1953] 



BOTANY OF THE GUAYANA HIGHLAND 



131 



nutely and sparsely puberulent, leaf blades oblanceolate, (6-)8-12 

 cm. long, 1.8-4.8 cm. wide, petioles slender, 5-15 mm. long. 



2. Ramatuella virens. 

 3. Wings narrow, thick, strongly undulate; petioles and costa puberu- 

 lent, cuticle silvery exfoliating, leaf blades broadly oblanceolate, 

 10-12 cm. long, (4-)6~7 cm. wide, petioles coarse, 20-30 mm. 

 long. 3. Ramatuella latifolia, 



1. Fruit not at all beaked or the rostrum 2 mm. or less long. 



2. Leaf base acute, petioles 8-12 mm. long, wings of fruit crisped. 



4a. Ramatuella crispialata var. crispialata. 

 2. Leaf base obtuse, petioles 16-20 mm. long; wings of fruit undulate. 



4b. Ramatuella crispialata var. obtusa. 



1. Ramatuella argentea HBK. Nov. Gen. 7: 197. pi. 656. 1825. 



Besides the type collection of Humboldt & Bonpland from the upper Rio Ata- 

 bapo, Terr. Amazonas, Venezuela, the species is now known from the basin of 

 the upper Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil, and Rio Vaupes, Colombia. 



2. Ramatuella virens Spruce ex Eichl. in Mart. Fl. Bras. 14 2 : 100. 1867. 



Riverine tree 10-15 m. high, fruit gray-brown, occasional, along Cano Yapa- 

 cana below "the port" for Cerro Yapacana, Terr. Amazonas, Venezuela, January 

 6, 1951, Maguire, Cowan & Wurdack 30764. New to Venezuela. 



Ro virens was originally collected by Spruce (no. 3758) from the junction of 

 the Rio Guainia and the Casiquiare c A second collection from the type locality 

 was recently made by Schultes & Lopez (no. 9359). Now the above collection, 

 apparently the third, extends the known range into the region of the upper Orinoco. 



3. Ramatuella latifolia Maguire, sp. nov. 



Arbor parva 10 m. alta; ramulis fulvo-puberulis, glabrescentibus per cuticulam 

 scariosam exfoliatam; foliis approximatis alternatis, laminis chartaceis late ob- 

 lanceolatis (8-)10-14 cm. longis 4-7 cm. latis glabris costa minute puberula 

 excepta, apice rotundato aliquando retuso, basi acuta, petiolo (l-)2,0-2.5 cm. 

 longo sparse puberulo glabrescenti per cuticulam conspicue scariosam exfoliatam; 

 inflorescentiis axillaribus spicato-capitatis 5-7 cm. longis dense fulvo-puberulis; 

 floribus non visis; fructibus nucamentaceis ovoideo-lanciformibus vel obturbinatis 

 14-18 mm. longis 6-10 mm. latis fulvo-velutinosis (4-)5-alatis, alis 2-3 mm. latis 

 subligneis valde crispatis, rostro prominenti 3-5 mm. longo. 



TYPE: small tree 10 m. high, post- fruiting, sandy flood banks of caatinga 

 15 km. above San Fernando, Rio Atabapo, Terr. Amazonas, Venezuela, 125 m. 

 alt., October 17, 1950, Basse tt Maguire 29258; New York Botanical Garden. 



R. latifolia finds its closest relative in R a virens, which has much narrower 

 leaves, shorter petioles, more ample fruit, is less pubescent, and lacks com- 

 pletely the extraordinary character of cuticular exfoliation. 



4. Ramatuella crispialata Ducke, Arch. Inst. Biol. Veg. [Rio de Janeiro] 2: 65. 



1935. 



4a. Ramatuella crispialata Ducke var. crispialata. 



Known from "caatinga ad Igarape Juraxare affl. Rio Vaupes (Amazonas), 

 Brazil," A. Ducke, November 2, 1932 (H.J.B.R. 25024), a later collection from the 

 type station, A. Ducke 221, September 29, 1935, and more recently from El Cas- 

 tillo, Rio Negro, Vaupes, Schultes & Lopez 9298a. 



4b. Ramatuella crispialata Ducke var obtusa Maguire, nar. nov. 



Arbor parva; ramulis lobatis dense griseo-velutinis; foliis alternatis, laminis 

 chartaceis integris oblongo-oblanceolatis (8-)9-13 cm. longis (3-)4-7 cm. latis 

 glabris costa excepta, apice rotundato aliquando leviter emarginato, basi rotun- 



