Everardia angusta N.E.Br.
-
Authority
Maguire, Bassett. 1965. The Botany of the Guayana Highland. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 12 (3): 1-285.
-
Family
Cyperaceae
-
Scientific Name
-
Type
Type. Mt. Roraima, summit, 8600 ft, British Guiana, McConnell d Quelch 676 (K, holotype; N Y , photo).
-
Description
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. BRITISH GUIANA. Mt. Roraima, summit, struggling, 18 in. tall, Tate 426 (NY, holotype of E. gracilis); ditto, summit, Tate 425. VENEZUELA. Bolivar: La Gran Sabana, Ptari-tepui, Brocchinia-Stegolepis-Heliamphora swamp on southwest-facing shoulder, alt. 2200 m, common, Steyermark 59781 (F, holotype of E. steyermarkii; N Y , isotype and photo).
-
Discussion
Cryptangium stamineum N. E. Brown ex C. B. Clarke in Kew Bull. Add. Ser. 8: 135. 1908. nomen nudum. Everardia gracilis Gilly, Bull. Torrey Club 68: 26, /. S h-b'. 1941. Syn. nov. Everardia steyermarTcii Gilly, Pieldiana Bot. 28(1) : 55. 1951. Syn. nov After careful comparisons we are convinced that both E. gracilis Gilly and E. steyermarkii Gilly are identical with E. angusta N. E. Brown, one of the historical species of the genus. E. gracilis and E. angusta have been described from the summit of ]\It. Roraima. Gilly's basis for segregating E. gracilis from the latter was in the pubescence of fructification. According to him, in E. gracilis fructifications are hairy only on the beak, whereas in E. angusta they are hairy both on the beak and on the body. In our observations, however, this does not hold true. The body of fructifications of E. angusta is in reality not hairy at all but is glabrous like that of E. gracilis. In Everardia, the bodies of fructifications, which were termed ''ovary" by Gilly, are small and are completely hidden by the hypogynous squamellae at anthesis. They may easily be overlooked until they develop rather rapidly after pollination. But the beaks of fructifications, which are in many cases pubescent, complete growth by anthesis and are not remarkably elongated after pollination (compare figure C with B in Fig. 5). The specimens studied by N. E. Brown and Gilly have flowering spikelets only and seem to have puzzled these authors. Gilly's basis for creating E. steyermarkii was that it was from Ptari-tepui whereas E. angusta and E. gracilis are from Mt. Roraima. He failed to credit any morphological difference and admitted that his species resemble the two taxa mentioned above.
-
Distribution
Distribution. BRITISH GUIANA. Mt. Roraima, summit, struggling, 18 in. tall, Tate 426 (NY, holotype of E. gracilis); ditto, summit, Tate 425. VENEZUELA. Bolivar: La Gran Sabana, Ptari-tepui, Brocchinia-Stegolepis-Heliamphora swamp on southwest-facing shoulder, alt. 2200 m, common, Steyermark 59781 (F, holotype of E. steyermarkii; N Y , isotype and photo).
Guyana South America| Venezuela South America|