Vellozia piresiana L. B. Sm.

Vellozia piresiana L. B. Smith

Vellozia piresiana L. B. Smith, Contr. U.S. Nat. Herb., 35:264, pl. 9: figs. 6, 7, 1962.—Ayensu, Smithsonian Contr. Bot., 15:35, pl. 43f, 1974.

TYPE.—Serra do Cipó at km 132, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 4 April 1951, Black & Pires 51–12157 (INPA, holotype; US, photo).

DISTRIBUTION.—Brazil: Minas Gerais: km 119 to 132 between Lagoa Santa and Conceição do Mato Dentro.

31. Vellozia castanea L. B. Smith & Ayensu, new species

A V. ramosissima L. B. Smith, cui affinis, foliorum vaginis parum exsertis et apice atro castaneis, laminis persistentibus erectisque differt.

Caudex (incompletely known) over 10 cm long, 15 mm in diameter including the leaf-sheaths. Leaves about 15-ranked; sheaths subdense with the dark castaneous sublustrous apices exposed for 5–10 mm; blades persistent but erect, linear-triangular, obtuse, 13 cm long, 7 mm wide at base, revolute when dry, even and glabrous except for the obscurely serrulate margins.

Scape terminal, solitary, erect, much shorter than the leaves, laxly and minutely pale-glandular. Ovary ellipsoid, obtusely angled, 15 mm long, laxly and evenly vestite with minute pale stipitate glands, epigynous tube broad ca. 3 mm high. Tepals free, elliptic, 35 mm long. Stamens ca. 18, included; phalanges with lacerate appendages.

LEAF ANATOMY (Hoehne in SP 12495).—Surface View: Hairs: none observed. Epidermis: cells on both surfaces square to rectangular; thin-walled. Stomata: tetracytic; 18 × 12 μm; present mostly in abaxial furrows; few on abaxial surface.

Transverse Section of Lamina: Dorsiventral; widely V-shaped with small median adaxial groove. Adaxial surface ridged; abaxial surface furrowed ½ thickness of blade. Epidermis: cells on both surfaces rounded to dome-shaped; few conical; thin-walled. Subjacent to adaxial epidermis is 2 or 3 layers of thin-walled parenchyma heavily interspersed with sclerenchyma fiber bundles. Below this is a layer of large, thin-walled parenchyma cells. Subjacent to abaxial epidermis is 1 or 2 layers of thin-walled parenchyma interspersed with sclerenchyma fiber bundles; below is a layer of thin-walled parenchyma. Cuticle: slightly thickened and ridged on both surfaces. Stomata: mostly present in abaxial furrows; few on abaxial surface; stomata flush with epidermal surface; small substomatal chamber present; protected by few projections from walls of furrows. Mesophyll: 3 or 4 layers of palisade tissue followed by compactly arranged spongy cells. Three or four layers of translucent palisade radially arranged above vascular bundles, furrows and entire area above midvein. Sclerenchyma fibers in abaxial corners of furrows. Vascular bundles: 35; commissural bundles not observed. One to three large vessels present in each bundle. Two phloem units lying laterally in flanges of V-shaped, some U-shaped, abaxial girder. Adaxial cap present on each bundle; usually quite large. Bundle sheath completely surrounding each bundle. Crystals and tannins: none observed.

TYPE.—Caraça, Minas Gerais, Brazil, cultivated and flowered in São Paulo, 10 January 1924, Hoehne s n (SP 12495, holotype).

DISTRIBUTION.—Known only from the type-collection.

Vellozia piresiana L. B. Smith

SPECIMENS EXAMINED.—Duarte 2068.

SURFACE VIEW.—Hairs: absent. Epidermis: cells square to rectangular on both surfaces, thin walled. Stomata: paracytic, 12 × 6 μm; present on abaxial surface.

TRANSVERSE SECTION OF LAMINA.—Dorsiventral; V-shaped with small but distinct median adaxial groove. Adaxial surface undulating; abaxial surface furrowed about one-third the thickness of blade. Epidermis: adaxial and abaxial cells rectangular to dome shaped; cell walls thin on both surfaces. Subjacent to adaxial epidermis occur sclerenchyma strands interspersed with one to two layers of parenchyma cells. Cuticle: adaxial cuticle thin and slightly ridged; abaxial cuticle thin but deeply ridged. Stomata: present in abaxial furrows; no substomatal chamber observed. Mesophyll: three layers of indistinct palisade tissue grading into fairly compactly arranged spongy tissue. Large translucent cells arranged radially above vascular bundles and furrows; adaxial translucent cells in midvein very distinct. Vascular bundles: 37; no commissural bundles observed. Each vascular bundle contains one to two large vessels, mainly one. Two phloem units lying laterally in flanges of U-shaped abaxial girder. Large adaxial cap on each bundle, often larger than abaxial girders. Abaxial sclerenchyma strands present; some parenchyma cells between abaxial sclerenchyma and spongy tissue. Crystals: none observed. Tannins: present.

NOTE: The adaxial sclerenchyma girders which are often larger than the abaxial girders are very distinctive in Vellozia.