1958 



THE BOTANY OF THE QUAY AX A HIGHLAND PART 111 



119 



beneath, faint on the upper side, the principal secondaries about 25 pairs with 

 an average distance of 2-4 mm apart near the middle of the blade ; inflorescence 

 a terminal, mostly 3-6-flowered cyme, the common peduncle up to 1.5 cm long, 

 the pedicels up to 8 mm long, with deltoid or ovate small bracts at the base; 

 sepals persistent, broadly ovate, obtuse at the apex, 1.5-2.7 mm long, glabrous, 

 non-ciliate. intracalycine squamellae numerous, ovate or oblong, about 0.4—0.5 

 mm long; corolla white, fragrant, hypocrateriform. large, glabrous outside, the 

 corolla-tube straight or slightly curved, about 2 cm long, glabrous at the base 

 within but densely pubescent above the insertion of the stamens up to the 

 corolla-lobes, the hairs cylindrical becoming clavate toward the orifice of the tube, 

 the corolla-lobes sinistrorsely convolute, oblong-oblanceolate, about 2-3 cm long, 

 1 cm wide, glabrous; stamens inserted about 5 mm from the base of the corolla- 

 tube, the anthers sessile, lanceolate, about 4.8 mm long, dehiscent nearly to the 

 base, the terminal sterile membranous acumen about 0.3 mm long, the basal lobes 

 pounded, not spreading; ovary syncarpous, conical above, somewhat rounded at 

 the apex, about 1.7 mm long, glabrous, the style (of a mature flower) 2.3 mm 

 long to the incrassate ring, the crested capitulum about 0.5 mm long, the annular 

 disk closely cohering to the base of the ovary, thin. low. irregular, faintly undu- 

 late, less than 0.5 mm high ; fruit a berry, ellipsoid, sometimes narrowed toward 

 the base, rounded, up to 4 cm long, 2-2.5 cm in diameter, smooth or verrucose; 

 seeds numerous, irregularly oblong-elliptic, 5-7 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, spongy, 

 minutely roughened with protuberances and microscopically pitted; embryo 

 linear, surrounded by a thin fleshy endosperm ; cotyledons oval, about 1 mm long; 

 radicle about 4 mm long. 



Type: Bassett Ma<j)<ir< d Joint J. Wurdack 31512, Alto Rio Orinoco, Terri- 

 t"i io Amazonas, Venezuela, frequent at edge of Savanna Xo. 3. northwest base of 

 Cerro Yapacana, elev. 150 m, March 17, 11)53, shrub 0.2-0.8 m, flowers white, 

 fragrant (holotype XY). 



Paratypes: VENEZUELA: Amazonas: Maguire, Coiran 4' Wurdack 30474, Cerro Yapa- 

 cana, Rio Orinoco, occasional, savanna at base of Cerro Yapacana, 175 m alt., Dec 31, 1950, 

 sprawling shrub to 5 dm, flowers white, fragrant; unicate. Maguire, Coiran 4' Wurdack 30553, 

 Cerro Yapacana, Rio Orinoco, occasional, Savanna Xo. 3, Jan 1, 1951, shrub to 2 m, flowers 

 white; unicate. Maguire <$' Wurdack 34504, Alto Rio Orinoco, occasional in Savanna Xo. 2, 

 northwest base of Cerro Yapacana, elev. 150 m, March 17, 1953, shrub 0.2-0.8 m, flowers white, 

 fragrant. 



This species is readily separated from the dozen previously known species of 

 Ambelania. The long corolla-tube, pilose within, would suggest comparison with 

 A. macrophylla Muell.-Arg. and A. grandiflora Huber in the revision of the 

 genus by Monachino (Lloydia 8: 109-130. 1945). The leaves in our newly dis- 

 covered plant are much smaller. The leaf size is closer to that of A. laxa (Benth.) 

 Muell.-Arg., but here the resemblance even in foliage stops at size alone. It is 

 interesting to note that A. oleaefoUa grows in savanna country, an habitat quite 

 different from that of A. laxa. It does not have the stem swollen at the base like 

 the riparian .1. laxa. 



Aspidosperma album (Yahl) R. Ben. ex M. Pichon ? 



Maguire <$• Wurdack 35663, Rio Guainia, Amazonas, along Cano Pimichin below Pimichin. 

 elev. 125-135 m, April 1-4, 1953, slender tree 10 m, fruit brown. 



Only a fruiting specimen is available. The matured follicle is oblong-obovate 

 and much smaller than has been described for either this species or A. spruce- 

 anum Benth. ex Muell-Arg., about half the size. 4 cm long, 2 cm wide. The stipe 



