Additional Ecuadorian species in Calathea series Comosae (Marantaceae)

Three new species in Calathea series Comosae (Petersen) Schumann are described from Ecuador: Calathea pallidicosta, C. attenuata and C. lagoagriana. Calathea pallidicosta is currently known only from Ecuador, C. lagoagriana occurs in both Colombia and Ecuador while C. attenuata is more widespread, occurring in Colombia, Ecuador, Perú and Brasil. Calathea attenuata and C. pallidicosta are in the monomorphic-bracted group of C. series Comosae while C. lagoagriana is in the dimorphic-bracted group. Calathea lagoagriana possibly hybridizes with C. loeseneri Macbride.     

Four new species of Calathea (Marantaceae) from French Guiana

Four new species are described: Calathea erecta, C. dilabens, C. granvillei , and C. squarrosa , based on material from French Guiana. Calathea erecta and C. granvillei are known also from the central Amazon Basin. Calathea squarrosa probably also occurs in Surinam. Calathea dilabens is presently known only from French Guiana, but probably occurs in adjacent Brazil and Surinam. A tentative key is provided to the species of Calathea known to occur in French Guiana.     

竹芋科和蕨类室内盆栽植物对甲醛净化作用的研究

以竹芋科和蕨类室内盆栽植物各10种为试验材料,分别置于体积为1.0 m×1.0m×0.8m密封玻璃箱内,甲醛起始浓度均设置为15 mg/m3,连续观察7d.结果表明:卷叶巢蕨(Neottopteris nidus cv.Volulum)、矩叶肖竹芋(Calathea lubbersiana)对甲醛抗性最强(Ⅰ级);银线竹芋(C.ornata)、银羽斑竹芋(C.setosa)、翠叶竹芋(C.freddy)和彩虹竹芋(C.roseo-picta)抗性较强(Ⅱ级);巢蕨(N.nidus)、傅氏凤尾蕨(Pteris fauriei)、银脉凤尾蕨(P.ensi formis cv.Victoriae)、银心大叶凤尾蕨(P.cretica cv.Albolineata)、肾蕨(Nephrolepis cordifolia)、华南毛蕨(Cyclosorus parasiticus)、乌毛蕨(Blechnum orientale)、花叶竹芋(Maranta bicolor)和天鹅绒竹芋(C.zebrina)抗性最差(Ⅳ级).甲醛处理后,密封玻璃箱内甲醛浓度均呈递减变化,递减最快都集中在试验后1～3 d之间.吸收甲醛最快的植物是天鹅绒竹芋和星蕨(Microsorum punctatum),最慢的是华南毛蕨、银脉凤尾蕨、卷叶巢蕨和银羽斑竹芋.对甲醛处理产生伤害反应少或较少,而吸收能力强的前8种植物是:巢蕨、青苹果竹芋(C.rotundfolia)、银心大叶凤尾蕨、银线竹芋、二歧鹿角蕨(Platycerium bifurcatum)、卷叶巢蕨、彩虹竹芋和翠叶竹芋,可作为甲醛净化专用植物应用推广.     

New useful and colourfully-bracted species of Calathea (Marantaceae) from Ecuador

Two new species from Ecuador are described: Calathea utilis and C. roseobracteata. Calathea utilis , known from Napo and Pastaza Provinces, may be introduced near Sardinas, Napo Province, where the leaves are used for thatch. Calathea roseobracteata , known from a single locality near the border of Pinchincha and Los Rios Provinces, is distinguished by its bright pink bracts.     

The identity and taxonomic affinity of Calathea rotundifolia and C. fasciata (Marantaceae)

The nameCalathea rotundifolia Koern. is a later homonym ofC. rotundifolia Poeppig & Endl. and is replaced by the new combinationC. orbifolia (Linden) Kennedy.Calathea fasciata is recognized as a distinct species. Both species are closely related toC. vaginata and clearly belong inCalathea seriesRhizanthae rather than seriesNudiscapae where placed by Schumann.     

Two new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Calathea</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Marantaceae</Emphasis>) from South-eastern Brazil

Summary   Calathea dryadica and Calathea reginae are described, circumscribed and illustrated. These new species are probably endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro State in Southeast Brazil and are considered critically endangered because of the restricted geographic area of occurrence, sometimes enclosed by densely urbanised areas.     

Calathea steyermarkii,a new Venezuelan species in the Ornata group (Marantaceae)

Calathea steyermarkii from northwest Venezuela is described as new. It belongs to the “Ornata group.” The juvenile foliage has a dark green to blackishgreen band along the midrib above. In some populations the outer staminode of the flower is lacking.     

