Vol. 8, No. 1 MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN March 26, 1952 



PLANTS COLLECTED IN ECUADOR BY W. H. CAMP. 

 BROMELIACEAE, CANNACEAE, ETC. 



Lyman B. Smith 



BROMELIACEAE 

 Subfamily 1. Pitcairnioideae 



Puya aequatorialis Andre. 



Azuay: coarse much-branched plants, firmly attached to soil, leaves pale 

 green above, silvery-scurfy below, flowering spikes to 2 m., the lower half bare 

 except for scattered bracts; the first flowers loose on the spike, the upper 

 crowded, sepals green under the scurf, petals green at base, a dark greenish- 

 blue above, becoming reddish after anthesis, anthers bright yellow, "Achupilla," 

 very common on steep slopes; between Rios Azogues and Gualaceo, valley of the 

 Rio Paute, between Paute and Cuenca, 7,200-8,000 ft., (dry cliffs, rocky hill- 

 sides and occasional ravines), E-2322. 



Puya glomerifera Mez & Sodiro. 



Leon: in clumps, plants branched, in open, subprostrate, in chaparral, branches 

 arched upward, flowering spikes to 1.5 m., flowers bluish-green; Paramo de Chas- 

 qui, 12,000 ft., E-2349. 



Puya gummifera Mez & Sodiro. 



Azuay: single plants, basal leaves in dense rosette, flowering spike to 2.5 m., 

 lower bracts subtending flower clusters leaf like to 20 cm. long, upper bracts 2-3 

 cm. long, thin, calyces basally green, apically yellowish, covered with brownish 

 scurf, corolla a pale greenish "isabellina" (i. e. a dirty white with greenish 

 tinge), base of plant, especially the expanded leaf base, eaten by the common 

 people and said to be "good for the kidneys/' also fed to cattle, pigs, etc., this 

 probably explains why the plant is rather rare; along the Rfo Cumbe, 25-30 km. 

 south of Cuenca, 9,300-10,000 ft., E-2202. Leaves pale green, nitid, especially 

 above, spines basally pale, apically brown, flowering spikes to 3 m., flowers 

 creamy white with greenish tinge, favorite food for bear, stems also fed to pigs 

 and "cuys" (guinea pigs); quebrada leading into the Rfo Collay, 3-8 km north of 

 Sevilla de Oro, 7,000-8,300 ft., E-5198. 



Puya hamata L. B. Smith 



Azuay: inflorescence spikes bracteate and lanate, to 5 m., fruits on upper 2 

 m., leaves in dense rosette, "Achupalla-cimarona"; although a conspicuous ele- 

 ment of the open paramos, this species probably originally inhabited the occa- 

 sional rocky declivities and cliffs of the region, where it is still present; cer- 

 tainly it is never seen in undisturbed chaparral or slope-forest. With clearing, it 

 moves onto the pastures and meadows, where it becomes a pest. This species 

 dies after flowering and fruiting. The older plants seem to be resistant to the 

 usual paramo grass-fires, although the younger ones perish. The usual method of 

 control is to cut off the inflorescence at the time of flowering and before the seed 

 is mature When passing this area some months ago, the flowers were noted to be 

 "blue." As the fruit matures, the outer leaves become sharply reflexed, bending 

 to the ground. So far as known, this area is the southernmost station for the spe- 

 cies in Ecuador; at least it was not seen on any of the paramos south of here. 



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