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90 FIELDIANA: BOTANY, VOLUME 28
Type in herb. Chi. Nat. Hist. Mus., collected on wooded slopes
of Quebrada O-paru-ma, between Santa Teresita de Kavanayen and
Rio Pacairao (tributary of Rio Mouak), state of Bolivar, alt. 1065-
1220 m., Nov. 20-21, 1944, Julian A. Steyermark 60406.
Known locally as "Kricha-yu-yek". The fruit is said to be edible,
and has an acidulous watery quality.
This species is characterized by the small spadix and spadix
branches, the 4-6 pairs of leaf segments, and by the maculate leaf
sheath and base of the leaf stipe. It is most closely related to
H. Ulei Dammer of Peru, from which it differs in the sessile staminate
flowers with 4 instead of 3 petals, 4 instead of 3 calyx lobes,
and shorter anthers.
Mauritia flexuosa L., var. venezuelana Steyermark, var. nov.
A typo differt fructu minore, squamis fructiferis minoribus, et
lobis calycis fructifera minoribus.
Outer pistillate lobes suborbicular, 6-7 mm. long, 7-8 mm. wide,
the inner ones ovate, acute, 8 mm. long, 6.5 mm. wide; fruit 3.5-4 cm.
broad; scales of the fruit relatively small, 3.5 mm. long, 4-4.25
mm. wide.
Local name:
"Moriche".
Type in herb. Chi. Nat. Hist. Mus., collected along a small stream
with running water in morichales in savanna between Rio Carom' and
Ciudad Boli'var, state of Boli'var, alt. 200 m., August 2, 1944, Julian
A. Steyermark 57649.
According to Pittier et al, the common species of Mauritia in the
morichales of the llano in Venezuela is M. minor Burret (Catalogo de
la Flora Venezolana, vol. 1: 143. 1945), and M. flexuosa is not even
credited to the country. But, Pittier was following the results of
Dugand's studies when he adopted the name M. minor, since Dugand
showed what was passing in Colombia as M. flexuosa was really
M. minor, the material common to the eastern llanos in Colombia
having elliptical rather than globose fruit. According to his communication
from Pittier, it is stated (Dugand, A. Caldasia 3: 18.
1941) that "El Profesor H. Pittier, a quien comunique recientemente
mis dudas respecto a la identidad del moriche del Meta, me ha
escrito confirmando mis punto de vista y diciendome que los ejemplares
del moriche venezolano que e'l posee tampoco pertecen a M.
flexuosa puesto que sus frutos son elipticos y no globosos."
However, this statement by Pittier is not borne out by the present
collection (Steyermark 57649), which comes from the llanos around
Ciudad Bolivar, and which has globose mature fruits. Those collected
by Williams (his no. 14802) from the Upper Rib Negro (cited
as M. Carana Wallace) are described by Williams as "globose".
Apparently, Pittier's observations communicated to Dugand are either