1957] 



THE BOTANY OF THE GUAYANA HIGHLAND— PART II 



365 



This interesting taxon may deserve a higher rank but, for the present, I cannot 

 separate it as more than a distinctive edaphic and perhaps geographic variety of a 

 polymorphic species T. insignis, to which I have already reduced T. longipes 

 Baker as var. monophylla; also suggesting (in Dr. J. A. Steyermark's "Contribu- 

 tions to the Flora of Venezuela") that T. roraimae and T. dura (Bur. &K.Schum.) 

 Sprague & Sandw. are quite probably habitat and, at least in the instance of T. 

 roraimae, altitude forms or varieties of the same species. The unifoliolate leaves 

 of the collection 28993 cited above are velvety-tomentose beneath, while some of 

 those of 37702 are also very distinctly pubescent on the lower surface. Of the 

 material seen by me only the type collection shows both unifoliolate and 3- 

 foliolate leaves, but 37702 is noted on the label as bearing 1-3-foliolate leaves. 



Tabebuia insignis (Miq,) Sandw. var. pacimonensis Sandwith, var. nov. 



Inter varietates ceteras foliis brevipetiolatis unifoliolatis rigide coriaceis 

 oblanceolatis, nervis lateralibus supra impressis subtus planis usque ad nervum 

 marginalem rectis nec arcuatis notabilis. 



Shrub or small tree. Leaves crowded on the very short (1-2 cm) young wood 

 terminating the branchlets, unifoliolate, with petiole 1-1.5 cm long, swollen and 

 jointed at the apex at the junction with the lamina which is oblanceolate, shortly, 

 broadly and obtusely cuspidate-acuminate at the apex, long cuneate-attenuate to 

 the base, 8-13 cm long, 3-4.2 cm broad, stiffly coriaceous with revolute margins, 

 the midrib thin and prominulous above, thick and prominent beneath, the main 

 lateral nerves (7-10 on each side of the midrib) impressed above, flat and obscure 

 on the very smooth-looking, almost veinless lower surface, rather widely spread- 

 ing-ascending and straight until reaching the marginal connecting nerve, obscurely 

 but definitely lepidote-punctate on both surfaces. Flowers white; pedicels 5-7 mm 

 long. Calyx up to 1.7 cm long, about 1 cm broad, drying black, irregularly lobed, 

 more or less copiously lepidote outside especially on the lobes. Corolla with 

 short and stiff hairs on the anterior inner side of the tube. Capsule and seeds 

 absent. 



TYPE: VENEZUELA: Territorio de Amazonas: in savanna on right bank of 

 Rio Pacimoni 60 km. above its mouth, 100-140 m, fl. Nov. 29th 1953, B. Maguire, 

 J. J. Wurdack & G. S. Bunting 36671 (NY). 



This is another very distinct-looking taxon, especially on account of the 

 shape, texture, and nervation of the unifoliolate leaves, but it would be most 

 imprudent, on the evidence of a single collection and in the absence of fruit and 

 seeds, to distinguish it as more than a variety of T. insignis. 



Tabebuia stenocalyx Sprague & Stapf. 



FRENCH GUIANA: Tree 7 m tall, flowers white, infrequent in high forest on 

 laterite, Montague de Kaw, 250-270 m, fl. December 14th 1954, R. S. Cowan 

 38837. 



Trinidad, British Guiana. The first record from French Guiana. Not yet re- 

 corded from Suriname. 



Tabebuia subtilis Sprague & Sandw. 



VENEZUELA: Bolivar: tree 15 m high, Rib Ikabaru, tributary of Rio Caroni, 

 420 m, fl. Oct. 1946, F. Cardona 1728; tree ca. 8 m high, edge of burnt savanna, 

 west side of Uaipan, Uaipan-tepui' 1400 m, fl. Jan. 1948, K. D. Phelps & C. B. 

 Hitchcock 355 and (without field-notes) 445; tree 40 ft. high, corolla yellow, on 

 Rio Abacapa, from mouth to % mile upstream, northwestern part of Abacapa-tepui*, 

 Chimanta Massif, 415 m, fl. fr. March 1953, /. A. Steyermark 74710. 



The first records for Venezuela of a species hitherto known (var. subtilis) 



