Vellozia echinata Goethart & Henrard

Vellozia echinata Goethart & Henrard

Vellozia echinata Goethart & Henrard, Blumea, 2:369, 1937.— L. B. Smith, Contr. U.S. Nat. Herb., 35:261, 1962—Ayensu, Smithsonian Contr. Bot., 15:21, pl. 36e, 1974.

TYPE.—Among rocks, Caraça, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 18 February 1884, Glaziou 15504 (L, holotype; B, photo 15, s n; P, isotype).

DISTRIBUTION.—Known from the type-locality and from other collections without any locality.

95. Vellozia nanuzae L. B. Smith & Ayensu, new species

A V. echinata Goethart & Henrard, cui affinis, foliorum laminis angustissimis margine atroglandulosis solum ad apicem versus serrulatis differt.

Caudex to 8 dm high, much branched, apically ca. 4 mm in diameter (including leaf-sheaths). Leaves 3-ranked, strongly odoriferous (!Menezes); sheaths subdensely imbricate, exposed apically for 1 cm, soon splitting into fibers; blades early deciduous, linear, narrowly acute, 10–15 cm long (above the leaf-sheaths), 2 mm wide, revolute, the margin with dark sessile glands, serrulate only toward apex, otherwise even and glabrous.

Scapes 1 or 2, soon becoming lateral, 4–5 (−7) cm long (above the leaf-sheaths), finely pale-stipitate-glandular. Ovary narrowly ellipsoid, 5–7 mm long, covered with slenderly stipitate pale glands; epigynous tube short. Tepals subspatulate, broadly rounded, 27 mm long, violet (!Menezes). Stamens ca. 18, ca. 13 mm long, phalanges unappendaged. Style much exceeding the stamens; stigmas terminal, orbicular, spreading.

LEAF ANATOMY (Menezes 10).—Surface View: None.

Transverse Section of Lamina: Dorsiventral; widely V-shaped. Adaxial surface slightly undulating; abaxial surface furrowed ⅓ to ½ thickness of leaf. Epidermis: cells on both surfaces rounded to dome-shaped; few conical; thin-walled. Adaxial cells interspersed with sclerenchyma fibers. Subjacent to adaxial epidermis are 2 layers rounded, thin-walled parenchyma cells interspersed with sclerenchyma fibers; below this is a layer of large, rounded, thin-walled cells. One layer of parenchyma subjacent to abaxial epidermis. Cuticle: thickened on both surfaces; relatively smooth on adaxial; very ridged on abaxial. Stomata: present in abaxial furrows; raised above epidermal surface; small substomatal chamber present. Mesophyll: 2 or 3 layers palisade cells followed by compact spongy tissue; cells translucent above midvein. Sclerenchyma fiber bundles present at corners of abaxial furrows. Vascular bundles; 13; commissural bundles not observed. One or two large vessels present in each bundle, mostly one. Two phloem units present in flanges of Y-shaped abaxial girder. Adaxial cap present on each bundle. Each bundle completely surrounded by a bundle sheath. Crystals: observed in bundle sheath, especially on abaxial side. Tannins: few present.

TYPE.—Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 10 November 1968, Menezes 10 (US, holotype; SPF, isotype).

DISTRIBUTION.—Brazil: Minas Gerais: Serra do Cipó, 19 October 1973, Magalhães Alves s n (US). Km 127 on right side of route from Lagoa Santa to Conceição do Mato Dentro, 8 October 1971, Menezes 157 (SPF, US). Same, km 114, 9 October 1971, Menezes 168 (SPF, US).

96. Vellozia geotegens L. B. Smith & Ayensu, new species

A V. candida Mikan, cui verisimiliter affinis, caudice brevi, foliis densissime imbricatis, eorum laminis margine glandulosis haud serrulatis, tepalis violaceis differt.

Caudex very short, mat-forming (!Irwin). Leaves few in the terminal fascicle, glutinous at base (!Irwin); sheaths very densely imbricate with almost no apical exposure, dark castaneous, soon dividing into recurving fibers; blades becoming reflexed, persistent, very narrowly triangular, filiform-attenuate, to 32 cm long (above the leaf-sheaths), 8 mm wide at base, green with a dark castaneous spot at base.

