Ilex divaricata Mart. ex Reissek
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Authority
Maguire, Bassett & Wurdack, John J. 1961. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part IV (2). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 10: 1-87.
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Family
Aquifoliaceae
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Scientific Name
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Discussion
All the natural Venezuelan savannas of the upper Rio Negro drainage seemto be choice habitats for this rare species, hitherto known only from the type collection of Martius from near Manaos. We have collected it at Maroa (36441), Sabana El Venado (35615), Sabana Hechimoni (37646, 37670), Sabana Pacimoni (37587, 37588, 37589), and the Yapacana savannas (34553, 34554). Collections from the scrub forest near the savannas (Caño Cupueni, 36228; Yapacana Caño, 30507, 30795, 34616) tend to have proportionately narrower oblongish leaves as compared with the open savanna and savanna "tree island" populations; the savanna collections correspond more closely with the type collection. We strongly suspect that both I. uleana Loes. and I. spruceana Reiss. var. guainiensis Loes. (but not I. spruceana var. spruceana) are synonymous with I. divaricala, the latter seeming to correspond with the scrub forest form and the former to the savanna form; however, this tentative synonymy is based on Macbride's photographs and original descriptions and not on the necessary holotype examinations. I. divaricata is known also from Amazonas, Brazil (Preto, Matupiry, Rio Negro, Froes 22815, 22843.)
The female inflorescences of 7. divaricata are multi (3-10)-fasciculate on the lateral spur branchlets, usually in the leaf axils, and 1-flowered. The pedicels are about 1 mm long, the four ciliolate sepals each 1 X 1-5 mm, and the petals 2 X 1-5 mm and sparsely erose-ciliolate. The fruiting pedicels are 3-5 mm long and the 2-3-seeded mature fruit ca. 7-10 mm in diameter with smooth exocarp and strongly flattened non-elevated radially striolate stigmas 1.3-1.5 mm in diameter.