1963] 



BOTANY OF THE GUAYANA HIGHLANDS PART V 



55 



Licaria meissneri (Mez) Kostermans, Meded. Bot. Mus. Utrecht 42: 597. 1937. 



Acrodiclidium meissneri Mez, Jalirb. Bot. Gart. Berlin 5: 98. 1889. 

 Acrodiclidium guyanense var. y caudatum Meissner in DC. Prodr. 15 1 : 85. 1864. 



Type. Prope San Carlos, ad Rio Negro, Brasiliae borealis, 1853-54, Spruce 

 3058 (isotype, y. fr. NY). 



Distribution. Tree to 16 m, with extremely slender branchlets, heretofore 

 known only from the type locality, now reported from the sandstone area of 

 Central Venezuela at an altitude of 280 m or less. VENEZUELA. Bolivar : arbol 

 extraviado, 14—16 m de alto, copa tendida, tronco algo derecho y redondo, 40 cm 

 diametro eon varias raices pequenas superficiales, corteza escamosa, marron 

 oscure, fr. negruszco y lustroso en su madurez, en la playa arenosa del Medio 

 Caura, Salto de Para, Williams 11450 (fr. A, US), fr. azul verdoso, en la orilla 

 del Salto de Para, 11353 (fr. F). 



The above collections bear mature fruit, ellipsoid, obtuse at both ends, more 

 than 2 cm long and 1.3 cm broad, enclosed barely one-quarter their entire length 

 in rugulose, cyathiform cupules 12 mm long and 16 mm in diameter and about 

 7 mm deep, slightly flaring at the finely double margin, and covered with small, 

 pale tan warts, abruptly constricted at the base and seated on slightly enlarged 

 pedicels about 3 mm long and 1 mm or less in width. 



The species is recognized by the smallish (8-12 cm long), elliptic, long- 

 acuminate leaves, dark brown above, in the dried state, and paler beneath. They 

 are not, however, opposite, as has been reported, but sometimes subopposite 

 towards the tip of the branchlets, as noted by Mez. 



Licaria simulans C. K. Allen, sp. nov. Fig. 33. 



Arbor ad 13 m alt., gemmis parvis anguste ovoideis acuminatis ± falcatis, 

 sparse pubescentibus aliquantum lucidis atris ut videtur minute papulosis, 

 ramulis atro-rubescentibus ± lucidis mox griseis, aliquantum gracilibus teretibus 

 glabreseentibus. Folia alternata, petiolis glabris striatis mox crassioribus canalic- 

 ulars, 5-8 (-10) mm longis, laminis utrinque glabris membranaceis mox coriaceis, 

 viridibus, supra juventute lucidis mox sublucidis, subtus saepe sublucidis 

 pallidioribus, ellipticis vel subobovato-ellipticis, 8-15 cm longis et 3-6.5 cm latis, 

 ad basim acutis vel subacuminatis, ad apicem plerumque abrupte anguste 

 longeque acuminatis raro gradatim attenuato-acuminatis, acumine ad 2.5 cm 

 Ion go plerumque obtuso, maturitate margine recurvatis, penninerviis, costa 

 conspicua, supra leviter subtus prominenter elevata, nervis 4-6-paribus, supra 

 gracilibus obscure subtus conspicue elevatis ad angulo 55° divergentibus, ad 

 marginem ad 5 mm confluentibus prope marginem tenuiter anastamosantibus, 

 rete venularum utrinque laxo ± conspicuo. Inflorescentia axillaris, glabrescens 

 vel glabra, brevis, tenuis, ad 1.5 cm longa, pauciflora. Flores parvi, 2.7 mm longi,. 

 pedicello gracili 1.2 mm longo ; perianthio suburceolato pallide eburneo, fide 

 coll., lobis ovatis sparse pubescentibus, ad 0.9 mm longis, semper recurvatis 

 fide coll., quam tubo leviter longioribus ; staminodiis sterilibus ser I & II obovato- 

 ligulatis membranaceis ad 0.7 mm longis, staminibus fertilibus ser III connatis 

 in tubo inclusis, ad 1.2 mm, antheris subrotundatis filamenta aequantibus, 

 robustis longioribus biglandulosis, glandulis magnis filamentis aequantibus, ser 

 IV O ; gynoecio gracili ad 1.2 mm longo (ut videtur abortivo ?) ovario compresso? 

 ellipsoideo: ab stylo satis crasso indistincto, stigmate ± piano leviter lobato. 

 Infructescentia incrassata, glabra, ad 4-5 mm longa. Fructus viridis fide coll., 



