Stifftia uniflora Ducke
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Authority
Maguire, Bassett & Wurdack, John J. 1957. The Botany of the Guiana Highland -- Part II. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 9 (3): 235-392.
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Family
Asteraceae
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Scientific Name
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Discussion
There is some doubt that Stifftia uniflora is generically compatible with the other two components of Stifftia, yet it is more closely allied with them than to other members of the Gochnatinae. These brief remarks will apply to the three species as though they are congeneric.
In general facies, Stifftia is easily distinguishable from Stenopadus (with which it has been sometimes associated). It is a glabrous shrub with slender branches, thin, elliptic, acute, slender-petioled leaves, and solitary large-heads or smaller heads paniculately arranged. The flowers are more or less similar in form to those of Stenopadus^ but have more advanced vasculation, more highly specialized pollen grainss 21 and more highly differentiated style-branches (as noted in our "key").
Elsewhere it has been suggested that Stifftia (sensu lat.) constitutes a discrete phyletic line anciently cut off from Stenopadus (as have been other phyletic segregates, viz. Chimantaea, Stomatochaeta, and Quelchia), and now (except Stifftia uniflora) occupies the trans-Amazon region of central and southern Brazil.