1952] 



PLANTS COLLECTED IN ECUADOR 



33 



bright yellow, tips bright green, fruits green; coastal plain, in the vicinity of 

 Naranjito, ca. 120 ft., E-356i. 



Heliconia latispatha Benth. 



Guayas: plants in clumps from heavy, much- branched rhizomes, leaves along 

 stem, blades of basal to 1.3 m. long, inflorescence erect, bracts basally yellow, 

 apically and marginally crimson (when expanded, tip green), perianth segments 

 yellow with green margins, immature fruit pale green; coastal plain, in the vicinity 

 of Naranjito, ca. 120 ft., E-3562. 



Heliconia Schumanniana Loes. 



Santiago-Zamora ("Oriente"): plants in clumps, 1.5—2 m., main axis and bract 

 bases deep orange, bract tips and pedicels orange, base of ovary cream-yellow, 

 top of ovary in flower and fruit bright green, perianth canary yellow, leaves green 

 above, glaucous below, but glaucescence wipes off easily; above Rio Upano, near 

 junction with Rio Paute, near Mendez, 1,750—2,500 ft., E-959. 



Heliconia villosa Kl. 



Junction of Guayas, Canar, Chimborazo and Bolivar: plants in clumps from 

 short -branched rhizomes, "stems" formed by clasping petioles, elliptic in section, 

 about 5 x 10 cm. in diameter, 3—4 leaves per stem, petioles 4—5 m„, the free part 

 1-2 m. long, oval to subterete in section, except near the blade where channeled, 

 blades 2—3 m. long, flowering peduncles breaking out of "stem" about 2.5 m. 

 from ground, usually with single large bract near base, inflorescence pendant, 

 peduncle about 1 m. long, pale red, set with bright golden-orange pubescence, 

 flowering part of inflorescence about 1 m long, bracts covering flower series, 

 flowers arching downward from vulvular bracts, 25—28 normal bracts plus a some- 

 what larger one at morphological base of inflorescence proper or occasionally this 

 and the very large and distant bract omitted and a medium-sized bract at about the 

 middle of the exposed part of the peduncle, bracts deep orange-crimson, margin 

 and tip shining black, base of perianth white, exposed parts pale yellow, set with 

 golden-yellow hairs, fruit deep lavender, protruding from bract when mature, a 

 regal sight in the jungle; foothills of the western Cordillera near the village of 

 Bucay, 1,000-1,250 ft., E-3835. 



MARANTACEAE 



Calathea insignis Peters. 



Junction of the Provinces of Guayas, Canar, Chimborazo and Bolivar: plants 

 in clumps from short -branched rhizomes, basal leaves with petioles to 5 m., blades 

 narrowly oval, to 1 m. long, deep green above, paler green below, inflorescence 

 on stem 1-1.5 m. above soil, inflorescences 3, bracts pale yellowish-green, ex- 

 posed parts of perianth pale yellow, seeds nigrescent-blue with large white aril; 

 foothills of the western cordillera near the village of Bucay, 1,000—1,250 ft., 

 E-3683. 



Calathea lutea (Aubl.) G. F. W. Mey. 



Guayas: plants in clumps from ascending, woody rhizomes, flowering stems to 

 2 m. or more, petioles to 2.5 m., blades to 1 m. long, leaves deep green above, 

 very glaucous below; coastal plain, in the vicinity of Naranjito, ca. 120 ft., 

 E-3595. 



Calathea macrosepala K. Schum. 



Junction of Guayas, Canar, Chimborazo and Bolivar: plants in clumps, from 

 short rhizomes, usually only 1 leaf from basal part of stem, upper surface of leaves 

 bright green, lower pale green but not glaucous, outer bracts pale green, inner 



