BOTANY OF THE CHIMANTA MASSIF— I 



397 



summit, the first 1.5-3 mm long, occasionally undeveloped, the second 2-5.5 mm 

 long; sterile lemma 3-4.5 mm long, acute or subobtuse, rarely mucronate, the tip 

 hispidulous; fertile lemmas 4.5-5-5 mm long, subacute, more or less hispidulous 

 at the summit; palea much shorter to longer than the lemma, abruptly acute or 

 narrowly truncate, the nerves sometimes minutely excurrent, sparsely pilose be- 

 tween the keels, the tip hispidulous. 



TYPE: in recesses of deep fissures, in moist ground with shrubs and small 

 trees, east-central portion of summit of Apacara-tepui, alt. 2450-2500 m, Chimanta 

 Massif, Bolivar, Venezuela, June 21-22, 1953, Julian ASteyermark 75879 (US 

 2,182,908). 



16. Myriocladus confertus Swallen, sp. nov. (Mem. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 9:248, f.4,c.) 



Culmi caespitosi, erecti, 65-125 cm alti, glabri, internodiis brevibus et 

 elongatis alternatis, ramosi; vaginae ca. 7 cm longae, ligula exteriore minute 

 ciliata 1 mm longa, in ore dense fimbriatae; ligula 1 mm longa, minute erosa vel 

 ciliata; laminae usque ad 15 cm longae, 3.5-4 cm latae, acutae, brevipetiolatae; 

 panicula 40-45 cm longa, ramis numerosis anguste adscendentibus, inferioribus 

 8-9 cm longis, axe, ramis, pedicellisque glabris; spiculae 2-3-florae, suprema 

 reducta; gluma prima angusta, acuta vel subobtusa, 2.0-2.3 mm longa, glabra, vel 

 summo sparse pilosa; gluma secunda et lemma sterile aequalia, 3-3-3 mm longa, 

 gluma acuta, lemma latius, obtusum; lemma fertile primum 4.5-5 mm longum, 

 obtusum, glabrum, lucidum; palea acuta, glabra, lemma aequans vel superans. 



CuLns in small clumps, erect, 65-125 cm high, glabrous; lowest internodes 

 very short, with short, early deciduous, bladeless sheaths, the next internode 

 elongate, as much as 55 cm long, succeeded by numerous very short internodes, 

 the sheaths crowded, about 7 cm long, the upper somewhat elongate, bearing at 

 the summit a membranaceous, minutely erose rim about 1 mm long, with a dense 

 mass of tangled bristles on the sides extending inward behind the ligule; ligule 

 about 1 mm long, minutely erose or ciliate; blades as much as 15 cm long, mostly 

 3.5-4 cm wide, acute, gradually narrowed from near the broadly rounded base, 

 this abruptly narrowed to a short, thick petiole; inflorescence 40-45 cm long, the 

 numerous branches narrowly ascending or somewhat spreading, the lower ones 

 somewhat distant, sometimes with short branchlets, 8-9 cm long, becoming 

 shorter and more crowded upward, the axis, branches, and pedicels glabrous; 

 spikelets 2-3-flowered, the upper floret reduced or rudimentary; first glume 

 narrow, acute or subobtuse, 2.0-2.3 mm long, glabrous, sometimes with a few 

 hairs at the tip; second glume and sterile lemma equal, 3-3-3 mm long, the glume 

 similar to ihe first glume, usually acute, the lemma broader, obtuse; lemma of the 

 first fertile floret 4-5-5 nam long, gradually narrowed to the obtuse tip, usually 

 purple, smooth and shining; palea acute, glabrous, equaling or somewhat exceed- 

 ing the lemma. 



TYPE: west side of Middle Falls of Rio Tirica below Summit Camp, alt. 1760 

 m, Chimanta Massif, Torono-tepui, Bolivar, Venezuela, March 1, 1955, Julian A. 

 Steyermark & John J. Wurdack 1220 (US 2,182,098). 



18. Myriocladus purpureus Swallen, sp. nov. (Mem. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 9:248, f.4,e.) 



Culmi 3-4 m alti, ramis 1-4 fasciculatis; vaginae ca. 7 cm longae, confertae, 

 glabrae, costo crasso, ligula exteriore brevissima minute ciliata; ligula crassa, 

 1-1.5 mm longa; laminae lanceolatae, acutae, 18-20 cm longae, 4-5 cm latae, 

 superiores breviores, glabrae, marginibus scabrae; paniculae 60-75 cm longae, 

 racemis numerosis adscendentibus vel patentibus, inferioribus 3-4 cm longis, 

 superioribus brevioribus, axe, ramis, pedicellisque pubescentibus; spiculae 

 appressae, 3-4-florae, suprema reducta; gluma prima angusta, acuta vel sub- 