ANT DISPERSAL OF CALATHEA (MARANTACEAE) SEEDS BY CARNIVOROUS PONERINES (FORMICIDAE) IN A TROPICAL RAIN FOREST

Two tropical herbaceous plant species, Calathea microcephala and Calathea ovandensis, exhibit morphological adaptations for seed dispersal by ants. In the field, 21 ant species are attracted to the arils of the seeds. Previously known as predatory carnivores, the ponerine ants Odontomachus laticeps, O. minutus, Pachycondyla harpax, and P. apicalis carry the seeds toward their nests, behaving as though they were carrying prey. These ants remove the aril in the nest, and seeds without arils germinate more readily than seeds with arils. Ant foraging distances can account for seedling distributions. Myrmecochory may be far more common in tropical rain forests than has been previously suspected.     

Composted Green Waste as a Substitute for Peat in Growth Media: Effects on Growth and Nutrition of Calathea insignis

Peat mined from endangered wetland ecosystems is generally used as a component in soilless potting media in horticulture but is a costly and non-renewable natural resource. The objective of this work was to study the feasibility of replacing peat with different percentages (0, 10, 30, 50, 70, 90, and 100%) of composted green waste (CGW) as growth media for the production of the ornamental plant Calathea insignis. Compared with 100% peat media, media containing CGW had improved physical and chemical characteristics to achieve the acceptable ranges. Moreover, CGW addition had increased the stability (i.e., reduced the decomposition rates) of growth media mixtures, as indicated by comparison of particle-size distribution at the start and end of a 7-month greenhouse experiment. Addition of CGW also supported increased plant growth (biomass production, root morphology, nutrient contents, and photosynthetic pigment contents). The physical and chemical characteristics of growth media and plant growth were best with a medium containing 70% CGW and were better in a medium with 100% CGW than in one with 100% peat media. These results indicate that CGW is a viable alternative to peat for the cultivation of Calathea insignis.     

A new red-bracted species of Calathea (Marantaceae) from Peru

Calathea schunkei from San Martín Province, Peru, is described as new. This species is distinguished by the red bracts and unusual floral morphology. The petals do not reflex at anthesis, the outer staminode is lacking, and the stigma is blunt rather than the typical “scoop” shape. These unusual floral features are shared withC. timothei, a high altitude Colombian species.     

A new,strikingly patterned Calathea (Marantaceae) from Ecuador

Calathea libbyana from Napo Province, Ecuador, is described. It belongs to the dimorphic-bracted species-group ofCalathea seriesComosae. It is in cultivation under the cultivar name ‘Windows’, which refers to its distinctive leaf pattern with pale, semi-translucent markings.     

Pyriculariopsis calatheae sp. nov., a novel anamorphic hyphomycete from the Atlantic forest of Brazil causing leaf spots on Calathea longifolia

The new species Pyriculariopsis calatheae is described causing leaf spots on Calathea longifolia (Marantaceae). It represents an addition to the mycobiota of the tropical seasonal semi-deciduous montane forest, a component of the Brazilian Atlantic forest and a highly threatened ecosystem.     

Phylogeny and classification of Marantaceae

Relationships of Marantaceae were estimated from nucleotide sequence variation in the rps16 intron (plastid DNA) and from morphological characters. Fifty-nine species (21 genera) formed the ingroup, and 12 species (12 genera) of other Zingiberales formed the outgroup. There is no support for the traditional subdivision of Marantaceae into a triovulate and a uniovulate tribe or the informal groups previously proposed. The so-called Donax group forms a paraphyletic grade that is basal within Marantaceae. Thalia appears as the distal branch of this grade, but its position is not supported in jackknife analysis. The so-called Calathea group is monophyletic in all shortest trees but not supported with greater than 50% jackknife. The genus Calathea appears to be paraphyletic. The Maranta and Phrynium groups are clearly polyphyletic. Maranta, Koernickanthe , and genera of the Mymsma group, all neotropical, form a strongly supported monophyletic group. The sister of this group is the palaeotropical genus Halopegia. Koernickanthe is nested within Maranta , as this genus is traditionally circumscribed. The African genera Ataenidia and Marantochloa form a strongly supported clade in which Ataenidia is the sister group to Marantochloa . Based on phylogeny it is concluded that Africa, in spite of being much poorer in species, is the most likely ancestral area of Marantaceae     

Calathea dorothyae sp. nov. (Marantaceae) from the sandy coastal plains of southeastern Brazil

Calathea dorothyae J. M. A. Braga & H. Kenn. sp. nov. from the sandy coastal plains of southeastern Brazil is described and illustrated. It is apparently endemic to the ‘Cabo Frio Center of Plant Diversity’, and it is considered ‘Critically Endangered’ (CR). The new species is somewhat similar to C. reginae J. M. A. Braga and C. sphaerocephala K. Schum. with which it is compared.     

