Studies in the Capparidaceae XVIII. A New Giant-Fruited Capparis (C. muco) from Eastern Venezuela Hugh H. IltisDepartment of Botany, University of Wisconsin, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, U.S.A. Luis J. Cumana C., and Rosario E. Delgado M.Herbario IRBR, Departamento de Biologfa, Universidad de Oriente, A.P. 245, Cumana 6101, Sucre, Venezuela Gerardo C. Aymard Herbario, UNELLEZ-Guanare, Mesa de Cavacas 3323, Portuguesa, VenezuelaCurrent address: Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, Missouri 63166, U.S.A.ABSTRACT. Capparis (subg. Calyptrocalyx) muco,an arborescent species from dry tropical semide-ciduous and deciduous forests northeast and southof Barcelona, Anzoategui, in northern Venezuelaand several islands in Lago de Guri, Bolfvar, ineastern Venezuela, is newly described and differ-entiated by a dense, soft, thin and slender, looselystellate-echinate leaf pubescence [consisting ofsimply constructed, sessile, 2-rayed, stellate hairs(1.0-1.4 mm diam.) grading to echinate and com-plex multirayed, multiangulate "candelabra" or"palmoid" hairs on multiseriate stalks] from the re-lated but tightly stellate-echinate C. leprieurii-C.maroniensis complex of the Guianas, in which thehairs are minute (0.2-0.3 mm diam.) and distantlydispersed. The large, more or less spherical fruitsof "Muco" contain pulp that is eaten by both mon-keys and people. Illustrations and a distributionmap are provided.RESUMEN. Se describe Capparis (subg. Calyptro-calyx) muco, una especie arborescente de losbosques secos tropicales deciduos y semideciduosdel noreste y sur de Barcelona, Anzoategui al nortede Venezuela y de algunas islas del Lago de Guri,Bolfvar al este de Venezuela. Esta nueva especiese distingue en hojas poseer con una pubescencialaxa de pelos estrellado-equinados suaves y del-gados [formada por pelos simples, sesiles, con dosrayos, estrellados (1.0-1.4 mm de diAm.) graduandoa pelos mas complejos equinados, multiradiados,multiangulados "candelabro" o en forma de palmasobre un estipite multiseriado] en comparaci6n consus afines C. leprieurii-C. maroniensis del complejode Las Guayanas, donde los pelos estrellado-equi-nados estan adpresos, los que son muy pequefios(0.2-0.3 mm de diAm.) y muy dispersos. Los frutosgrandes subesfericos del "Muco" son comestibles.Se incluyen ilustraciones y un mapa de distribu-ci6n.THE TAXONOMIC HISTORY OF CAPPARIS MUCO,A TALE OF UNCOMMON COOPERATION According to an old African folktale, "It takes awhole village to raise a child." By the same token,it sometimes takes a whole network of systematiststo discover a new species. So it was with the elusiveCapparis muco, the subject of this paper. The discovery of this rare species was long incoming and deserves special recounting. Two sterilecollections of what seem to be juvenile shoots(stump sprouts?) with exceptionally large, some-what falcate leaves were the first to be collected,namely by H. M. Curran and M. Haman for theGray Herbarium of Harvard University, both undernumber 1197, but one from Bachaco, on July 1,1917, the other from Guanta, simply stating 1917.While the latter is a well-known coastal town ca.15 km NNE of Barcelona in the Estado Anzoategui,Venezuela, we have not been able to locate "Bach-aco," either in the field near Guanta or on any map.Local informants have never heard of it and theHarvard herbaria are unable to locate the collec-tors' notebooks. Nevertheless, since both specimenscarry the same collection number and look as ifcoming from the same tree, we must assume theywere both collected somewhere near Guanta. La-beled as "Capparis macrophylla," which they arenot, the specimens, lacking both flowers and fruit, NovoN 6: 375-384. 1996.
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