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THE BOTANY OF THE GUAYANA HIGHLAND— PART II 



363 



celli 1.3-2.7 cm longi, satis graciles, minute pubescentes, prope medium vel 

 saltern longe supra basin bracteolati. Calyx campanulatus, apice integer, 8-9 awn 

 longus, ad 1 cm latus, tomentellus, consociebus glandularum praeditus. Corolla 

 alba, campanulato-infundibuliformis, extra basi cylindrica excepta tomentosa, 

 saepe curvata, 4-5 cm longa, tubo apicem versus ad 2 cm lato intus sub insertione 

 staminum zona pilorum papilliformium densissima praedito praeterea supra zonam 

 usque ad apicem papilloso-pubescenti atque glanduloso-lepidoto, limbo 3-4 cm 

 diametro lobis intus pubescentibus. Stamina glabra, longiora 2.1 cm breviora 

 1.7 cm longa; antherae divaricatae, 3.5-4 mm longae; staminodium 5 mm longum. 

 Discus pulvinatus, in apicem conico-elevatum contractus, 2 mm altus. Ovarium 

 ellipsoideum, tomentellum, compressum, sulcatum, ovulis pro loculo 4-seriatis; 

 stylus tomentellus, superne glabrescens, 3 cm longus. Capsula et semina non 

 visa. 



TYPE: BRITISH GUIANA: Upper Mazaruni River; Kataima, 500 m, in scrub 

 savanna, fl. Nov. 17th 1951, B. Maguire & D. B. Fanshawe 32637 (Kew). 

 Also same data, same collectors 32637A (NY). 



32637 is noted as a vine or bushy rope, with leaves glaucescent beneath, 

 calyx glaucous green, fls. white. This collection shows no tendrils and relatively 

 large and narrower, more or less oblanceolate leaflets, whereas no. 32637 A has 

 smaller, obovate leaflets, often accompanied by tendrils. 



This material seems to lie between the shrubby simple-leaved species which I 

 have just described and the rarely collected species of Para and French Guiana, 

 D. cuneifolia, for which the necessary new combination was made recently in Kew 

 Bull. 1953:476 (Jan 1954) D. cuneifolia was previously outstanding in the genus 

 on account of the shape of its small glabrous, lepidote leaflets. It is obvious that 

 the validity of all these taxa needs testing by extensive field-work. For instance, 

 can D. monophylla produce scandent forms with bifoliolate leaves (approximating 

 to D. obovata) in the same locality, and can D. obovata produce forms with 

 glabrous leaflets and more numerous lateral nerves (approximating to D. cunei- 

 folia)? Again, D. parkeri (DC.) Sprague & Sandw. and D. pulverulenta Sandw. may 

 eventually be regarded as mere indumentum varieties of D. racemosa (Bur. & K. 

 Schum.) Urb., which itself may be reduced to D. magnoliifolia (H.B.K.) Sandw. 

 It is significant that the floral characters of all these plants seem to be essen- 

 tially the same, apart from minor differences of measurement, nor does it seem 

 probable that the fruits and seeds will afford good taxonomic distinctions. 



Distictella pulverulenta Sandw. 



VENEZUELA: Bolivar: woody high climber, calyx dull lavender, corolla 

 orchid in upper half, whitish below, in rich forest, vicinity of Base Camp, near 

 Rib Tirica, lower southwestern slopes of Chimanta-tepur, 1000 m, May 24 1953, 

 /. A. Steyermark 75554- Southern border of British Guiana, French Guiana, and 

 Amazonian Brazil. .The first record for Venezuela. 



Potamoganos microcalyx (G. F. W. Mey.) Sandw. 



Micropaegma cupulatum "(Splitg.)" M. Pichon, Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 92:225. 1945- 

 VENEZUELA: Territorio de Amazonas: liana with purple fls., Rib Cuao, Rio 



Orinoco, 125 m, Jan. 1949, B. Maguire & L. Politi 28436; vine with purple fls., on 



rain forest slope, Cerro Huachamacari, Rio Cunucunuma, 400 m, Dec. 1950, B. 



Maguire, R. S. Cowan & J. J. Wurdack 29973. 



Hitherto known only from British Guiana and Suriname. The fruits and seeds 



of this genus are still unknown. 



