1957] 



BOTANY OF THE CHIMANTA MASSIF— I 



411 



long, more or less appressed-pilose, acute at the apex, erect, sometimes some- 

 what expanded toward the base; heads hemispheric, 12-15 mm wide; involucral 

 bractlets stiff, grayish-white, tawny at the base, narrow-lanceolate, about 4.2 mm 

 long and 1.2 mm wide, gradually attenuate from the base to the acute apex, ap- 

 pressed-pilose with antrorse whitish-silky hairs; receptacle long-pilose; outer 

 receptacular bractlets firm- textured, lanceolate, blackish especially toward the 

 margins and apex, about 4.2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, gradually attenuate to 

 the acute apex, appressed-pilose with antrorse hairs on the back, long-ciliate on 

 the margins with antrorsely spreading hairs; inner receptacular bractlets narrow- 

 elliptic, black except at the base, more or less concave, about 4.5 mm long and 

 1.2 mm wide, attenuate to the acute apex, densely long-pilose on both surfaces 

 with antrorse hairs; staminate florets pedicellate, the pedicel filiform, gray, about 

 1.5 mm long, long-pilose at the base; sepals 3, separate, oblanceolate, black on 

 the upper half, navicular-concave, about 2.5 mm long and 0.7 mm wide, very 

 densely long-barbate at the apex, the white hairs surpassing the apex by 1.5 mm; 

 petals 3, hyaline, connate into a broad tube about 2.5 mm long and 1 mm wide at 

 the middle, the free apical portions ovate, hyaline, about 0.7 mm long and 0.5 mm 

 wide, barbell ate-pilose at the apex; stamens 3, subincluded or very slightly ex- 

 serted; filaments filiform, about 2 mm long, white, inserted near the base of the 

 petals; anthers oblong, white, about 0.4 mm long, composed of 2 thecae; pistil- 

 rudiment very small; pistillate florets subsessile: sepals 3, separate, white, 

 lanceolate, about 2.7 mm long and 0.3 mm wide, attenuate to the acute apex, 

 densely appressed-pilose with antrorse hairs; petals 3, separate at the base and 

 apex, connate in the middle, white, barbate at the apex. 



TYPE: Julian A. Steyermark & John J. Wurdack 406, swampy savanna above 

 Summit . Camp, alt. 1940 m, in the central section of Chimanta Massif, Bolivar, 

 Venezuela, February 4, 1955 (NY). The species is said to be frequent at the type 

 locality. All pistillate florets examined were extremely immature although the 

 staminate florets in the same head were completely developed. 



Syngonanthus rivularis Moldenke, sp. nov. 



Herba parva annua; caulibus valde abbreviatis ad apicem densissime albido- 

 tomentosis; foliis caespitosis leviter membranaceis linearibus parce minuteque 

 pilosulis obtusis; pedunculis solitariis filiformibus stramineis 2-costatis ad- 

 presso-pilosulis; vaginis gracilibus arete adpressis stramineis multistriatis mi- 

 nute parceque pilosulis, laminis obtusis; capitulis hemisphaericis griseo-albis; 

 bracteolis involucri herbaceis brunneis oblongis obtusis glabris; receptaculo 

 longe piloso. 



Small annual herb; stems greatly abbreviated, very densely whitish-tomentose 

 at the apex; roots elongate, white, spongy; leaves cespitose, thin-membranous, 

 linear, pale green, erect, 2-4 cm long, rather uniformly 0.5 mm wide, sparsely and 

 minutely pilosulous, blunt at the apex; peduncles solitary, filiform, stramineous, 

 19-21 cm long, 2-costate, antrorsely appressed-pilosulous, especially in the sul- 

 cations; sheath slender, closely appressed, 3-4.5 cm long, stramineous, many- 

 striate, minutely scattered-pilosulous, the blade erect, appressed, about 3 mm 

 long, obtuse at the apex; heads hemispheric, about 9 mm wide, grayish- white; in- 

 volucral bractlets herbaceous, brownish, oblong, about 2 mm long and 1 mm wide, 

 obtuse at the apex, glabrous; receptacle long-pilose; flowers long-pedicellate; 

 receptacular bractlets subhy aline, oblong-oblanceolate, about 3 mm long and 0.7 

 mm wide, subacute at the apex, long-pilose at the base, otherwise glabrous; 

 staminate florets: sepals 3, separate, hyaline, oblong-oblanceolate, more or less 

 falcate, about 2 mm long and 0.7 mm wide, subacute at the apex, glabrous; petals 



