1953] 



REVISION OF BRACHYOTUM 



389 



Type Collection and Locality: Mutis s.n. (HOLOTYPE presumably at LINN); 

 "Nova Granada," probably in the vicinity of Bogota, Dept. Cundinamarca, 

 Colombia. 



Type Photographs and Illustrations: Savage Catalogue 559.6 and 559.7 (photo- 

 graphs at A, of 2 sheets of type collection in LINN); Rhexies pi, 8 (1806-1808) 

 (as Rhexia stricta); Trans. Linn. Soc. 28: pL 3, /. 33a (as Brachyotum strictum). 

 The reference, in the original description of Melastoma strigosa, to Marcgrav's 

 "Caaghiyvyo" is not correct; Marcgrav's illustration shows a Melastome with an 

 inferior ovary, and the accompanying description cites "baccae nigrae" as well 

 as "nascitur pluribus locis in Brasilia nostra." 



Distribution: Dept. Cundinamarca (and doubtfully Dept. Cauca), Colombia, alt. 

 2600-3300 m. 



Cundinamarca: between Chiquinquira and Zipaquira, Linden 777 (BR, G-BOIS, G- 

 DEL, K, P, US, W); Zipaquira, Perez & Romero 1303 (F); between Zipaquira and Pacho, 

 Cuatrecasas 9523 (NY), Gutierrez 106 (GH); Paramo de Guasca, Garcia- Barriga 11683 

 (COL), Scbultes & Jaramillo 3179 (US); Cerro de Suba, Duque 2759- A (COL); above "El 

 Chico" just north of Bogota, Fosberg 22025 (NA, NY); Paramo de La Calera, Philipson & 

 Idrobo & Fernandez 2463 (BM); Usaquen, Cuatrecasas 9422 (US); between La Calera and 

 Bogota, Barkley & Garcia- Barriga & Vanegas 17C804 (COL), Woronow & Juzepczuk 5099 

 (NY); near Bogota, Andre 1084 (BR, K), Andre 1261 (K, NY), Arist'e-J osepb A292 (US), 

 Goudot s.n. (holotype of Chaetogastra goudotii P), Holton 912 (G-BOIS, GH, K, NY), Kar- 

 sten s.n. (W), Rusby & Pennell 1287 (GH, NY, US), Sandeman 5959 (K), Triana s.n. (BR, 

 K, NY, P, W); "Sta. Fe," Bonp land s.n. (P); "Guadalupe" near Bogota, H aught 5009 (US), 

 Haught 5635 (US), Haugbt 5694 (NY, US), Niemeyer 217 (NY, US); "Paramo de Cruz 

 Verde," Cuatrecasas 432 (F ? US); "Cerro de Focha" near Bogota, Pennell 2207 (NY); 

 "Monserrate" between Bogota and Chipaque, Cuatrecasas 38 (F, US), Dawe 18 (K, US), 

 Garcia- Barriga 11940 (US), Niemeyer 119 (US), Perez 1020 (COL); Paramo de Chipaque, 

 Scbultes 4067 (US); Sumapaz, Lebmann 2402 (G-BOIS). Without Department: "Purase," 

 Bonpland s.n. (isotype of Rhexia stricta P); Purdie s.n. (K); Rodriguez 14 (G-DEL). 



Vernacular Names: Quechinol ? (Niemeyer 119); Zarcillo or Almorrana (Duque 

 27 59- A). 



While Bonpland cited "Purase" (Dept. Cauca) as the type locality for Rhexia 

 stricta, it is doubtful if this citation is correct; two Bonpland specimens ex- 

 amined are labeled "Sta. Fe" and another "Purase." There probably was an er- 

 ror in Bonpland's field notes, as no recent collections from this much-visited 

 area in southern Colombia have been seen. 



In addition to the specimens cited above, there is one sheet of the Ventenat 

 herbarium (G-DEL) with 3 sprigs and several labels indicating "Santa Fe de 

 Bogota" as the place of collection, but with no collector indicated. One label of 

 this sheet was annotated by Bonpland in 1809, after the publication of Rhexia 

 stricta, apparently while he was in charge of the gardens at Malmaison. Ventenat 

 had carefully drawn up a description of the plant as a new species of "Meriana"; 

 the collection probably predates the Bonpland collections and may be a Mutis 

 specimen. 



All except one of the 20 examinable flowers on the holotype of Chaetogastra 

 goudotii are 5-merous; even the one in one packet on the sheet, apparently the 

 flower used by Naudin for his diagnosis, is 5-merous. In another packet on the 

 same sheet are a large number of the 4-merous fruits of Castrate lla piloselloides 

 (Bonpl.) Naudin, which apparently had become separated from another Goudot 

 collection; Naudin may well have been misled by these fruits, since the twisting 

 and imbrication of the sepals in B. strigosum make mery observations difficult. 

 Among all the collections of B. strigosum, 182 of the 200 observable flowers were 

 5-merous, and only 18 4-merous; in each collection, 5-mery was dominant. 



B. strigosum is probably most closely related to B. jamesonii; fruiting speci- 

 mens of the latter species, with the floral bracts having dropped, can be distin- 



