1957] 



BOTANY OF THE CHIMANTA MASSIF— I 



413 



Wurdackia Moldenke, gen. no v. 



herbae perennes, caulibus crassis elongatis; foliis rigidis distichis flabel- 

 liformibus; bracteolis involucri et receptaculi magnis; floribus omnibus perfectis 

 pedicellatis; sepalibus 3, separatis; petalibus 3 praeter ad apicem separaris; 

 staminibus 3 inclusis ad basin petalorum affixis; stylo brevissimo, appendicibus 

 3, bulboso-clavatis; stigmatibus 3, valde elongatis albidis bifidis; ovario sub- 

 globoso glabro 3-loculare. 



TYPE species: W. flabelliformis Moldenke. 



The genus is named in honor of John J. Wurdack, who has done noteworthy 

 collecting in various parts of the United States, Canada, Japan, Brazil, and 

 Venezuela. 



Wurdackia flabelliformis Moldenke, sp. nov. 



Herba perennis; caulibus simplicibus dense foliosis densissime tomentosis; 

 foliis coriaceis patentibus arctissime imbricatis, ad apicem rotundatis vel sub- 

 acutis, utrinque glabris; pedunculis paucis brunneis 4 vel 5-costatis glabris 

 nitidis paullo contortis; vaginis gracilibus glabris multistriatis non contortis, 

 laminis lanceolatis subulato-acutis glabris; capitulis hemisphaericis; bracteolis 

 involucri fulvo- brunneis oblongis obtusis glabris; receptaculo glabro. 



Perennial herb; stems simple, elongate, thick, to 16 cm long, very densely 

 matted-tomentose, densely leafy; leaves coriaceous, rigid, wide-spreading, 2- 

 ranked in fan-like fashion, very closely imbricate, uniformly 10-12 cm long, about 

 8 mm wide at the middle, rounded or subacute at the apex, the base hidden in the 

 nigrescent tomentum of the stems, glabrous on both surfaces, shiny, many-veined 

 but the parallel veins very obscure or indiscernible on both surfaces; peduncles 

 few, borne on the upper portion but not at the apex of the stem, erect, brown, 

 13-16 cm long, 4- or 5-costate, glabrous, shiny, hardly twisted; sheaths slender, 

 closely appressed to the peduncles, shorter than and hidden by the leaves, about 

 6 cm long, glabrous, many-striate, not twisted, obliquely split at the apex, the 

 blade erect, lanceolate, about 2 cm long, appressed, subulate-acute at the apex, 

 glabrous throughout; heads hemispheric, 1.6-1.9 cm wide; involucral bracdets 

 tawny-brown, oblong, about 5.5 mm long and 1.2 mm wide, rather firm, obtuse at 

 the apex, glabrous; receptacle glabrous; receptacular bractlets oblanceolate- 

 spatulate, navicular-concave, black except at the base, about 6 mm long and 1.2 

 mm wide, obtuse or subacute at the apex, gradually attenuate to the base, gla- 

 brous except for the long-barbate apex, the white hairs beginning on the back 

 somewhat below the apex and extending 2.2-2.5 mm beyond it; all the florets 

 perfect, pedicellate; pedicels white, filiform, about 2 mm long; sepals 3, separate, 

 elliptic, about 3.5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, hyaline, obtuse or subacute at the 

 apex, densely white-barbate at and near the apex, otherwise glabrous; petals 3, 

 hyaline, separate except at the apex, about 3.2 mm long and 1.2 mm wide, ob- 

 ovate, rounded at the apex, gradually attenuate at the base, densely long-ciliate 

 in barbate fashion at the apex; stamens 3, attached near the base of the petals, 

 included; filaments filiform, white, glabrous, the free portion about 1.5 mm long; 

 anthers white, oblong, about 0.4 mm long and 0.2 mm wide, composed of 2 thecae; 

 style very short, about 0.2 mm long, its appendages 3, bulbous-clavate, stra- 

 mineous, about 0.5 mm long, borne at the same level as and alternate with the 

 stigmas; stigmas 3, hyaline, erect, about 2 mm long, bifid at the apex; ovary stra- 

 mineous, subglobose, about 0.7 mm long and wide, glabrous, 3-sulcate, 3-cellecL 



TYPE: Julian A. Steyermark & John J. Wurdack 671, in moist places at the 

 base of a rock and on dripping rocks of zanjone at the edge of the escarpment in 

 and among zanjones, at the summit of Torono-tepui, Chim anta Massif, Bolivar, 



