scape, mature plants with 3-6 scapes, primary cephalar bracts of two. 

 whorls of 3's, marshes and Brocchinia thickets 1 km e of Cumbre Camp at 1800 m, Maguire 

 32786; marsh-bog herb, peduncles as many as 10, North Valley at 16-1700 m alt., Jan 4, 1952, 

 Maguire 32979 ; valley below se Escarpment at 16-1700 m alt., Jan 7, 1952, Maguire 33022; 

 marsh-bog, sometimes with branched stem, peduncles (1) 3-10, Cumbre Camp at 1800 m alt., 

 Jan 9, 1952, Maguire 33035. Gran Sabana: perennial herb, stems 1 m high, leafy, scapes 5, 

 heads subnectant, scrub type associated with Brocchinia at 2400-2500 m alt., Ilu-tepui, March 

 17, 1952, Maguire 33467 ; herbaceous perennial, abundant in large colonies, escarpment face 

 and talus, Sarven-tepui, Chimanta-tepui, at 1900-2050 m alt., Jan 13, 1953, WurdacTc 34134- A; 

 herbaceous with elongated erect leafy stems up to 10 feet tall, elfin formation Apacara-tepui, 

 Chimanta-tepui, June 19, 1953, Steyermark 75698 (F, 3 sheets, NY) ; stems erect, 3-8 ft. tall, 

 Apacara-tepui, SteyermarTc 75885 (F, 2 sheets, NY, 2 sheets) ; herb with leafy stem, scapes 

 1-5, common, bogs at 2200 m alt., Serra do Sol (Uei-tepui), Maguire 4~ Maguire 40413; 

 Chimanta-tepui, 1955, SteyermarTc and WurdacTc 523, 905, 1221. 