Scapes terminal, 2 (or the caudex with very short branches), to 22 cm (flowering) or 30 cm long (fruiting), sulcate, glabrous. Ovary slenderly ellipsoid,

10 mm long, covered with fine tumid-stipitate glands; perianth tube short, deciduous. Tepals narrowly elliptic, 5 cm long including the 10 mm partially adherent claws, violet (!Irwin). Stamens 12, largely adnate to the tepal-claws; anthers linear, 3 mm long, sagittate at base. Style exceeding the stamens; stigmas terminal, orbicular, spreading.

LEAF ANATOMY (Irwin et al. 22534).—Surface View: Hairs: absent. Epidermis: adaxial and abaxial cells square to rectangular; thin-walled. Stomata: mostly paracytic, some tetracytic, 24 × 15 μm; present only on abaxial surface.

Transverse Section of Lamina: Dorsiventral; V-shaped. Adaxial surface slightly undulating; abaxial surface furrowed about ½ thickness of blade. Epidermis: cells on adaxial and abaxial surfaces are rounded and thin-walled; larger above the midvein. Subjacent to adaxial epidermis are 2 or 3 layers of rounded cells interspersed with fiber bundles; fiber strands also present at corners of furrows subjacent to abaxial epidermis. Cuticle: uniformly thickened on entire surface; thinner in median area of adaxial surface. Stomata: present in abaxial furrows only; slightly extending above epidermal surface; substomatal chamber not observed. Mesophyll: 3 or 4 layers of rectangular, palisade-like cells grading into compactly arranged spongy tissue. Vascular bundle: 25; few commissural bundles observed. Usually one large vessel in each bundle; rarely two. Two phloem units lying laterally in flanges of Y-shaped abaxial girder. Each bundle accompained by an adaxial cap. Bundle sheath completely surrounding each bundle. Crystals and tannins: none observed.

TYPE.—Outcrops by campo, near Datas, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 1300 m alt, 24 January 1969, Irwin et al. 22534 (US, holotype; NY, isotype).

DISTRIRUTION.—Known only from the type-collection.

Vellozia echinata Goethart & Henrard

SPECIMENS EXAMINED.—Riedel 1780.

SURFACE VIEW.—Hairs: absent. Epidermis: adaxial cells rounded, square to rectangular; abaxial cells rounded. Walls thin on both surfaces. Stomata: paracytic, 15 × 3 μm; present on abaxial surface.

TRANSVERSE SECTION OF LAMINA.—Dorsiventral; V-shaped. Adaxial surface slightly undulating; abaxial surface furrowed almost three-fourths thickness of blade. Epidermis: cells on adaxial surface mostly rectangular, some rounded and crescent shaped; thin walled. Cells on abaxial surface rounded to conical, few rectangular; thin walled. Cells in furrows with fingerlike projections, subjacent to adaxial epidermis is a layer of parenchyma cells interspersed with sclerenchyma strands. Below parenchyma cells and sclerenchyma strands is distinct layer of large parenchyma cells. Cuticle: very thin and slightly ridged on adaxial and abaxial surfaces. Stomata: present in abaxial furrows, substomatal chamber virtually absent. Mesophyll: three distinct layers palisade tissue present; three layers of large translucent cells positioned radially above furrows and vascular bundles. Large palisade cells also arranged above midvein. Palisade changing abruptly into loosely spongy tissue; some large spongy tissue present. Vascular bundles: 25; commissural bundles not observed. One to two large vessels present in each vascular bundle, mostly one. Two phloem units lying laterally in flanges of Y-shaped abaxial girder; sometimes partial girders observed. Small adaxial cap present on each vascular bundle. Bundle sheath completely surrounding each vascular bundle. No abaxial sclerenchyma strands or layers observed. Crystals: none observed. Tannins: present.

NOTE: This species is distinct in that the abaxial furrows are exceptionally deep with its upper limit even higher than the adaxial sclerenchyma cap.