Four new species of Chusquea (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) from Brazil and Ecuador

Four new species ofChusquea—C. bahiana, C. bradei, C. leonardiorum, andC. loxensis—are described and illustrated.Chusquea bahiana andC. bradei, classified within subg.Rettbergia withinChusquea based on their infravaginal, geniculate branching and spatheate, often contracted inflorescences, are endemic to the Atlantic forests of Bahia and Espírito Santo, Brazil, where they are relatively uncommon.Chusquea leonardiorum andC. loxensis are native to the páramos of southern Ecuador;C. leonardiorum is moderately widespread, butC. loxensis is known from only two populations in the Parque Nacional Podocarpus in the province of Loja. These two species are allied withChusquea sect.Chusquea based on their erect to arching or scandent habit, extravaginal branching, and relatively numerous subsidiary branches per node.     

Una nueva especie de Chusquea (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) de la Cordillera de Mérida, Venezuela

A new species of woody bamboo (Poaceae: Bambusoideae),Chusquea guirigayensis, is described and illustrated. This species is placed inChusquea sect.Swallenochloa (McClure) L. G. Clark because of its shrubby habit, short waxy internodes, intravaginal branching, and linearly arranged subsidiary buds/branches. In addition, we discuss related species, and describe the ecology and distribution of the new species. Separate keys based on sterile and fertile material of the Venezuelan species ofC. sect.Swallenochloa are provided.     

The taxonomic affinities of Haplopappus linearifolius (Asteraceae-Astereae)

Haplopappus linearifolius has been referred by various authors to the monotypic genusStenotopsis, to the genusStenotus, and withH. parrasanus toHaplopappus sect.Stenotopsis. A re-evaluation of the taxonomic affinities ofH. linearifolius based on morphological, chemical, and phenological evidence supports the hypothesis that it andEricameria cooperi are closely related and that these two species stand apart from others inEricameria. Accordingly, a section withinEricameria is established to accommodate them, and two new combinations are made,Ericameria sect.Stenotopsis andE. linearifolia. Also, a new subspecies,E. cooperi subsp.bajacalifornica is proposed.     

A revision of the genus Oxytheca Nutt. (Polygonaceae)

The genusOxytheca of western North America and temperate South America consists of seven species which are keyed, described, discussed, illustrated, and mapped. They are divided among sect.Oxytheca, sect.Acanthoscyphus stat. & comb. nov., and sect.Neoxytheca sect. nov.Oxytheca dendroidea subsp.chilensis is given as a new combination, whileO. parishii var.cienegensis andO. parishii var.goodmaniana are described as new. The history and relationships of the genus are discussed. It is retained as distinct fromEriogonum and is thought to have arisen from the larger genus nearE. spergulinum, E. parishii, andE. apiculatum in subgenusGanysma. Cytological data indicatedn= 20.     

A taxonomic revision of the Antennaria media (Asteraceae: Inuleae) polyploid species complex in western North America

TheAntennaria media polyploid species complex has been evaluated, at least in part, on numerous occasions without consensus on either the taxa that should be included within the complex or the rank at which these taxa should be recognized. The primary purpose of this quantitative, multivariate, phenetic study is to propose a taxonomy for the polyploid species complex that not only is independent of a knowledge of either chromosome number or reproductive biology but that concurrently minimally reflects morphological variation associated with each. The use of canonical discriminant analysis facilitates this purpose. In an attempt to maintain consistency with other recent revisions of polyploid complexes within the genus, the rank of subspecies (A. media subsp.media, A. media subsp.ciliata, A. media subsp.compacta, A. media subsp.fusca, andA. media subsp.pulchella) is selected as the infraspecific rank that satisfies the purpose of the phenetic study and is supported by the analyses. These subspecies differ to varying degrees with respect to reproductive characters (corolla length, pappus length), vegetative-reproductive characters (involucre length, peduncle length, cauline leaf length, cauline leaf width), and vegetative characters (basal leaf length and basal leaf width).Antennaria media subsp.pulchella is a sexually reproducing, diploid subspecies, whereas the remaining four subspecies are essentially agamospermous polyploids.     

A new subspecies and new combinations in Comarostaphylis (Ericaceae)

Comarostaphylis spinulosa subsp.glandulifera is described from the mountains of Oaxaca and Puebla, Mexico. Four new combinations inComarostaphylis are also made:C. arbutoides subsp.costaricensis, C. discolor subsp.rupestris, C. polifolia subsp.minor, andC. spinulosa.Arctostaphylos glabrata, A. rupestris, andA. spinulosa are lectotypified and the status ofC. polifolia is discussed.     

