1963] 



BOTANY OF THE GUAYANA HIGHLANDS PART V 



125 



Key to the Species of Moronobea 



1. Leaves acuminate. 



2. Flowers relativelj' small, i.e., petals 2-3 cm long, usually pink but sometimes white 



or yellowish; widespread. 1. M. coccinea. 



2. Flowers relatively large, i.e., petals ca. 4 cm long, usually white; apparently con- 



fined to inundable land near Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. 2. M. pulchra. 



1. Leaves with apex rounded, obtuse, retuse or sometimes very abruptly short-pointed; 

 flowers white or whitish. 



3. Stamens spirally contorted, the fruit correspondingly engraved. 



4. Flowers relatively small, i.e., the petals 4 cm or less in length; essentially con- 

 fined to Rio Negro drainage (see exception). 

 5. Leaves oblanceolate-obovate, obtuse, often retuse, coriaceous or chartaceous, 



the blades commonly 6-8 cm long, 2-4 cm broad. 3. M. riparia. 



5. Leaves obovate, very shortly and abruptly pointed, firmly subcoriaceous (ex 



descr.). 4. M. rnpicola. 



4. Flowers relatively large, i.e., the petals 6-10 cm in length; confined to the eastern 

 Guayana Highland ; blades firmly coriaceous, oblanceolate, often broadly so, 

 commonly 8-15 cm long, 5-6 cm broad ; styles subfilif orm, 5-7 cm long, ex- 

 serted in anthesis, style branches 2-3 mm long. 5. M. jenmani. 



3. Stamens erect, not spirally contorted ; styles short, included or barely exserted at 

 anthesis, ovary and fruit not spirally engraved; petals commonly 4-5 cm long; 

 leaves obovate to oblanceolate, firmly coriaceous, obtuse, occasionally apiculate. 

 6. Petioles 3-5 mm broad, blades broadly elliptic to elliptic obovate, thickly 

 coriaceous, little or not at all punctate beneath, 5-9 cm broad, obtuse, rounded, 

 sometimes apiculate; styles coarse, 1.5-2.0 cm long, style-branches 8-10 mm 

 long; branchlets coarse, stiff, 6-8 mm diam. 6. M. intermedia. 



6. Petioles 1-2 mm broad, blades oblanceolate, obtuse, merely subcoriaceous, 

 strongly punctate beneath, 1.5-3.0 cm broad, 3-6 cm long; styles slender, 

 1.2-1.4 cm long, style-branches 2-3 mm long; branchlets slender, 2-3 mm diam. 



7. M. ptaritepuiana. 



1. Moronobea coccinea Aublet, Hist. PI. Guiane Fr. 2: 789; 4: tab. 313 (excl. 

 Fig. a-j, which are of Symphonia globulifera L. f .) . 1775. 



M. grandiflora Choisy in DC. Prodr. 1 : 563. 1824. 

 M. montana Schlecht, Linnaea 8: 189. 1833. 



M. Candida Ducke, Arch. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 5: 173. 1930, type: In silvis non 

 inundatis prope Juruty Velho ad civitatis Para fines occidentales, 27-5-1927 fructifer, 

 H. J. B. R. n. 21.271 ("bacury bravo" appellata), et ad flumen Curuca prope Manaos 

 civitate Amazonas, 4-6-1927 florifera H. J. B. B. n. 21.276 (RIO, NY). 



M. coccinea Aublet, var. attenuata Eyma, Med. Bot. Mus. Herb. 4: 24. 1932, type: 

 Tapanaloni R, near Doemansingi [Suriname], B. W. n. 4178 (U, NY). 



Symphonia grandiflora L. C. Rich. "mms. in Herb. Franquev. not Choisy in Herb. Paris." 



Distribution. Venezuela, eastern Colombia, Guiana and the Amazon Basin 

 of Brazil. 



M. coccinea is probably the most widespread of all moronobeas. It is char- 

 acterized chiefly by relatively small and thin abruptly but sharply acuminate 

 leaves, "pink" or "white" or "yellow with pinkish margins" petals, and stamen 

 bundles with 3-4(5) stamens. 



.1/. Candida is described as large trees on non-inundable areas growing in 

 forests of the middle Amazon Valley between Santarem and Manaus. The flowers 

 also are said to be white but somewhat smaller than those of the preceding, thus 

 coming within the normal size range of M. coccinea. It is not improbable that 

 such trees are best assigned to M. coccinea, but Ducke (I.e.) seems to associate 

 his collections most closely with M. pulchra. 



The var. attenuata is said to differ in paler undersurface of leaves, more 

 gradually tapering flower buds, and larger yellow-white petals to 4.5 cm long 

 with rosy margins. 



