Rapatea scabra Maguire
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Authority
Maguire, Bassett. 1965. The Botany of the Guayana Highland. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 12 (3): 1-285.
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Family
Rapateaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Terrestrial herb with linear scabrous leaves to 1.5 m long, peduncles 1-several, bracteoles of spikelets and sepals yellow, petals yellow, strongly dotted, frequent, moist places on granite, border of creek. Intermediate Camp at alt. 600 m, Cerro Sipapo, Terr. Amazonas, Venezuela, 27 Nov 1948, Bassett Maguire & Louis Politi 27474 (holotype NY, isotypes B M , COL, F, G H , K, M B , N Y , P, RB, VEN, US). Paratype. Same locality, 12 Feb 1949, Maguire, Politi d) Maguire 28722 (F, NY, VEN, US).
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Description
Latin Diagnosis - Herbae perennes, caudice brevi plus-minusve erecto; foliis distichis sigmoideis; vaginis equitantibus, conduplicatis, 15-20 cm longis, 1.5-2.0 cm latis, manifeste prominenter venis, scabris, marginibus conspicue scariis, apice aliquantum auriculato; laminis linearibus 5-15 dm longis, 2.0-3.5 cm latis, superficie superiore laeve, vix prominulis, inferiore scabro, 20-24 venis prominulis, apice abrupto lanceolato obliquo acumine enervato ferme 2-3 cm longo; pedunculis in foliis axillaribus, uno vel aliquot, 5-8 d m longis, gracilibus, 2-1 mm erassis, striatis a sulcatis, scabriusculis, amplificatis a 6-8 mm latis et aliquantum compressis apice; bracteis spathaceis 12-16 cm longis, 1.5-2.0 cm latis, non multus amplificatis basibus, inconspicue venis, scabris, apice acuto, aliquantum obliquo; receptaculo convexo, 8-10 mm lato, 2-5 mm alto, squamis panels, paleaceis, anguste lanceolatis, 4-5 mm longis; spieulis sessilibus, axe crasso, ca. 3 mm longis; bracteolis ca. 30, gradatis et imbricatis, 6-8 mm longis, oblongis, obtusis, cucullatis, exterioribus apicibus latioribus, interioribus apicibus angustioribus; sepalis 3, in tubo 10 mm longo connatis, laminis subinduratis lanceolatis flavis 5-7 mm longis, in anthesis reflexis; petalis 3, unguibus, in tubo 2.5 mm longo connatis, laminis orbiculari-truncatis et retusis, flavis; staminibus 6, filamentis linearibus ea. 2 mm longis, 0.2 mm erassis, in basi tubo corolla insertis; antheris 4-lobis, ca. 4.5 mm longis, appendicibus eochlearif ormibus, oblongo-orbicularibus, 0.8-1.0 mm longis, brunneis; granis pollinis subsphaeroidalibus, axibus equatorialibus 35-50 µ longis, axibus polaribus 30-35 µ longis, aperturis zonisulcatis, sporodermis fine scorbieulatis, aperturis verrucosis; ovariis 3-locularibus, ad basim membraneis, loculis 1-ovulatis, placentis basilaribus; capsulis induratis, loculicidale dehiscentibus, valvis oblongo-lanceolatis, ovulis duobus abortivis; semine solitario elliptico-oblongo, 4-5 mm longo, testa hyaline conspicue striato.
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Presently known only from the type locality.
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Discussion
The strongly marked Rapatea scabra obviously belongs to the sect. Paludosa, but is without known immediate relatives. The obtuse eucullate bracteoles occur otherwise nowhere in the genus.