Showing papers on "Maranta published in 1973"

Notes on Central American Marantaceae I. New Species and Records From Panama and Costa Rica

Abstract: Four new species of Calathea (Marantaceae) are described from Costa Rica and central Panama. Synonymies and misidentifications are discussed. Data on pollination are given. The large herbaceous monocots, especially the Scitamineae, are a conspicuous element of most lowland semi-deciduous to wet tropical forests. In spite of their showy nature they are poorly known. In Central America they flower primarily during the rainy season when many roads are impassable, thus discouraging many collectors. Since they are frequently bulky and awkward to press, they may be purposely overlooked by botanists. Their most important and distinctive features, the habit of growth, form of the inflorescence and flowers, are commonly obscured or lost in herbarium specimens, thus abetting misidentification and confusion and making field work essential for their understanding. While working on the pollination of the family Marantaceae, it became evident that a large part of the Costa Rican and Panamanian species were undescribed. There are 23 species recorded in the Flora of Panama; to date I have found 19 additional undescribed or unrecorded species of Marantaceae in Panama'. In Calathea alone, there are an additional 16 species, 11 of which are undescribed. Surprisingly, all but two are from central Panamat: Cerro Jefe and La Eneida, Cerro Campana, Santa Rita Ridge and Rio Guanche, near Portobelo. On the lower Rio Guanche alone, there are seven undescribed Marantaceae. To be sure, several of these and the species from Santa Rita are decidedly South American (Colombian and upper Amazonian) in affinity, and undescribed from there either. There are surely other new species yet to be found in the Atlantic coastal forests, the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, and the mountains of Darien, Panama. The Marantaceae may always be recognized vegetatively, from seedling stage onward, by the pulvinus (a region of specialized cells just below the leaf blade) and the major (longitudinal) veins which form a sigmoid curve with evenly spaced, parallel transverse veins between them and at right angles to them (these seen if the leaf is held up to the light) (Tomlinson, 1961: 62). Florally the family is characterized by the spring mechanism of the style and stigma. The showy portion of the flower usually consists of the sterilized, often petaloid, staminodes (see Fig. ic): outer staminode, callose staminode, and the cucullate staminode which holds the style in place before pollination. While in bud the pollen is transferred from the anther to a depression (see Fig. ic) in the style immediately 1 I wish to thank Dr. Robert L. Dressler for showing me several new species localities, for reading the manuscript, and for assistance and guidance without which this study would not have been possible; Robin Foster for showing me the Rio Guanche site and for use of his vehicle for field work; Drs. R. L. Wilbur and G. L. Webster for reading parts of the manuscript; and Dr. Robin Andrews for help in typing the manuscript. 2 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 2072, Balboa, Canal Zone. ANN. MISSOURI BOT. GARD. 60: 413-426. 1973. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.17 on Wed, 31 Aug 2016 04:52:21 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 414 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN [VOL. 60 behind the cup-like terminal stigma. During pollination, the pollinator (bees of the genus Calathea) inserts the head and proboscis or proboscis (beak?) only into the flower displacing the cucullate appendage and thus releasing the style which is under tension. It snaps upward (and slightly sideways in Maranta, Ctenanthe, and Thalia) bringing the stigma into contact with the pollen previously deposited on the pollinator's body and simultaneously depositing its own pollen in the same place. The style then comes to rest against the callose staminode (see Fig. ic). In the case of Calathea the pollen is deposited in the proboscidial fossa. The flowers normally open spontaneously (see Figs. Ic and 3c), but there is also a group in which the buds remain closed (see Fig. 4b) until forcibly opened by the bee. The latter situation prevails in one group of Calatheas corresponding to a portion of the series Scapifoliae of Schumann (1902). This very specialized condition is quite distinct from cleistogamy. There are a few which are truly cleistogamous, notably Calathea panamensis Rowlee ex Standl., but they are not closely related to the above mentioned group. In the great majority of Marantaceae species it is mechanically impossible to get pollen in the stigma of the same flower, however, certain species of Maranta appear to be exceptions to this rule. Calathea dressleri H. Kennedy, sp. nov.-FIGURE 1. Acaulis. Planta ad 45 cm alta. Folia ad 2 cm longa petiolata, petioli pars superior ad 1.5 cm longa complanata callosa supra puberula obovata vel late elliptica raro suborbiculata basi acuta vel obtusa supra glabra splendens prope medianum minutissime puberula obscure viridia et prope medianum pallidius maculata subtus pallide viridia vel atroviolacea; vagina subglabra ad 19 cm longa. Spica e rhizomate capitata subglobosa ad 5.5 cm longa et ad 5 cm diametro pedunculo 5-23.5 cm longo subglabro sustenta; bracteae 14-17 spiraliter dispositae ovatae vel late lanceolatae 2.45-3.5 cm longae et 1.5-2.7 cm latae herbacea intus albae vel pallidae violacea extus pallidae violacea obtusae apice recurvata, laxius imbricata; paria florium 3 bracteolis indurato-claviculatis exsertis et mesophyllis comitata; ovarium glabrum album 1.3-1.7 mm longum; sepala 19 mm longa et 2.5-3 mm lata, lineari-lanceolata glabra; corollae tubus 23 mm longus albus vel subviolaceus glabrus, lobi ovati vel lanceolate 9-13 mm longi et 4.5-5.3 mm; staminodium exterius album vel subviolaceum late ovatum vel orbicularum emarginatum 9 mm longum et 6 mm latum; callosum spatulatum 1 cm longum et 0.8 cm latum; cucullatum 7 mm longum. Capsula 9-10 mm longa calyce demum coronata; semina trigona dorso rotundata rugosa, arillo lamelloso albo. Rosulate herb, to 45 cm high. Plants frequently of several leafy shoots, with 2-5 leaves each. Rhizome 0.8-1 cm in diameter, internodes ca. 0.5 cm. Leaf sheath herbaceous, minutely tomentose to subglabrous, green to greenish-purple, 5-19 cm long, frequently auriculate at the apex, disintegrating with age. Petiole absent or to 4.5 cm long, minutely tomentose. Pulvinus slightly swollen, puberulent above, 0.6-1.5 cm long. Leaf blade herbaceous, entire, obovate to broadly elliptic, occasionally suborbicular, margin and leaf surface undulate, apex rounded with a point, base acute to obtuse, 17-30 cm long and 12-17 cm wide; the upper surface dark green with an irregular yellow-green band about 1/4 the leaf width along the midrib, glabrous except for the tomentose midrib, covered with minute papilli (appearing as depressions on dried specimens) giving it a velvety sheen; the lower surface similarly covered but the interspersed stomata giving it a more or less dull aspect, varying from light grey-green to dark purple in color, glabrous except minutely puberulent (14x) on midrib and major veins. Cataphylls of This content downloaded from 157.55.39.17 on Wed, 31 Aug 2016 04:52:21 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 1973] KENNEDY-CENTRAL AMERICAN MARANTACEAE 415