New Species of Cyclanthaceae from Southern Central America and Northern South America Barry E. Hammel Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, Missouri 63166, U.S.A.
[email protected] Four new species of Asplundia andone of Dicranopygium are described and illustrat-ed. Asplundia allenii is endemic to Panama. D. ta-tica is endemic to Costa Rica, A. brunneistigma isknown from Costa Rica and Panama, A. ceci fromCosta Rica to northern Colombia, and A. albicarpafrom Costa Rica to Ecuador. Asplundia stenophylla,described originally from Costa Rica from sterilematerial and now known from Costa Rica to Ec-uador, is here provided with a full description in-cluding staminate and pistillate flowers, as well asfruits. Key words: Asplundia, Central America, Cy-clanthaceae. Dicranopygium. Over the course of the last 20+ years, collecting for the Flora of Panama, Flora Mesoamericana, and the Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica projects, as well as systematic collecting of large-leaved monocots by particular investigators, has given rise to the accumulation of numerous undescribed spe-cies of Cyclanthaceae fron the region. Principally to make names available for the last-mentioned flo-ristic project, the formal description of these spe-cies is here initiated. All of the species of Asplundia Harling. de-scribed below, pertain to the subgenus Asplundia,characterized by asymmetrical and flat-toppedstaminate flowers, rather than symmetrical andtconcave as in subgenus Choanopsis (Harling.1958). Although the great majority of species insubgenus Asplundia have leaves that are subtri-costate to distinctly tricostate. three of the fivespecies here described are unusual in having es-sentially unicostate leaves. Their obvious mor-phological similarity and certain relation to par-ticular tricostate-leaved species is discussed.One species of Dicranopygium Harling subg. Di-cranopygium is described. It is unusual (thoughnot unique) among members of the genus for itsvery short and broad anthers.NOVON 13: 52-63. 2003.Asplundia albicarpa Hanmnel. sp. nov. TYPE: Costa Rica. San Jose: Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, Estaciin Carrillo, 400 m. 28 July 1985 (fl, fr). B. Hammel & J. Trainer 14253 (holotype. MO 12 sheets, MO-5609384 & MO-56093851: isotypes, COL, CR. GB, INB. PMA, QCNE, US). Figure 1. Asplundiae sl'nophyllae affinis sed difftert lamitnis fo-liorumn menoril s profucle bifilis cumi seg ientis latiori-hus menoribus profundte plicatis. floribus staminiferis nma-jorius cuim staminibus plurihus et majoribus, floribus pistillatis cumr tepalis in fructu longioribus. et stigmalihus in fructu conduplicatis. Long-stemmed (1-2 m) climbing epiphyte and also often scandent terrestrial plant with conspic-uous adventitious roots. Petiole (10-)19-52 cm long, the base (lull green or often purple, tile epi-dermis not brittle, with scant brown scales through-out, the sheath a thin. light brown and slightly fi-brous soon cad(ucous ribbon, the apex I terete. Leaf blades 30-52(-65) cm long, bifid from just over 1/3-2/3 of their length, decurrenl on the pet-iole, unicostate. the lower surface with very scant light brown scales; leaf segments 4-1 I cm wide, lanceolate, acuminate. shallowly plicate, the veins of the plicae not adaxially elevated. Peduncle dur-ing anthesis ca. 5 cm long, up to 7(-8) cm long in later stages, the epidermis like that of the petiole base. Spathes 3 or 4, the lowest attached below the middle, the others � evenly spaced above, the out-er ones green to brown or "maroon." the inner ones white, soon fibrous and caducous. Spadix at anthe-sis ca. 2.5-4(-5.5) X 1.5 cm, cylindrical. Staminate flowers ca. 4 mm long. asymmnetrical; receptacle ca. 2.5 nmm wide, flat; perianth lobes 3 to 5, ca. 1-1.2 mm long, reaching to just above the base of the anthers; stamens ca. 40-50. the anthers 0.8-1 x 0.5 unm, from conspicuous basal bulbs ca. 0.2 umm long. Pistillate flowers ca. 4 ntu wide at anthesis. to ca. 10 mmi wide in young fruiting stage; tepals 1-1.5 mm long and connate (at the base) at anthe-sis. 5-6 nmm long and connate in young fruit (indried mature fruit to 8 mm long and connate belowthe middle), broadly acute to rounded trulncate,
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