20 PRINCIPES (VOL. 29 Principe., 29(1), 1985, pp. 20-22 Aiphanes acaulis, a New Species from Colombia GLORIA GALEANO-GARCES l AND RODRIGO BERNAL-GONZALEZ2 Recent explorations for palms in north­ morsely toothed at apex, the upper mar­ western Colombia have revealed several gin produced into a cauda to 4 cm long, novelties, one of which, an interesting the apical pinnae narrowly cuneate, stemless species of Aiphanes, is described obliquely truncate at apex, 1-3 nerved, here as new to science. all pinnae glabrous above, the midnerve armed with 1-3 slender, bicolor, to 2 cm Aiphanes acaulis Galeano & Bernal sp. long bristles, glabrous below or with very nov. (Fig. 1) short, purplish-black bristles scattered on surface and veins; basal pinnae 7-24.5 Palma solitaria acaulis. Pinnae utrinque cm long along the upper margin, 0.7-2.1 18-30 regulariter in eadem planitie inser­ cm wide, central pinnae 10.8-27 cm long, tae, lineares vel angustissime cuneatae. 1.7-2.5 cm wide, apical pinnae 6.5-15.5 Spadix simplex. Antherae subquadraticae. cm long, to 5.6 cm wide at apex. Inflo­ Pistillodium inerme. rescence spicate: prophyll 16-26 cm long, Solitary, acaulescent. Leaves 8-10: 7-11 mm wide, linear, unarmed adaxi­ sheath 11-16 cm long, 1 cm wide, fibrous, ally, densely covered abaxially with irreg­ densely covered abaxially with irregular, ular brown scales and with very short, dark brown scales and with purplish-brown, appressed, purplish-brown bristles; pedun­ less than 0.5 mm long bristles, usually cular bract 37.5-94 cm long, unarmed, with a few black, flat spines; petiole 12.5­ with scattered, appressed, short, brown 50 cm long, with an indumentum of scales hairs; peduncle 12-88 cm long, with scat­ and bristles like that of the sheath, rarely tered, very short, purplish-brown bristles; armed with spines; rachis 42-75 cm long, spike 15-31 cm long, densely covered adaxially ridged, densely covered with with very short brown bristles; flowers purplish-black, to 5 mm long bristles, and purple, sunken, the pistillate ones distrib­ occasionally with scattered, slender, bicol­ uted along the proximal half or so, each or, to 2 cm long bristles, abaxially with with two staminate flowers above, the dis­ scaly indumentum like that of the sheath tal half with male flowers only. Staminate and with inconspicuous, brown, flat, very flowers 1.5-2.5 mm diam., broader than short (ca. 0.2 mm) bristles; pinnae 18-30 high: sepals imbricate, cucullate, mem­ on each side, regularly inserted, horizon­ branaceous, glabrous; petals glabrous, tally arranged in one plane, linear or very connate for half their length, the lobes narrowly cuneate, I-nerved, plicate along ovate; anthers nearly square, pistillode secondary veins, truncate and prae- minute, 3-gibbous. Pistillate flowers slightly larger: sepals broadly imbricate, glabrous; petals valvate, glabrous; gynoecium ovoid, 1 Apartado 51638, Medellin, Colombia. minutely verruculose, without bristles or 2 Departamento de Recursos Forestales, Facultad de Agronomia, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, spines; staminodial tube toothed. Fruit Apartado 568, Medellin, Colombia. unknown. 22 PRINCIPES [VOL. 29 Specimens examined: COLOMBIA, simplex Burret has clustered stems 2-4 DEPARTAMENTO DEL CHaCO: Muni­ m high, and its leaves bear 11-16 cuneate cipio de EI Carmen, vereda EI Doce (ca­ pinnae on each side; the other species, A. rretera Medellin-Quibdo, km 151), rio macroloba Burret, has leaves simple or Atrato, margen izquierda, 700 malt., with 3-4 pinnae on each side, and the enero 5, 1980, Bernal & Galeano 71 blade is beset above with very character­ (COL, holotype; HUA, K, isotypes), 72 istic long, soft bristles, scattered along the (COL, HUA); Municipio de Quibdo, Co­ vems. rregimiento de San Francisco de leho, rio Two further species, described with an Icho, margen derecha, 150 m alt., julio unbranched inflorescence, deserve a more 11, 1981, Galeano & Bernal 454 (COL, detailed discussion and will be the subject HUA, K). of another paper. These are A. chocoen­ Aiphanes acaulis is a very character­ sis A. Gentry and A. monostachys Bur­ istic species; it is readily distinguished from ret. The former has proved to be a syn­ the remaining species by the acaulescent onym of A. macroloba: comparison of the habit, the linear or very narrowly cuneate holotype of A. chocoensis with topotypes pinnae and the unbranched inflorescence. of A. macroloba leaves no doubt as to the In the habit and shape of pinnae it recalls identity of both species. A. monostachys, Aiphanes tessmannii Burret (1932), from on the other hand, was based on a mixed Peru, but the latter has an inflorescence collection, which included the inflores­ with many branches. cence of A. macroloba, as we will prove This species appears to be very uncom­ elsewhere. Both species were described mon, and only two small populations have from the same locality and both have been been located in the cited regions, although rediscovered there. The true A. mono­ several areas of northwestern Colombia stachys has an inflorescence with 15-28 have been explored in search of palms. rachillae. An emended description of A. Although some variation exists between monostachys will be provided in the forth­ both known populations, particularly in size coming paper. of leaves and inflorescence, there is no doubt that they are conspecific. LITERATURE CITED Besides A. acaulis, only two species BURRET, M. 1932. Die Palmengattungen Marti­ have a spicate inflorescence; both of them nezia und Aiphanes. Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin are known only from Colombia. Aiphanes ll: 557-577..