New genera and species of ericaceae (Vaccinieae) from Costa Rica and Panama

Two new monotypic genera,Didonica andUtleya, are described, withD. pendula from Panama andU. costaricensis from Costa Rica.Disterigma trimera (Panama),D. utleyorum (Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador),Lateropora santafeensis (Panama),Lysiclesia panamensis (Panama),Macleania talamancensis (Costa Rica),Themistoclesia costaricensis (Costa Rica) andT. horquetensis (Panama),Vaccinium costaricense andV. orosiense (both from Costa Rica) and V.jefense (Panama) are all described as new. New combinations are provided for the PanamanianVaccinium floccosum (=Symphysia floccosa) and the West IndianVaccinium racemosum (=Symphysia racemosa). Keys are provided for the Central American species ofDisterigma andThemistoclesia, the species ofLateropora andLysiclesia, and the Costa Rican and Panamanian species ofVaccinium. Six new species are illustrated.     

Castilleja (Scrophulariaceae) of Costa Rica and Panama

The mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama constitute a natural floristic region that is inhabited by six species ofCastilleja.Castilleja talamancensis, C. lentii andC. tayloriorum are described as new. The remaining three areC. arvensis,C. irasuensis andC. quirosii. All butC. arvensis are endemic to the area. The six species are keyed, described, illustrated, mapped and documented with literature and specimen citations.     

Two new montane vrieseas (Bromeliaceae) from Costa Rica

Two new species ofVriesea with pendent inflorescences,V. uxoris andV. vietoris, are described from the mountains of Costa Rica, and their relationships in the genus are discussed.     

A revision of Erythrochiton sensu lato (Cuspariinae,Rutaceae)

In the rutaceous subtribe Cuspariinae, species with relatively large, valvate, colored calyces have been assigned to Erythrochiton, but differences in arrangement of leaves, type of inflorescence, union of petals, of filaments, and of carpels, indument of corolla and testa, appendages of anthers, height of the intrastaminal disc, and exine of the pollen argue for the recognition of three genera. Erythrochiton s. str., characterized by often perennating inflorescences, connate, usually glabrous petals, free carpels, tomentulose seeds, and spinulose exine, consists of seven species of which four are new: E. fallax from the eastern flanks of the Andes from Colombia to Bolivia, E. odontoglossus from western Ecuador and adjacent Peru, E. trichanthus from eastern Peru, and E. gymnanthus from Costa Rica. The assignment to Toxosiphon of four species with woolly, coherent petals, connate carpels, glabrous seeds, and reticulate exine necessitates three new combinations: T. carinatus, T. macropodus, and T. trifoliatus. Recognition of a third unispecific genus with opposite simple leaves, sparsely pubescent, coherent, clawed petals, and spinulose exine requires a new genus name, Desmotes, and a new combination, D. incomparabilis.     

Three new species of Dalechampia (Euphorbiaceae) from Venezuelan Guayana

Three new species ofDalechampia are described from the Guayanan region of Venezuela.Dalechampia attenuistylus belongs to sectionRhopalostylis and may be most closely related toD. parvibracteata Lanj.Dalechampia megacarpa belongs to sectionDioscoreifoliae, although it is not especially close to any species in the section.Dalechampia papillistigma is also an isolated member of sectionDioscoreifolieae.     

Five new species of Heteropterys (Malpighiaceae) from Central and South America

Five-new taxa ofHeteropterys H. B. K. subsect.Aptychia Nied. are described, illustrated, and mapped:H. andina from Peru;H. minutiflora from Costa Rica; andH. bullata, H. capixaba, andH. oberdanii, from the Atlantic coastal forest of Brazil. The affinities and diagnostic characters of each species are discussed.     

Lepanthes variabilis (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae), a new endemic species from Costa Rica

Lepanthes variabilis, a new species from Costa Rica, is described and illustrated. It is endemic to the northern part of the Talamanca mountain range, from 2750–2850 m. It is compared to the similar L. minutilabia, which also occurs in Costa Rica.     

Podandrogyne formosa (Capparidaceae), A new species from Central America

Podandrogyne formosa, a new species from central Costa Rica and western Panama, is described and illustrated, and its chromosome number (n = 29) is reported.     

A new species of Trichosalpinx (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) from Costa Rica

Trichosalpinx sanctuarii, a new species of Orchidaceae, subtribe Pleurothallidinae, is described and illustrated. It most resembles T. ringens, from which it is distinguished in the text. The new species is endemic to Costa Rica.     

