Posoqueria panamensis subsp. grandiflora (H.Karst.) Steyerm.

Authority

Maguire, Bassett. 1967. The botany of the Guayana Highland--Part VII. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 17: 1-439.

Family

Rubiaceae

Scientific Name

Posoqueria panamensis subsp. grandiflora (H.Karst.) Steyerm.

Description

Distribution and Ecology - At low elevations from 100-600 m, in South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia). VENEZUELA. Barinas: entre Curbatico y Madre del Monte, Bernardi 1703; Alto de Aguado-Canagua. Muni-cipio Pedraza, Bernardi 1798: Merida: Cano Amarillo. Municipio El Aigia. Bernardi 1912; Zulia: vicinity of Peri)a. Tejera 135: Amazonas: Esmeralda. Williams 15808; arriba de Esmeralda. Williams 15489: without state indicated: Rio Frio, Panamericano, Bernardi 2354- COLOMBIA. Putumayo: Umbria. 0°54N, 76º10'W Klug 1915: Alto Cuenca del Rio Uchupayaco. al suroeste de Puerto Limon, 8848; near San Jose, creek off Putumayo River. T. A.Sprague (type collection of Posoqueria spraguei); Meta: Sierra de la Maca-rena, central mountains. Approach Ridge. Philipson & Idrobo 1793: Villavicencio. Pennell 1488: Menegua, Garcia B. 5310; Villavicencio, Perez Arbelaez 8: San Juan de Anna, bosque frente a la union de los rios Guejar y Sansa. margen izquierda del Guejar. Idrobo 505: Sierra de la Macarena. Rio Guapoya, Philip-son, Idrobo & Fernandez 1675; flood plain forest of Rio Meta. Puerto Lopez, E.& R. R. Little 8269: Cordillera La Macarena (extremo nordeste). macizo Renjifo, faldas orientales. Idrobo & Schultes 909. PERU Loreto: Santa Rose. Lower Rio Huallaga below Yurimaguas. Killip & Smith 28979: San Antonio, on Rio Itaya. Killip & Smith 29472: Maynas ad Yurimaguas. Poeppig 1809: Sole-dad, Tessmann 5312. BOLIVIA, junction of rivers Beni and Madre de Dios. Rusby 2220. Rurrenabaque, Cardenas 1192. BRAZIL. Amazonas: Ilha Irain of Curicuriari, middle Rio Negro, between mouth of Rio Curicuriari and Barcellos, Schultes & Lopez 8941

Discussion

Stannia grandiflora Karst., Fl. Columb. 1: 31, t. 16. 1859. non Posoqueria grandiflora Standley, 1928.

Posoqueria spaguei Wernh., Kew Bull. 1914: 66. 1914.

Type of Stannia grandiflora. "Silvis humidis pedem montium glacialium An-tioquiensium detegentibus in altitudine 1500 met rum.” Colombia. Karsten

This species has been confused with both Posoqueria longiflora and P latifolia. Vegetatively, the leaf-blades of P panamensis subsp grandiflora in the dried state are larger and thinner than those of P latifolia of the Guianas, and do not show the tertiary reticulation of the upper leaf-surface encountered in P latifolia. Furthermore, the lateral nerves on the lower surface are more pronounced than in P latifolia. Also, the dried leaves of P. panamensis subsp grandiflora possess a pale to yellow green in contrast to the darker blackish-green of P. latifolia of the Guianas.

Karsten described Stannia grandiflora as having a corolla-tube “decimetra dua longo, intus ad basin tomentosulo, superne glabro’' and in the following paragraph as “10 Zoll lange Rohr der Blumenkrone ist grade, innen an der Basis fein filzig, nach oben hin Kahl.” I have adopted Karsten’s name for the variation of P panamensis with the longer-length of the corollas. Although P maxima Standley (=P. coriacea subsp maxima) approaches the length of the corolla and leaf-blacle of S. grandiflora, it has the interior of the corolla-tube densely papillate, whereas Karsten states the interior of the corolla-tube of S. grandiflora as being mainly glabrous. Since Karsten does not mention the papillate puberulence in the upper interior of the corolla-tube characteristic of S. formosa (=P coriacea subsp formosa), I am using Karsten’s name of S. grandiflora to apply to plants with a glabrous upper interior of the corolla-tube.

From P. longiflora the taxa described by Karsten and Wernham differ in the pubescence of the dorsal base of the anther cell, the hairs of the dorsal basal part similar to and not noticeably longer than those covering the remainder of the dorsal surface of the anther margins, the calyx-lobes differ in shape, apex, and degree of ciliolation, and the stipules likewise differ in shape and apex.

Distribution

At low elevations from 100-600 m, in South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia).

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