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BOTANICAL EXPLORATION IN VENEZUELA - I 115
linearibus 4.5-8 cm. longis raultistriatis non fenestratis utrinque
glabris vel ad basin plusminusve longe villosis; vaginis cylindricis
angustis arete adpressis glabris ca. 3.5 cm. longis; pedunculis
stramineis vel flavis 15-25 cm. longis 3-costatis tortis glabris.
Small caulescent herb; stems slender, 4-6 cm. long, completely
hidden by the sheathing leaf-bases, erect, apparently unbranched,
long-villous at the summit; leaves very numerous, erect, linear,
grass-green, thin-membranous, 4.5-8 cm. long, rather regularly attenuate
from the acute apex to the ampliate and sheathing base, about
1.5 mm. wide at the mid-point, many-striate, not fenestrate, glabrous
on both surfaces or more or less long-villous on the subhyaline
margins of the top of the sheathing base; sheaths cylindric, narrow,
closely appressed to the peduncles, shorter than the leaves, about
3.5 cm. long, glabrous, many-striate, slightly twisted, obliquely
split at the apex, the blade ovate-lanceolate, appressed to the
peduncle, about 7 mm. long, acute, glabrous; peduncles about 3 per
plant, slender, stramineous or yellow, 15-25 cm. long, 3-costate,
twisted, glabrous, shiny; heads solitary, turbinate, 4-5 mm. long,
3-4 mm. wide; involucral bractlets rather few, closely imbricate in
several series, oblanceolate-spatulate, about 1.9 mm. long and 0.8
mm. wide, firm, stramineous or light-brown, rounded at the apex, more
or less squarrose, glabrous on both surfaces, shiny, concave on the
inner, convex on the outer surface; receptacle long-villous; receptacular
bractlets absent; staminate florets central in the head, loosely
attached; sepals 3, separate to the base, inserted about 0.4 mm. below
the remainder of the floret, narrowly elliptic, yellowish, about
1.9 mm. long and 0.4 mm. wide, subacute at the apex, glabrous
throughout, not bearded, not glanduliferous, firm, erect or spreading;
petals 3, separate to the base, elliptic, about 2.1 mm. long and 0.8
mm. wide, obtuse at the apex, yellowish, thin-textured, firm, ascending,
glabrous throughout, not bearded, not glanduliferous, not involute;
stamens 3, separate and free to the base, alternate with the
petals; filaments flattened, about 1.8 mm. long, glabrous; anthers
sagittate, versatile, about 0.4 mm. long, 0.2-0.3 mm. wide, the 2
thecae separate and opening by longitudinal slits; ovary rudimentary,
at the base of the stamens and petals, dark-brown, about 0.2 mm.
long and wide, 3-angled, 3-celled, sometimes surmounted by a very
abbreviated 3-parted style; pistillate florets peripheral in the head,
all its parts borne at one level: sepals 3, separate to the base,
oblong, firm, brownish, ascending, about 1.6 mm. long and 0.3 mm.
wide, acute at the apex, glabrous on both surfaces, not bearded, not
glanduliferous; petals 3, separate to the base, elongate-linear, erect,
narrowed in the mid-portion, to 4.2 mm. long, about 0.2 mm. wide for
the lowest 1.2 mm. above the base and there hyaline, then narrowed
to about half that diameter for about 0.4 mm., then expanded to 0.15
mm. and somewhat involute and brownish for about 0.8 mm. or more,
acute at the apex, the apex often surmounted by a terminal caudate
erect of spreading appendage to 0.8 mm. in length, the lowest expanded
hyaline portion of the petal long-hirsute on the back, the