Calathea maasiorum (Marantaceae), a new species from French Guiana and Surinam

Calathea maasiorum from French Guiana and Surinam is described as new. It belongs toCalathea sectionBreviscapus Bentham. The foliage is patterned with a light green band along the midrib above. This new species has previously been confused withC. cyclophora Baker from Amazonian Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana but it is distinguished fromC. cyclophora by the absence of bracteoles, the elliptic to obovate leaf blade, and shorter (1–2 cm long) bracts.     

Nomenclatural notes on neotropical Marantaceae

Two new combinations are made:Stromanthe macrochlamys (Woodson & Standley), transferred fromCalathea, andCtenanthe amabilis (Morren), transferred fromStromanthe. Calathea crotalifera S. Watson from Guatemala is an earlier name forC. insignis Petersen.     

Phacelophrynium sapiense (Marantaceae) a new species from Sabah, Malaysia

Phacelophrynium sapiense , a new species from Sabah, Malaysia, is described and illustrated. It differs from other known Phacelophrynium species in its light green to yellow leaf variegation, purple leaf underside, creamy white inflorescence and cream white flowers. The species is furthermore unusual in having a pair of membranaceous bracteoles associated with each flower, a feature otherwise known only in species of the New World genus Calathea.     

New species of rust fungi from Brazil

New species of rust fungi (Basidiomycota, Uredinales) are described from Brazil: Maravalia allophyli on Allophylus sp., the first Maravalia species on Sapindaceae, Puccinia tianguensis on Hyptis sp. (Lamiaceae), Uredo calatheae on Calathea neoviedii (Marantaceae), and Uredo schizolobii on Schizolobium amazonicum (Caesalpiniaceae). Puccinia fuireniphila is proposed as a new name for Puccinia fuirenicola.     

The extremely long-tongued neotropical butterfly Eurybia lycisca (Riodinidae): proboscis morphology and flower handling

Few species of true butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) have evolved a proboscis that greatly exceeds the length of the body. This study is the first to examine the morphology of an extremely long butterfly proboscis and to describe how it is used to obtain nectar from flowers with very deep corolla tubes. The proboscis of Eurybia lycisca (Riodinidae) is approximately twice as long as the body. It has a maximal length of 45.6?mm (mean length 36.5?mm?±?4.1?S.D., N?=?20) and is extremely thin, measuring only about 0.26?mm at its maximum diameter. The proboscis has a unique arrangement of short sensilla at the tip, and its musculature arrangement is derived. The flower handling times on the preferred nectar plant, Calathea crotalifera (Marantaceae), were exceptionally long (mean 54.5?sec?±?28.5?S.D., N?=?26). When feeding on the deep flowers remarkably few proboscis movements occur. The relationship between Eurybia lycisca and its preferred nectar plant and larval host plant, Calathea crotalifera, is not mutualistic since the butterfly exploits the flowers without contributing to their pollination. We hypothesize that the extraordinarily long proboscis of Eurybia lycisca is an adaptation for capitalizing on the pre-existing mutualistic interaction of the host plant with its pollinating long-tongued nectar feeding insects.     

Time course of catalase and superoxide dismutase during acclimatization and growth of micropropagated Calathea and Spathiphyllum plants

Catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were followed in leaves during ex vitro acclimatization and growth of micropropagated Spathiphyllum floribundum Schott Petite and Calathea louisae Gagnep Maui Queen. During acclimatization of both plants catalase activity increased, reaching a maximum 4 weeks after transplantation, while total superoxide dismutase activity increased with plant growth reaching a maximum in the 24th week. Variations in the pattern of catalase and SOD isoforms were observed; a second Mn-SOD band appeared in Spathiphyllum 12 weeks after transfer from in vitro, while in Calathea plants an additional Mn-SOD form was present from the second until the fourth week after transplantation. The observed changes reflect the plants' capacity to develop antioxidant mechanisms during acclimatization. These findings indicate that the adaptation of micropropagated plants to ex vitro conditions is more extended in time than generally accepted.