Ouratea guaiquinimensis Sastre

  • Authority

    Maguire, Bassett. 1989. The Botany of the Guayana Highland- Part XIII. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 51: 1-127.

  • Family

    Ochnaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Ouratea guaiquinimensis Sastre

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrub 0.5-2(-4) m tall, branches glabrous, internodes 5-20 mm long. Leaves coriaceous, densely congested in the upper part of the branches, oblong, oval, or ovate-oblong, rounded rounded at apex, rounded or subcordate at the base, 3-6(-8.5) cm long, 1.5-4.5(-5) cm wide, margin subentire or obscurely subcrenulate, somewhat thickened; primary lateral nerves 3-8 on each side above, impressed, prominent, below numerous, less prominent, the intermediate and tertiary nerves parallel, other nerves above obsolete or sometimes enervate; petioles 2-6 m m long. Inflorescence racemose or subracemose, relatively few-flowered, flowers solitary or the axes only 1-3-flowered; pedicels at anthesis 3- 7(-12) mm long, in fruit 9-12 mm long. Flower buds 4 mm long, 1.8-2 mm wide. Sepals lanceolate, acute and caudiculate, 4-4.5(-5) m m long, 1.5-1.6(-2.5) mm wide. Petals mostly oblong- obovate, subacute at apex, 4-4.5 mm long,

    Distribution and Ecology - Shmbby savannas and shmb islands of sandstone savannas on the summit of Ceno Guaiquinima, Estado Bolivar, Venezuela, at 1250-1800 m. Known only from this sandstone table mountain.

  • Discussion

    Specimens examined. VENEZUELA, bolivar: West Escarpment, 1 km W of Cumbre Camp, Cerro Guaiquinima, 1800 m, 30 Dec 1951, Maguire 32835; moss forest of deep quebrada, 1600-1700 m, 4 Jan 1952, Maguire 32945 (NY, VEN); bush savanna. North Valley, 1600-1700 m, 4 Jan 1952, Maguire 32969 (NY); bush savanna, North Valley, 1600-1700 m, 4 Jan 1952, Maguire 32987 (NY); bush savanna. North Valley, 1600-1700 m, 10-12 Jan 1952, Maguire 33061 (NY, VEN); cumbre del Cerro Guaiquinima, sector noreste, 5º'59'N, 63º'25'W, 1490-1500 m, 25 May 1978, Steyermark, Berry & G. C K. andE. Dunsterville 117367 (MO, VEN); cumbre, sector SE, cerca del borde, 5°40'N, 63°26'W, 1250 m, 26 May 1978, Steyermark, Berry & G. C. K and E. Dunsterville 117405 (MO, VEN); cumbre, extensi6n mas septentrional del cerro en el sector SE, 6°00'N, 63''28'W, 1650 m, 9 Apr 1979, Steyermark & G. C K and E. Dunsterville 117967 (MO, VEN).

    This species is characterized by the relatively few-flowered racemiform inflorescence, the axis of which is naked in the lower half, and by the entire or obscurely crenulate leaves with the tertiary venation parallel to the lateral nerves, but not finely reticulate. It diflfers from O. ptaritepuiensis Steyerm. in having the lower leaf surface non-reticulate, entire to obscurely crenulate leaf margins, lower half of the inflorescence naked, smaller petals, nanower sepals, racemiform inflorescence axis slender, and more elongate, peduncular portion of the inflorescence.