Vellozia albiflora Pohl

Vellozia crassicaulis Martius ex Schultes f

SPECIMENS EXAMINED.—Archer 4079, 4076; Irwin 9591, 9744, 9975, 10906, 11699, 13377.

SURFACE VIEW.—Hairs: absent. Epidermis: adaxial and abaxial cells mostly rectangular. Stomata: paracytic, 18 × 12 μm; observed on both surfaces.

TRANSVERSE SECTION OF LAMINA.—Dorsiventral; V-shaped with median adaxial groove; occasionally abaxially two grooved. Adaxial surface evenly undulating; abaxial surface furrowed about one-half to two-thirds thickness of blade. Epidermis: cells more or less rectangularly flattened, especially adaxial cells; abaxial slightly larger than adaxial cells; walls uniformly thin walled. Distinct baculiform sclerenchyma strands, separated from each other by one radial row of parenchyma, occur subjacent to adaxial epidermis. Cuticle: uniformly thin, slightly thicker around margins and median abaxial surface. Stomata: present in abaxial furrows, few on adaxial surface. Mesophyll: adaxial palisade three layered, occupying about half of mesophyll; palisade separated from adaxial sclerenchyma strands by one layer of distinct translucent parenchyma cells; two to three radially oriented large translucent cells arranged adaxially on vascular bundles. Palisade cells compactly arranged and filled with chloroplast; spongy mesophyll loosely arranged. Vascular bundles: 24–40; 17 in Archer 4076; commissural bundles few. Large veins each with one large vessel, occasionally two. Two phloem units lying laterally in flanges of abaxial V- or Y-shaped girder. Each vascular bundle always accompanied by adaxial inverted V-shaped sclerenchyma cap; both in turn completely surrounded by a distinct bundle sheath. Crystals: not observed. Tannin: few in mesophyll.

NOTE: All the specimens investigated share anatomical and histological characteristics except for size of leaf blade. However, one specimen (Archer 4079) differs slightly from the others in that, whereas the furrows are almost 90° from the abaxial surface, Dr. Archer’s specimen is thinly crescentiform on the abaxial surface from one furrow to the other. Furthermore, the specimen exhibits almost solid subjacent sclerenchyma band under the abaxial epidermis. Dr. Archer’s specimen has sclerenchyma strands confined to the corners of the furrow gates. Another specimen (Irwin et al. 10906) lacks the distinctive abaxial furrows and the sclerenchyma strands which seems to distinguish this species.

Vellozia crassicaulis Martius ex Schultes f

Vellozia crassicaulis Martius ex Schultes f. in Roemer & Schultes, Syst., 7:292, 1826.—L. B. Smith, Contr. U.S. Nat. Herb., 35:265, 1962.—Ayensu, Smithsonian Contr. Bot., 15:18, fig. 12d–f, pls. 11a–b, 32c–g, 33a, 1974.

Vellozia albiflora Pohl, Pl. Bras., 1:121, pl. 96, 1827.—Seubert in Martius, Fl. Bras., 3(1):82, 1847 [type: Arraial da Nossa Senhora de Penha, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Pohl s n (M, holotype; F, photo 18968)].

Vellozia circinans Goethart & Henrard, Blumea, 2:367, 1937.—L. B. Smith, Contr. U.S. Nat. Herb., 35:266, 1962 [type: among rocks, Serra de São João del Rei, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Glaziou 17291 (L, P)].

TYPE.—Without locality, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Clausen s n (NY, isotype?).

DISTRIBUTION.—Brazil: Minas Gerais: Barão de Cocais, Conceição de Mato Dentro, Diamantina, Gouvêa, Jaboticatubas, Mendanha, Sêrro. Goiás: Cristalina, Goiás Velho, Niquelândia, Pirenópolis, Rio Corumba.

Vellozia macrantha Lemaire

Vellozia macrantha Lemaire, Ill. Hortic., 12(misc.):41, 1865.

This species was placed in section Radia by L. B. Smith (1962:268), but under our new and narrower interpretation it can scarcely remain in that section and its placement elsewhere seems very doubtful.