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242 FIELDIANA: BOTANY, VOLUME 28
Pitchers glabrous within, except for a few scattered hairs at
the very margin; sepals obtuse //. Macdonaldae.
Pitchers pubescent within; sepals" acuminate
Lid cuspidate at the summit; pedicels very sparsely pubescent
H. Tatei.
Lid rounded at the summit; pedicels densely pubescent
H. Tyleri.
Having had an opportunity of observing in the field four of these
six entities, and having witnessed the great variability within //.
heterodoxa of Ptari-tepui, especially in regard to the size of the
pitcher and the shape and size of the appendage on the lid, it may be
stated that observations on the other species of Heliamphora have
revealed a great amount of variation in shape and size (length and
breadth) of the lid and appendage of the pitcher, and in shape and
size (length and breadth) of the sepals. For example, in H. Macdonaldae
of Mount Duida, there is variation in sepal width, the
sepals in the type (Tate 1022) being about 40 mm. wide, but Gleason
notes (Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 58: 367. 1931) that in Tate 1023 "The
perianth segments are much narrower, ranging from 14 to 23 mm."
Although they are described by Gleason as being "obtuse", they
actually vary from obtuse to subacute.
Furthermore, when more material is available for study, it is quite
possible that H. Tyleri may have to be reduced to a variety of H
Tatei, and H. minor to a variety of H nutans. The differences of
pubescence of pedicel and smaller size of sepals separating H*
minor from //. nutans have been found to be variable and inconstant
characters. Similarly in H. Tatei the tip of the lid is slightly cuspidate,
while in H. Tyleri it is rounded. Moreover, the characters of
pubescence in H Tatei and H. Tyleri are relative and the same variations
in shape of lids and pubescence of pedicels is found in these
two species from Mount Duida as are found in the material of H.
heterodoxa from Ptari-tepui.
In his work on carnivorous plants (p. 11), F. E. Lloyd states, for
H. minor of Mount Auyan-tepui', that "the bell is densely hairy only
along the marginal zone, with a few scattered hairs on the general
surface". But while this is true for older pitchers,
it does not hold
true for young to middle mature ones which are densely hairy with
fine short hairs throughout the upper one-third of the bell. The hairs
either appear to fall off or weather off eventually, thus causing a
deception of observation on this character.
With more extensive collecting of this genus over a wide area,
more variations will probably be found eventually within given
species than are at present known to occur. It is quite probable,
therefore, that some of the species may have to be reduced to varieties
or forms.