1963] 



BOTANY OF THE GUAYANA HIGHLANDS PART V 



253 



3. Platycarpum duckei Steyermark, Am. Jour. Bot. 39 : 422. 1952. 

 The following details may be added to the original description : 



Petiolar gland on lower side of petiole at base, 1—1.5 mm broad, 4-5 mm long, 

 not curved or bent ; calyx 9-10 mm long, the calyx-tube 2-4 mm long ; fruiting 

 capsule oval-oblong, longer than broad, 4.5-5 cm long, 3.5-4 cm broad, the valves 

 about 1 mm thick. Additional specimens examined : BRAZIL. Amazonas : Borba 

 (Rio Madeira), silva paludosa terris altis ; arbor magna; 9 Nov 1935, Ducke 

 237 (NY). 



4. Platycarpum orinocense Humb. & Bonpl. var. orinocense 



The following details may be added to the description previously published 

 in Am. Jour. Bot. 39 : 421-22. 1952 : 



Stipule at very summit of leafy branch (good one seen on specimen of 

 Maguire & Maguirt 15046 from Cerro Yutaje), linear-lanceolate, obtuse at apex, 

 (5-) 8-8.5 (-10) cm long, 1.3-1.5 cm wide, tawny densely sericeous, densely 

 buff-stramineous sericeous within, villous without, other stipules caducous; 

 mature capsule 3.5-4 cm broad ; seed sublunar-oblong, convex on one edge, 

 subtruncate on other, 3.5 cm long, 1.7-2 cm high, the body chestnut or rufous- 

 brown, the body proper 1.5-2 cm long, 0.7-1 cm high, wing 6 mm broad with a 

 blackish band 1.5-2 mm broad bordering edge and 1.5-2 mm from edge. 



Additional specimens examined : VENEZUELA. Amazonas : occasional in 

 scrub forest bordering crystalline laja, Puerto Ayacucho; alt. 100-120 m; tree to 

 15 m'; flowers 5-merous, slightly zygomorphic ; pubescence tawny; corolla lobes 

 while apically, red basally. the lowermost segment with yellow bearding; 8 Nov 

 1953, Maguire, Wurdack, & Bunting 36063 (NY) ; Cerro Moriche, Rio Ventuari ; 

 tree 10 m ; stipules early caducous, 5-10 cm long ; flowers irregular, 4-5-merous ; 

 sepals white; 2-3 petals white with basal red streaks; 1-2 petals white with basal 

 yellow streaks; 13 Jan 1951, Maguire, Cowan, & Wurdack 30850 (NY) ; Cerro 

 Moriche, Rio Ventuari ; 14 Jan 1951, Maguire, Cowan, & Wurdack 30877 (NY) ; 

 Cerro Yutaje, Rio Manapiare ; dominant tree of savanna 1 km east of Base Camp ; 

 alt. 150 m ; tree to 20 m high X 2 dm diam ; 30 Jan 1953, B. & C. K. Maguire 

 35046 (NY); occasional around rock outcrops at Sanariapo ; 24 Apr 1953, 

 Maguire & Wurdack 35736 (NY) ; Sabana Huachapana; 15 Sep 1957, Maguire, 

 Wurdack, & Keith 41463 (NY) ; Savanna Huachapana, 30 km above Santa 

 Barbara; 18 Jan 1958, B. & C. K. Maguire, Wurdack, & Keith 42655 (NY) ; 

 Puerto Ayacucho, Mar 1950, Curran 1789 (VEN) ; bords de l'Orenoque, 1887, 

 Gaillard 204 (photo of topotype from P at F) ; savanna hills southeast Guanay; 

 27 Jan 1951, Maguire, Cowan, & Wurdack 31617 (NY). 



The specimen of Maguire, Cowan, & Wurdack 30877 has some of the flowers 

 with four calyx-lobes, but most of them have five calyx-lobes. Other variations 

 noted in flowering material are found in the specimens of Maguire, Wurdack, & 

 Bunting 36063 taken near the type locality of Puerto Ayacucho. This collection 

 has smaller flowers than average, 17-19 mm long with lobes 7-10 mm long and 

 5.5-6 mm wide, but also shows large flowers up to 24 mm long with corolla-lobes 

 8-10 mm long and 6-9 mm wide. In this collection the calyx-lobes vary from 5 

 to 6 on the same inflorescence with variability from 3 to 1 mm wide on the same 

 flower and from 8-8.5 mm long to 9 mm long and 7 mm wide. 



A marked variation of Platycarpum orinocense from the base of Cerro Pani 

 is herewith described : 



