Maguire, Bassett. 1967. The botany of the Guayana Highland--Part VII. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 17: 1-439.
Cyperaceae
Latin Diagnosis - Habitu Mapaniae sylvaticae similis. sed ab ea differt rhizomate repente, fruc-tificationibus maturitate vix rugosis nigracantibus glumis squamellisque tenuiter membranaceis paulo longioribus.
Species Description - Rhizoma breviuscule repens, ad 4 cm longum. Culmus solitarius. 15-50 cm altus. 2-3 mm crassus. obtuse trigonus, basi tantum cataphyllis laxe obtectus. Folia normalia omnino in cataphyllum rcducta; cataphylla basilaria 4 ad 6, 2-12 cm longa, fusco-rubentia vcl fusco-purpurascentia, membranacea, tenuiter multi-nervia, margine hyalina pallidioraque, apice acuta. Caput terminate, spi-culis propriis 1 vel 2 constructum; bracteae involucrantes 3 raro 2, foliaceae, patentes divergentesve, late ellipticae, 9-15 cm longae, 3-5.5 cm latae (in speci-minibus regione Pacifica Colombiana nonnunquam late lanceolatae usque ad 20 cm longae 2-2.5 latae, apice subsensim acutae), herbaceac, planae, sub-tri-costatae tenuiter multinerviae, apice subabrupte acutae, basi subito contractae evaginantes. Spiculae propriae ellipsoideae, sessiles, 2-3 cm longae, 1-1.5 cm latae, apice obtusae, maturitate fulvo-fusceseentes fulvaeve; glumae anguste oblongae, appressae, 8-9 mm longae, 1.5-2 mm latae, hvalino-membranaceae, medio 1-costatae fulvotinetae et sursum pilis brevibus basi minute tuberculatis pubes-centcs, apice emarginatae usque leviter bilobae, basi vix angustatae; spiculae partiales glumam suam aequantes; squamellae (i.e., glumae secundariae) 6, duae inferiores laterales, oppositae, valde plicatac, costa acute hispido-ciliata, ceterae 4 imbricatae, lineares, planae, uninerviae, apice lacerato-tri-dentatae, tres inferiores staminem uni cum ferentes. Fructificationes terminales, ellipsoidae vel subglobosae, 2-3 mm longae, 1.75-1.9 mm latae, facie maturitate nigricantes nitidaeque, obscurius pauci-nervosae, apice subito contractae, basi etiam subito attenuatae plerumque breviter stipitatae; styli perlongi, apice (stimatibus) 3-fidi.
Type. Dense forest south of Rio Condoto, between Quebrada Guarapo and Mandinga, alt 120-180 m, El Choco, Colombia, E. P Killip 35169 (holotype NY, isotype US).
Mapania assimilis, a plant that has been passing as M. sylvatica in Central America and the Pacific coastal region of Colombia, clearly differs from true M. sylvatica though the two plants closely resemble each other in their vegetative parts. As illustrated in Fig. 11, A-D, M. assimilis has larger glumes bearing tubercle-based hairs on the upper part and fructifications that are only faintly ridged and shining black at maturity, whereas in M. sylvatica the slightly shorter glumes are only hispid on the upper part of the midvein and the strongly wrinkled fructifications are olive-brown and dull at maturity. Phytogeographically, these species are distinctly separated; M. assimilis occurs on the Pacific coastal region from Gosta Rica southward to northern Colombia while M. sylvatica is distributed on the Atlantic side of northern South America from eastern Venezuela to the State of Para in Brazil.