1960] 



SPATHIPHYLLUM 



23 



The original description of S. lechlerianum gives no details of the ovary, bnt 

 Sehott placed this species in a group which he characterized as having the sepals 

 connate in a truncate cup ! Engler retained this species in sect. Massowia, but 

 emended the description of that group to account for the six-lobed nature of 

 the apex of the perianth found in this species. X. E. Brown later annotated the 

 type sheet " Perianth segments all free to the base." I made careful examination 

 of this structure in the type specimen and in Davis 152, and concluded that the 

 perianth segments are free from one another. It appears that the segments may 

 be conglutinate in age as in many other species. 



S. lechlerianum is closely allied to S. quindiuense, and is here included in 

 sect. Amomophyllum. Though the locules of the ovary are characteristically 

 5-4-ovulate in both these species, the leaf-blade of 8. lechlerianum is propor- 

 tionally narrower and its lanceolate spathe is proportionally wider and of more 

 delicate texture than that of 8. qumdiuense. From 8. jejunum this species differs 

 in the greater number of ovules per locule. 



10. S. jejunum Bunting, sp. now Figure 5. 



Foliorum lamina obliqua, anguste oblongo-elliptica. 18-20 cm longa et 2-2.5 

 cm lata, ad apicem attenuata, ad basim acuta, venis primariis 4-5-jugatis angulo 

 15-20° divergentibus ; petiolus 10-14 cm longus. ad 2 /$ vaginatus ; geniculum ca. 

 0.6 cm longum. Pedunculus 16 cm longus; spatha angustissime elliptica, 5.8 cm 

 longa et 1 cm lata, apice attenuato, basi acuto, albo (fide Curran) ; spadix 1.6 cm 

 longus. stipite ca. 1 em longo; perianthii segmenta separata; pistillum cylindrieo- 

 obpyramidale. apice obtuso-subtruncato, solum stigmate elato perianthum super- 

 anti ; ovarium ut videtur 2-loeulare. loculis 3-2-ovulatis. 7-6 in toto ovario ; 

 fructus ignotus. 



Type collection: H. M. Curran 226a, ''found growing on rock along river 

 banks, white flowers. Jacare, Rio Cunueunuma," Terr. Amazonas, Venezuela. 

 1 1 4. 6. 1950" (holotype NY). Unicate, presumably. Known only from the type 

 collection. 



The two plants that represent 8. jejunum were found mixed in a collection 

 of 8. eannaefolium. This is the only collection representing sect. Amomophyllum 

 from the region near Cerro Duida. It is likely that they were collected at a low 

 elevation, though the altitude was not stated on the label. 8. jejunum is related 

 to 8. monachinoi, but differs in its much smaller size (which suggested the spe- 

 cific epithet), and the 2-3-ovulate locules of the ovary are very different from 

 the multiovulate locules of 8. monachinoi. The proportionally narrower leaf- 

 blade and spathe and the shorter geniculum serve to differentiate this species 

 from 8. sipapoanum. From 8. maguirei, S. jejunum can be separated by its 

 narrower leaf-blade and its apparently persistent spathe. 



11. S. maguirei Bunting, sp. nov. Figure 5. 



Foliorum lamina lanceolata, 13-15 cm longa et 2.3-3 cm lata, ad apicem at- 

 tenuato-acuminata, ad basim acuta, venis primariis ca. 4-jugatis angulo ca. 25° 

 divergentibus ; petiolus 9.5-12 cm longus, ad Y\ vaginatus ; geniculum 0.6-0.9 cm 

 longum. Pedunculus ad 23 cm longus; spatha anguste lanceolata, ut videtur 

 mature deciduo, 5.2-5.6 cm longa et 1 cm lata, apice attenuato, basi late acuto, 

 viridis (fide Maguire) ; spadix 1.5-3.3 cm longus, stipite ca. 1 cm longo ; peri- 

 anthii segmenta separata vel ad basi conglutinata vel connata; pistillum ob- 

 pyramidale, apice subtruncato, solum stigmate elato perianthium superanti ; 



