66 



MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN [ Vol. 8, No. 1 



Macleania salapa (Benth.) Benth. & Hook. Gen. PI. 2: 566.- 1876. 



Loja: Nudo de Cajanuma (south of Loja), 7,600 ft. elev., Camp E-569 (shrub 2 

 m.; hypanthium ribbed; corolla pale pink). Mataperro region, a pass between the 

 Cordillera de Cisne and the Cordillera Chicuanco, about halfway between Zaruma 

 and Loja, 7,100 ft. elev., Camp E-646 (shrub to 3 m., common on dry soil in the 

 pass; flowers pale red). 



Apparently limited to southern Ecuador; I have seen specimens from only Loja 

 and El Cro. The combination was not properly made in Genera Plantarum, and per- 

 haps the correct citation of the authority should be (Benth.) Hook. f. ex Hoer. Bot. 

 Jahrb. 42: 269. 1909. 



Macleania rupestris (H. B. K.) A. C. Smith, Phytologia 1: 131. 1935. 



Carchi: Slopes of Volcan Chiles, Camp E-319, E-320, E-327, E-334. East of 

 Tulcan, Camp E-363. Pichincha: West of Quito, on Sto. Domingo Road, Camp 

 E-1706, E-1707, E-1719. Canar: Between Tambo and Suscal, north rim of the 

 valley of the Rio de Canar, Camp (coll. M. Giler) E-2766, E-2770A, E-2770B. 

 Azuay: Along the Rio Matadero, west of Cuenca, Camp E-1942, E-1983, E-1985. 

 Valley of the Rio Surucuchu, west of Cuenca, Camp E~4240. Along the Rio Cumbe, 

 south of Cuenca, Camp E-2077, E-2080. Paramo de Tinajillas, south of Cuenca, 

 Camp E-481, Loja: Cerro Villanaco, west of Loja, Camp E-233 . 



Dr. Camp's notes pertaining to the extensive suite of specimens cited above 

 are very detailed. Briefly summarized, they indicate that the species was observed 

 in Ecuador at elevations of 8,500-11,400 ft., occurring on paramo, in the paramo- 

 sotobosque zone, or in subparamo chaparral; specimens were noted as small trees 

 (rarely) or more often as spreading or sprawling shrubs 1.5-6 m. high, sometimes 

 as much-branched vines climbing through low trees; soft-tissued basal burls 

 were often observed; the corolla is pale crimson to pink at base and paler or 

 white distally; the mature fruit is as much as 1.5 cm. in diameter, shining black, 

 and insipid. 



In 1932 (Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 28: 360-384) I recognized ten Ecuadorian 

 species in the group of Macleania with 2-tubuled anthers, although some of these 

 were admittedly segregated on rather insignificant characters. In addition, four 

 species based on Ecuadorian types were reduced to synonymy; one other species 

 from Ecuador, M. mollis, has been described more recently. The accumulation of 

 herbarium material since 1932 and a study of the present material incline me to 

 believe that specific lines in the 2-tubuled Macleaniae cannot be satisfactorily 

 established by observational methods. Particularly in Ecuador, which seems to be 

 a center of development of the group, the usual specific criteria are combined in 

 such diverse ways that one must assume free inter-breeding among the "species" 

 to be a continuing phenomenon. In view of this, to apply specific names to parts 

 of the population is perhaps undesirable; but nevertheless I have identified the 

 Camp collections according to current concepts, with the reservation that these 

 concepts may be far from natural. 



Macleania rupestris (based on the oldest available specific epithet for this 

 group, Thibaudia rupestris H. B. K. 1818), in the strict sense, is characterized by 

 being essentially glabrous throughout, with flowers of moderate size (corolla 

 usually 15-20 mm. long) and stamens with tubules subequaling the thecae in 

 length. Its leaves are variable, but in general they are rounded to acute at base 

 and pinnatinerved. The Central American M. glabra (Kl.) Hoer. is scarcely to be 

 distinguished from the common South American species. 



Macleania pilgeriana Hoer. Bot. Jahrb. 42: 301. 1909. 



Pichincha: Paramo west of Quito on Sto. Domingo Road, 11,300 ft. elev., Camp 

 E-1705, E-1710 (shrubs 1-2 m.; corolla deep red). 



