108 



MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN 



[VOL. 10 



It is indeed a pleasure to name this species for Celia K. Maguire, co-collector 

 on the expedition which yielded the numbers here cited. 



Ocotea gracilis (Meissner) Mez, Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berlin 5 : 327. 1889. 



Oreodaphne gracilis Meissner in DC. Prodr. 15 1 : 128. 1864. 



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

 2615 (syntype) ; 3081 (isotype, J fl. NY). 



Distribution. Shrub or small tree with fragrant, pale yellow or white or 

 greenish, dioecious flowers, in sabanitas in the sandstone areas along the Rio 

 Negro, its tributaries and Rio Guainia in Venezuela and the Rio Vaupes and 

 Rio Inirida in Colombia, at an altitude of 100 to 250 m. VENEZUELA. Ama- 

 zonas: en las sabanitas de San Carlos (type locality) de Rio Negro, Williams 

 14622 ( ? $ fl. F, US), 146:14 (fr. F) ; borda das caatingas, Canal de Casiquiare, 

 Froes 21522 (J* fl. NY) ; sabanita at Victorino, Rio Guainia, Maguire & Wurdack 

 35704 (J* fl. NY). COLOMBIA. Comisaria del Vaupes : Bajo Vaupes, Mitu y 

 sus alrededores, Gutierrez V. & Schultes 1021 (J fl. A) ; riberas del Rio Inirida 

 (Longit. 69° 45' W.) sitio "Raudal Alto" o Mariapiri, margen derecha (cerro 

 del varador), Fernandez 2057 fl. US), (longit. 70° 30' W.), alrededores del 

 sitio llamado "Morichal," cerca de la boca del Rio Papunaua, 2309 (J fl., fr. US). 



The nearest relative to judge from a photograph of the type (Spruce 4226), 

 seemingly is Ocotea tarapotana (Meissner) Mez, placed by Meissner without fruit 

 at hand in the tribe Oreodaphneae. The tri-verticillate branching of the latter 

 species noted in Mez' description is not apparent in the Venezuelan material. 

 Meissner comments on the similarity stating that O. tarapotana differs con- 

 sistently in that the "costae" (obviously he means the lateral nerves) are ascend- 

 ing, not spreading. See also Endlicheria gracilis for further discussion. 



Ocotea aff. fasciculata (Nees) Mez, Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berlin 5": 248. 1889. 



Oreodaphne fasciculata Nees, Linnaea 21 : 521. 1848. 



Mespilodaphne fasciculata (Nees) Meissner in DC. Prodr. 15 1 : 108. 1864. 



Type. Im Brittischen Guiana am Ufer des Flusses Rupununi, Rich. Schom- 

 burgk 1286 (holotype, fl.). 



Vernacular Name. Canau-yek (Steyermark) . 



Distribution. Reported by Mez to be a small tree with hermaphrodite flowers, 

 occurring in Venezuela (a Karsten collection, probably from Colonia Tovar, near 

 Caracas^, in British Guiana, and generally throughout Brazil. VENEZUELA. 

 Bolivar : tree 50 ft, leaves firmly membranaceous-chartaceous, deep green above 

 and shining, dull green below, flowers greenish-yellow, wood slightly fragrant as 

 are the leaves, wooded slopes of Quebrada O-paru-ma between Santa Teresita de 

 Kavanayen and Rio Pacairao, tributary of the Rio Mouak), 1065-1220 m, 20-21 

 Nov 1944, Steyermark 60381 (J* fl. F). 



I have not seen the type material of this species, but Schomburgk 925 (J fl. 

 NY) and Spruce [Ocotea (3) (898) (fr. NY)] collected in the vicinity of 

 Santarem, Para, Brazil ; both numbers from the Meissner Herbarium cited by 

 Meissner were available for study. 



The Steyermark number was collected from a tree larger than Mez reported, 

 which is definitely dioecious. The wood and leaves are slightly fragrant, a fact 

 not noted for O. fasciculata. The species may be new, but until additional spec- 

 imens from the Guianas are examined for comparison, the number is tentatively 

 placed here. 



