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MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN 



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[VOL. 10 



3-4.5 X 0.1mm apice non incrassatus ; stigma truneatuni. Ovarium biloculare; 

 semina 0.4-0.5 X 0.2 mm elliptiea laxe elon<>ato-aerolata areolis minntissime 



punctatis. 



Type : flowers purplish pink, frequent in sabanita at northwest base of Cerro 

 Moriche, Rio Ventuari, Terr. Amazonas, Venezuela, elev. 150 m, Jan 17, 1951, 

 Bassdt Maguire, Richard S. Cowan, and John J. Wurdack 30993 (NY). Para- 

 types : locally frequent in Savanna No. 3, northwest base of Cerro Yapaeana, elev. 

 125 m. Terr. Amazonas, Venezuela Jan 1. 1951. Maguire, Cowan, and Wurdack 

 30531; same locality, Nov 20. 1953. Maguire, Wurdack, and Bunting 36588. 



The vegetative aspect, except for the lack of glandular pubescence, is like 

 that of 8. foliosa. The stamens, however, are very different 



Siphanthera cordiforia (Benth.) Gleason. 

 S. jenmani Gleason, Brittonia 1: 137. 1932. 



S. cordi folia- (Benth.) Gleason var. glome rat a Gleason, Fieldiana Bot. 28: 426. 1952. 



I have now seen 25 collections of this complex and believe that Jenman 1039. 

 Sandwith 1345, and Maguire & Fanshawe 23161 represent ± glabrous ± eglan- 

 dular collections of the more typically hairy and glandular 8. cordifolia; inter- 

 mediate are such collections as Tate 1131, Tate 341, and Steycrmark 59345. with 

 Steyermark & Wurdack 448 showing extreme variability within one population. 

 Var. glomerata is almost the same as the type of var. cordifolia; such o-lomerate- 

 headed plants occur randomly in populations of 8. cordifolia and probably are 

 pathologic in origin. Indeed specimens with relatively lax inflorescences are 

 more different in appearance from Schomburgk 1062 than is Steyermark 59397. 

 There seem to be no critical floral features for any varietal differentiation. Per- 

 haps the most distinct collection of the complex is Schultes d- Cabrera 14359 

 (NY) from Cerro Yapoboda. Vaupes. Colombia; the leaves have much more dis- 

 tinct petioles and the leaf bases are only rounded rather than eordulate. Other- 

 wise the Colombian collection is 8. cordifolia from the glabrous end of the 

 specific spectrum. 



Acisanthera hedyotidea (Presl) Tr. 



Gleason (Rec. Trav. Bot. Neerl. 32: 205. 1937) has elaborated the confusion 

 surrounding A. hedyotidea. I have examined the Kew specimen annotated by 

 Triana and attributed by him to Salzmann; the label reads "Bahia: in paludi- 

 bus. — Rhexia microphylla,'' without collector indicated. Certainly this Bahia 

 specimen's conspecific with A. boissieriana Cogn. The several collections from 

 northeastern South America agree in essential details with Presl's and Xaudin's 

 descriptions and plates for Dicranthera hedyotidea and T). salzmannii. Presl's 

 habit sketch shows old hypanthia and flowering hypanthia with no buds and T 

 believe his generic statement concerning absence of petals even in buds is incor- 

 rect (indeed unique in the Melastomaceae, if true). 



Specimens examined: VENEZUELA: Carabobo, "Chirgua," Alston 5953 (NY); Boli- 

 var, moriehales near Ciudad Piar, Maguire, Wurdack 4' Bunting 35898 (NY), 35919 (NY >. 

 BRITISH GUIANA: Sand Creek, Rupununi River, Wilson-Browne 38 (NY); "Roraim.i 

 Schomburgk 515/827B (K). SURINAME: "E rege Para," Wullschlagel '168 (Isosyntype of. 

 A. Boissieriana, NY). BRAZIL: Bahia, ' 1 Salzmann' ' s.n. (K, isotype of D. salzmannii ?) : 

 Para, Spruce 228 (K) ; Amazonas, Manaus, Colonia Machado, Ule 5997 (K, L). 



Acisanthera tetraptera (Cogn.) Gleason. 



Comolia bracteosa Huber, Bull. Soe. Bot. Gen. II. 6: 191. 1914. 

 Acisanthera bracteosa (Huber) Hoehne, Anex. Mem. Butantin 1: -">4. 1922. 



