1957} 



BOTANY OF THE CHIMANTA MASSIF— I 



423 



BRITISH GUIANA: Pakaraima Mountains, Kamarang River, Wenamu Trail, rare, by 

 landing place between Paruima Falls and Paruima Mission, shrublet to 25 cm high, 

 rhizomatous; fl. spikes pale cream, alt. 600 m, Nov. 8, 1951, Bassett Maguire & D. B. 

 Fanshawe 32446 (NY). 



The small, subwoody plants, the narrow leaves with vaginate-winged petioles, 

 the slender peduncle, short spikes, and obpyramidal-trigonous, glabrous drupes 

 characterize this species. It bears a slight resemblance to P. suratanum Trel. & 

 Yun. of Colombia but differs in the type of nervation, shape of fruit, and more 

 densely fringed bracts. From P. salicifolium Vahl of Suriname, also with narrow 

 leaves, it differs in its somewhat larger, glabrous, non-scabrid leaves, and longer 

 peduncles. It also differs from P. eucalyptifolium Rudge of British Guiana, with 

 which it bears some resemblance, in the size of plant and shape of leaves, in its 

 more slender spikes, characters of the drupe, etc. 



Piper chimantanum Y uncker, sp. nov. 



Suffrutex ligno molli nodosus, caule glabro; foliis lanceolato-ellipticis, apice 

 subfalcatim longo-acuminatis, basi acutis obtusisve, aequilateralibus vel subi- 

 naequilateralibus glabris vel subtus ad venas sub margine parcius adpresse 

 hirtulis, seorsum ciliolatis, a tertio supero deorsum pinnatim venosis, nerviis 

 ca. utrinque 5, petiolo fere ad laminam vaginato-alato; pedunculo gracili, bracteis 

 rotundato-subpeltatis plus rninusve umbonatis conferte luteo-fimbriatis, drupa 

 trigona apice depressa, stigmatibus sessilibus. 



A soft-wooded, branching, nodose shrub scarcely 1 m tall, "dull purplish at 

 the nodes" [this character not evident in the dried specimen], the stem 6 mm 

 thick at the base when dry, glabrous, the internodes mostly 6-8 cm long; leaves 

 lance-elliptic, the apex subfalcately long- acuminate, the base acute or obtuse, 

 equilateral or one side slightly shorter, 4-7 cm wide, 15-19 cm long, "membra- 

 nous, dark green above, silvery green below with elevated nerves, the midrib 

 dull lavender at base" when growing, pinnately nerved to the upper one- third, the 

 nerves about 5 oh each side, with cross-connecting nervules, drying subopaque, 

 dark above, paler beneath, glabrous, or the nerves near the margin beneath 

 sparsely subappressed hirtellous, the margin ciliolate at least above the middle, 

 the petiole "green with purplish stripes" when growing, up to 1.5 cm long, 

 glabrous, vaginate and broadly winged to near the blade; spikes 1-2 mm thick 

 4 cm long, the peduncle slender, glabrous, 2 cm long, the bracts round-subpeltate, 

 somewhat umbonate, strongly yellow-fringed, the ovary trigonous with pointed 

 apex, the drupe exserted, trigonous with depressed apex, the stigmas sessile. 



TYPE: VENEZUELA: Bolivar: Chimanta Massif, between Bluff Camp and low 

 promontory north of Bluff Camp, along west-facing portion of Chimanta-tepui 

 (Torono-tepuf ), slopes near waterfall, alt. 1600-1700 m, June 5, 1953, Julian A. 

 Steyermark 75673 (F, as sheet no. 1,443,524; NY). 



The small, subherbaceous, essentially glabrous plants, the strongly vaginate- 

 winged petiole, and the rather short, slender spikes with trigonous, exserted 

 drupes are distinctive characters of this species. It resembles P. steyermarkii 

 Yun., also from Bolivar, in some respects, but that species is scandent, has the 

 lateral nerves arising from the lower half of the blade, spikes 5 mm thick, and 

 subglobose, stylose drupes. 



Peperomia chimantana Yuncker, sp. nov. 



Herba epiphytica diffusa; ramulis conferte hirtellis, pilis minutis erectin; 

 foliis alternis, ellipticis vel obovatis emarginatis, basi acutis, petiolo pergracili 

 hirtello; spicis terminalibus axillaribusque; drupa ovoidea apice obliqua, stigmate 

 subapicali. 



