1963] 



BOTANY OF THE GUAYANA HIGHLANDS PART V 



103 



?Ocotea punctulata Mez, Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berlin 5 : 379. 1889. 



Type. "In Guyanae sylvis montanis in Gallica ad Kovrou, " French Guiana, 

 Melinon 204 (fr., the first of several syntypes cited by Mez ; possible isotype, 

 fr. NY). 



Distribution. Small tree known only from fruiting material growing at low 

 altitudes in French and British Guiana and possibly on sandstone areas of 

 western Venezuela. VENEZUELA. Amazonas: in forest on Piedra Arauicaua, 

 Rio Pacimoni-Yatua, Wurdack & Adderley 43452 (fr. NY). 



This species belongs to the widely occurring 0. caudata complex which has 

 been collected chiefly in the flowering stage. Apparently Mez had no flowers of 

 his species at hand. The Melinon number which I have seen is conspecific with 

 the Venezuelan collection. Other material more recently attributed to 0. punc- 

 tulata (Brit. Guiana For. Dept. 2774 (5573) and Tutin 208) shows leaves with 

 shorter veins more horizontally arcuate and extremely slender, sparsely flowered 

 inflorescences up to 9 cm long which thicken only slightly in the fruiting stage. 

 It would seem that flowering specimens of the species have not been collected 

 to date, or more probably that they have not been recognized as belonging to this 

 taxon. Another possibility is the fact that Mez' species may not belong to the 

 genus Ocotea. A thorough study of the types of other species of the complex 

 involved (Ocotea urophylla, marowynensis, caudata, pauciflora, etc.), not feasible 

 at this time, may shed light on this interesting problem. 



Ocotea directoramea C. K. Allen, sp. nov. Fig. 53. 



Arbusto ad 2 m alt., gemmis gracilibus anguste ovoideis, attenuatis griseo- 

 pubescentibus, ramulis gracilibus teretibus divaricatis ± leviter minute pubes- 

 centibus rubris. mox glabris, griseis. Folia alternata, petiolis debilo-gracilibus 

 0.8 mm longis, mox crassis ad 20 mm longis et ad 2 mm latis, manifeste canalicu- 

 lars, laminis utrinque glabris, juventute membranaceis mox coriaceis supra 

 opacis subtus glaucis concoloribus, oblongis, (5-) 10-1 -t cm longis et (1.5-) 2-A 

 (-5) cm latis, ad basim rotundatis ad apicem longe graciliterque acuminatis, 

 acumine ad 2 cm longa, margine recurvatis, penninerviis, costa utrinque con- 

 spicua, supra leviter subtus prominenter elevata, nervis 6-8-paribus obscurissimis 

 ad angulo 50-65° divergentibus, rete venularum laxo, supra prominenti sed non 

 nihil subtus acutideclinato, ± succulento. Inflorescentia axillaris subterminalisve 

 gracili-peduneulata, pauciflora, gracillima, glabra, laxe paniculata, 8-10 cm 

 longa, rachidibus fere filamentosis, rubescentibus. Flores dioici, g ad 2 mm longi, 

 longe pedicellati, pedicellis ad 4 mm longis; perianthio campanulato, gracili, 

 lobis ± ovato-ellipticis ad 1.5 mm longis, intus leviter pubescentibus, tubo ad 

 0.5 mm longo ; staminibus ser I & II ad 8 mm longis antheris ovatis subtruneatis 

 obtusisve quam filamentis satis crassis duplo longioribus, ser III ad 1.2 mm longis 

 antheris ± rectangularibus quam filamentis duplo longioribus, biglandulosis, 

 glandulis magnis substipitatis roseis, ser IV O ; gynoecio O ; 2 flores post anthesin 

 perianthio albo fide coll., gynoecio ad 2 mm longo, ovario late ovoideo vel depresso- 

 globoso, quam stylo satis crasso triplo longiore, stigmate conspicue triangulari. 

 Infructescentia aliquantum incrassata rubescens ad 5 cm longa. Fructus eUip- 

 soideus, in sicco ad apicem depresse truncatus, minute apiculatus, ad 15 mm 

 longus et 7 mm diam., cupula cyathiformi, margine leviter undulata, 0.5-0.7 

 longa, pedicello obconico satis incrassato ad apicem 2.5-3 mm lato, ad 10 mm 

 longo, subtenta. 



