152 



MEMOIRS 'OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN 



[VOL. 10 



sequently in the course of a complete review of the "-roup. At this time, how- 

 ever, several notes are necessary to validate combinations used in the identifica- 

 tions of numerous recent collections. Most of these nomenclatural changes have 

 become necessary through the conservation of the generic name Dipteryx (sensu 

 lato) over Coumarouna Aubl., Taralea Aubl., and two less-known names. Ducke, 

 Macbride, and others have held that Taralea can be distinguished from Dipteryx 

 (Coumarouna) but the only difference is in the fruits. A drupaceous, indehiscent 

 fruit characterizes Dipteryx while Taralea has laterally compressed, dry, woody 

 pods. However, in other respects, especially in the flowers, there are no con- 

 sistent, important differences. If the fruiting characters are sufficiently impor- 

 tant to override other considerations in delimiting genera in this complex, then 

 we must be prepared to accept the equally unnatural, multitudinous segregates 

 (often based primarily on fruiting characters) in such genera as Astragalus, 

 Cassia, Acacia, and Mimosa. It might be just as useful and certainly more con- 

 sistent with phylogeny to consider such segregates as subgenera or sections, as 

 Bentham and others have done in many of these complex genera. 



Dipteryx cordata (Ducke) Cowan, comb. nov. 



Taralea cordata Ducke, Arch. Jard. Bot. Rio Jan. 4: 71. 1925. 



Several collections from Amazonian Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil are now 

 known of this heretofore poorly collected species; the best scries by far is that 

 made by R. E. Schultes and his associates in Colombia. 



Dipteryx rigida (Schery) Cowan, comb. nov. 



Taralea rigida Schery, Fieldiana Bot. 28: 266. 1952. 



VENEZUELA: Amazonas: infrequent shrub in margin of Savanna No. 3, base of Cerro 

 Yapacana, 150 m elev., Maguire, Cowan, Wurdack 30484; same data and collectors, Jan 7. 

 1951, 30810. 



These two collections are, unfortunately, unicates ; they have been compared 

 with the type of this species and, although there are a few minor differences, 

 they do not appear to be significantly different. There is a great altitudinal dis- 

 junction between the original material from Kavanayen in the Gran Sabana and 

 these collections on the opposite side of Venezuela, but in other respects the 

 ecological conditions are much the same. 



Dipteryx reticulata Benth. 



Taralea steyermarkii Schery, Fieldiana Bot. 28: 268. 1952. 



A rather substantial number of recent collections have been identified as this 

 species and it is unfortunate that one of these should have been described as 

 new. Representative collections of the species are : Maguire & Wurdack 33773, 

 Schomburgk 951, Jenman 73. 



Machaerium altiscandens Ducke. 



VENEZUELA : Bolivar : woody vine climbing 15 m on trees, fls. white* faintly lavender- 

 flushed. Occasional along Rio Parguaza just below Raudal Maraca (110 river km above 

 mouth) elev. 115 m, Wurdack # Monachino 40991. 



This collection represents the first record of this species in Venezuela. It was 

 originally described from the vicinity of Rio Para (Belem) and Rio Tapajos but 

 Amshoff records in the Flora of Suriname its presence in French Guiana and 

 the State of Para, Brazil. 