Aristolochia translucida,a new species from Costa Rica

A new species from Costa Rica,Aristolochia translucida, is described and its relationships to other species detailed.     

Studies on Middle American begonia (Begoniaceae) II

Begonia breedlovei, B. chiapensis, andB. jaliscana, new species in sectionGireoudia from Mexico, are described, illustrated, and discussed.     

New species of Solanum section Geminata (Solanaceae) from South America

Fourteen new species ofSolanum sectionGeminata are described and illustrated. Eight of these,S. erosomarginatum, S. foetens, S. lasiocladum, S. lucens, S. ombrophilum, S. tanysepalum, S. tenuiflagellatum, andS. turgidum are from Venezuela.Solanum cucullatum andS. bellum are from Ecuador,S. abitaguense from Ecuador and northeastern Peru,S. amnicola andS. yanamonense from eastern Peru, andS. mapiricum from eastern Bolivia. Relationships of each of the species to others in its geographical area are discussed. Chromosome numbers are reported for ten of these new species.     

Raritebe,an overlooked genus of the rubiaceae

Raritebe contains one species with two subspecies, the latter differing significantly in floral biology.Raritebe palicoureoides subsp.palicoureoides is heterostylous and is known from the Cordilleras Central and Oriental in Colombia and from east of the Andes in Ecuador and northeastern Peru;R. palicoureoides subsp.dwyeranum is homostylous and known only from west of the Andes in Colombia and from Panama and Costa Rica. The most probable hypothesis is that the selfincompatible subsp.palicoureoides gave rise to subsp.dwyeranum through genetic crossing over followed by long distance dispersal of the resulting self-compatible progeny. Coherent anthers with an unusual method of pollen release are characteristic of subsp.dwyeranum. Raritebe palicoureoides subsp.dwyeranum andR. palicoureoides subsp.palicoureoides var.antioquianum are described as new.     

Two new species of Rhynchospora section Psilocarya (Cyperaceae)

Two new species ofRhynchospora sectionPsilocarya are described and illustrated.Rhynchospora eburnea is known from Amazonian Venezuela and nearby Brazil whileRhynchospora waspamensis is known only from eastern Zelaya, Nicaragua. These species are distinguished from most of the species of sectionPsilocarya by means of a key to the species found in the Americas south to and including the Amazon Basin.     

Five new species of calea (Compositae: Heliantheae) from planaltine Brazil

Described from the Planalto of Brazil are:Calea quadrifolia, C. heteropappa, andC. abbreviata of sectionMeyeria,C. intermedia of sectionLemmatium, andC. lutea of sectionCalea. The relationships of each are discussed and a key to the nearest relatives of each is provided. Additionally, all butC. intermedia are illustrated.     

Two new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysophyllum</Emphasis> (Sapotaceae) endemic to Costa Rica

Chrysophyllum moralesianum and C. sierpense, two new species endemic to Costa Rica, are described and illustrated. Also provided is a dichotomous key for the species of Chrysophyllum that occur in the Osa Peninsula.     

Three new species of Dalechampia (Euphorbiaceae) from Brazil

Dalechampia fernandesii, from Ceará, belongs to sectionTiliifoliae and is related toD. affinis andD. tiliifolia.Dalechampia armbrusteri, of subsectionDalechampia, from Bahia, is close toD. brownsbergensis of Suriname but has well developed resiniferous bractlets.Dalechampia viridissima, from Bahia and Espírito Santo, is an isolated species with the 3-lobed leaves of species in sectionDalechampia subsectionDalechampia but the reduced indumentum and greenish bracts of species in sectionTriphyllae.     

New and noteworthy species in Begonia section Gireoudia (Begoniaceae) from Mexico

Two new species are described inBegonia sectionGireoudia:B. rafael-torresii andB. mariti.Begonia karwinskyana, known previously only from its type, is described more amply and discussed.     

A revision of isertia (Isertieae: Rubiaceae)

A revision is presented, of the neotropical genusIsertia Schreber.Cassupa Humb. & Bonpl. is given a new status asIsertia sectionCassupa (Humb. & Bonpl.) B. M. Boom, based on differences in fruit type, number of locules in the ovary, and number of lobes of the stigma. A new combination is made at the species level,I. laevis (Triana) B. M. Boom, and a new species from Panama is described and illustrated,I. scorpioides B. M. Boom. Altogether, fourteen species and one variety are recognized in the genus.