New taxa and combinations in Malvastrum A. Gray (Malvaceae: Malveae)

The genusMalvastrum A. Gray is interpreted to include 22 taxa in 14 species. Seven taxa are here described as new, namely:M. americanum var.stellatum,M. tomentosum subsp.pautense,M. bicuspidatum subsp.campanulatum,M. bicuspidatum subsp.oaxacanum, M. bicuspidatum subsp.tumidum var.tumidum, M. bicuspidatum subsp.tumidum var.glabrum, andM. coromandelianum subsp.fryxellii. In addition, two new combinations are proposed, namely:M. tomentosum andM. coromandelianum subsp.capitato-spicatum.     

Taxonomic considerations of piptocarpha (Compositae: Vernonieae) and new taxa in Brazil

The distribution, affinities and delimiting characters and prospects for a new classification ofPiptocarpha are discussed. Two new species and one subspecies from Brazil are described and figured:Piptocarpha densifolia, P. ramboi andP. rotundifolia (Less.) Baker subsp.hatschbachii.     

Three new species of penstemon (Scrophulariaceae) from the Intermountain Region

Penstemon goodrichii of sect.Cristati andP. navajoa andP. moriahensis of sect.Glabri are described, illustrated and mapped. Their relationships to kindred species are discussed.     

The species of Chusquea (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) with verticillate buds

A natural alliance of four species ofChusquea is characterized by having verticillate branches and a spikelet in which the transitional glumes one and two are very small or scalelike, and transitional glumes three and four are about equal to each other and about one-half or three-quarters as long as the lemma. Two of the four species,C. circinata andC. coronalis, are described as new and are provided with illustrations. The other two species,C. liebmannii Fourn. andC. pittieri Hack., are included in a key. The types and other collections are cited for the four species and their relationships are discussed.     

Novae Gesneriaceae neotropicarum VI: five new Gesneriaceae from northwestern South America

Columnea chrysotricha, C. cuspidata (bothColumnea sect.Collandra), andGasteranthus recurvatus are described from Colombia;C. sulcata (Columnea sect.Collandra) from Ecuador and Colombia; andDrymonia anisophylla from the Amazonian lowland rain forests of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.     

New taxa of Consolea Lemaire (Cactaceae: Opuntioideae) from Cuba

The ranges ofConsolea nashii andC. moniliformis were found to extend from the Bahamas and Hispaniola, respectively, into Cuba. Two new subspecies are now recognized on the basis of morphological and geographical discontinuities of populations:Consolea nashii subsp.gibarensis from the coastal thickets between Manatí and Maisí, northeastern Cuba, andC. moniliformis subsp.guantanamana from the cacti thorn-woodlands and thickets of Guantánamo and Santiago de Cuba Provinces, on the southern coast and adjacent dry plains of eastern Cuba. A key to the Cuban species ofConsolea is provided.     

A revision of Vernonia series Buddleiifoliae (Compositae: Vernonieae)

SeriesBuddleiifoliae of the genusVernonia of southeastern South America consists of 18 species which are keyed, described, discussed and mapped.Vernonia goiasensis is proposed as a new name, whileV. wasshausenii andV. monocephala subsp.irwinii are described as new taxa, and V.asteriflora subsp.kuntzei is presented as a new combination.     

New taxa and combinations in Siphonoglossa (Acanthaceae)

As presently known, the genusSiphonoglossa can be divided into two “subgenera,” one of which is here divided into two sections,Pentaloba andSiphonoglossa. Two new species are described from a locality in Durango, Mexico :S. durangensis in sect.Siphonoglossa andS. linearifolia in sect.Pentaloba. Three other species are transferred intoSiphonoglossa:S. canbyi from northeastern Mexico;S. buchii from Haiti and the Dominican Republic andS. incerta from southern Baja California, Mexico.     

A new arborescent Chamaecrista (Caesalpiniaceae: Cassiinae)

Chamaecrista (sect.Apoucouita)amabilis is described from the coastal plain of Bahia, Brazil and compared with sympatric kindredCh. duartei andCh. onusta. The new species is illustrated and its diagnostic characters emphasized in a key.     

A conspectus of Mexican and Central American Picramnia (Simaroubaceae)

A complete checklist with synonymy and notes is provided for the Mexican and Central American species ofPicramnia. A key to all taxa of the region is included. Four new taxa (Picramnia guerrerensis, P. hirsuta, P. deflexa, andP. antidesma subsp.nicaraguensis) are described and illustrated, and a new combination (Picramnia antidesma subsp.fessonia) is made.