Additions to the Rapateaceae

New taxa In the Rapateaceae are described herein: Spathantheae, Ceph-alostemoneae, Stegolepis piresii, Kunhardtia radlata, Rapatea rugulosa, Rapated ulel var. lat i folia, and Rapatea ulei var. lati folia forma multlcapltata. Preparatory to presentation of a monograph of the essentially neotropieal monoeatyledo· nous family Rapateaeeae, there are herein offered the validation of the tribes Spathantheae and Cephalostemoneae, whieh will be elaborated upon in the monograph, and the prepublieation of additional speeies representing the genera Stego/epis, Kunhardtia, and Rapatea, respeetively. Spathantheae Maguire, trlb. nov. Braetea eephalaris solitaria, spathaeea, elongata. spieis Jateraliter · adnatis; granis pollinis elliptieis, bisuieatis; ovariis imperfeete 3-loeularibus; loeulo solitario maturo; seminibus oblongis, striatis, exappendieulatis. Spathanthus Desvaux. Cephalostemoneae Maguire, trib. nov. Braeteae eephalares duae; antheris exappendieulatis; granis pollinis zonisuleatis; ovario 3-earpellato, quoque uniovulato; seminibus appendieulatis vel exappendleulatis; follis gramineis. Cephalostemon Robert Sehomburk, Duckea Maguire. Stegolepis piresii Maguire, sp. nov. Seetio Paucif/ora, subseetio Pauciflora referenda. Stego/epis pulchellae et S. membranaceae affinis. Herpae perennes ad 60 em altae; vaginis anguste laneeolatis, membranaeeis vel subin( • ) The New York Botanical Garden, USA. ACfA AMAZONIA 9(2) : 267-269. 1979 Bassett Maguire (*) duratis, marginibus prominenter searioso-marginatis, aurieulis ineonspieuis, seariosis, ea 3-4 mm longis; laminis 1.5-2.0 em latis, ad 50 em longis, anguste aeuminatis, firme papyraeeis, prominenter venatis; peduneulis axillaribus, apparenter 5-8, ea 1. 5 mm diam, valde nervosis; floribus 1·2; spieulis ea 2 em longis, sepalis inelusis, braeteolis 16-18, gradatis. laneeolatis, ad 8 mm longis, subaeutis, enerviis, induratis; sepalis ea 18 mm longis, limbis anguste laneeolatis, induratis, enerviis: petalis apparenter latiobovatis . TYPEPlanta de 1 m, flor amarela, 1000 m alt, Serra Aracá, Territorio Amazonas, Brasil, 2 Nov. 1975, João Murça Pires, 15.039 (60) (holotype NY, isotype MG) . Stego/epis piresii is assigned to the subseetion Pauciflora of the seetion Pauciflora, Stegolepis, Rapateaeeae. lts closest relatives appear to be Stego/epis pu/chefia and S. membranacea of Amazonian Venezuela. The leaf sheaths of Stegolepis membranacea are eonspieuously broad, to 5 em wlde; those of S. pu/chefia are indurated and provided w i t h eonspieuous white searious margins and prominent aurieles; those of S · membranacea are subindurated or submembranous, and are provided with narrowly searious margins and rounded, non-searious auricles. The leaf blades of S. piresii are 1/ 2 to 2/3 the width of those of the two close rei atives. Ali members of the genus oeeur over Roraima Formation sandstone or eonglomerate. Kunhardtia radiata Maguire and Steyermark, sp. nov. Herbae perennes terrestres; foliis 7-14 dm longis; vaginis valde distiehis equitantibusque in uno plano dispositis, valde eoriaeeis, eonduplicatis, eligulatis; laminis 5-12 dm longis, 4·6 em latis; peduneulo axillari, solitario, apiee

Preparatory to presentation of a monograph of the essentially neotropieal monoeatyledo• nous family Rapateaeeae, there are here in offered the validation of the tribes Spathantheae and Cephalostemoneae, whieh will be elaborated upon in the monograph, and the prepublieation of additional speeies representing the genera Stego/epis, Kunhardtia, and Rapatea, respeetively.
The leaf sheaths of Stegolepis membranacea are eonspieuously broad, to 5 em wlde; those of S. pu/chefia are indurated and provided w i t h eonspieuous white -searious margins and prominent aurieles; those of S • membranacea are subindurated or submembranous, and are provided with narrowly searious margins and rounded, non-searious auricles.
The leaf blades of S. piresii are 1/ 2 to 2/3 the width of those of the two close rei atives.
Ali members of the genus oeeur over Roraima Formation sandstone or eonglomerate.

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This is the second species of the rapateaceous genus Kunhardtia assigned to the Schoenoeephalieae of the subfamily Saxofridericioideae.

membranacea.
lt is interesting that eollectors' notes indicate the new species also grows on sandstonederived soil.Prance (verbal eommunication) states that this sandstone locality is the site of considerable local endemism.
Rapatea ulei was collected by UI e "N9 8822, in Sümpfen zwischen Flores und Taurumã, Manáos".A second colleetion of the well marked species also is known to me, this obtained by Killip and Smith, "NQ 30183, dense forest. . . .Manacs".The specimens of both eollections are uniform and possibly represent a consistent, immediately regional form.
Two further eol lections now at hand, made by Pranee and assoeiates, Nos.3827 and 11357, were obtained along the Manaus-Caracarai Road at kilometers 12 and 45, respectively.These represent again a uniform facies, but are distinguished from the Ule and Killip and Smith specimens by their leaves which are twiee the width of the original, and, thus, are conspieuously different in facies from it.These latter plants are designated as Rapatea ulei var.latifolia.
But the structure of the species is further complicated by an additional collection, Prance et ai.21656A and 216568, from varzea forest at Km 60 along the Manaus-Caracarai Highway.These specimens of 21656A are to be immediately associated with two Prance et ai.collections (3827 and 11357) referred to above, designated as var.latifolia.The speeimens of 216568 are essentially identical in f2cies, and would appear to be a part of the population represented by 21656A, but are further characterized by massive multiple heads (a eondition not observed before in Rapatea), in which the inflorescence is subtended by the normal two spathaceous rapateous braets.The heads consist of 6-8 dense orbicular-ovate, multiflowered spikes some 2. 5-3.O em long, ali deriving from an extended receptacle.
Ad ditions to ... Obviously these questions cannot be answered with the evidenee available.These extraordinary specimens must receive designation as fvrma multicapitata.

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BtBLIO~:CA j do I ~J p A Ouestions immediate ,-a1 I Sé Wfi1c can be answered only by further field observations: Does 216568 represent a normal subpopulation, or does it represent a teratoiogieal expression within a normal population ?