A monograph of the Burmanniaceae BY F.P. Jonker (Published December 5th 1938) CONTENTS. Page I. Introduction 1 II. General Part 4 History of the Family 4 Place of the Family in the System of Monocotyledons 4 Subdivision of the 7 Family . Geographical Distribution 10 Habitat and Plant-Community 12 Use 14 III. Critical Part 15 Tribus I, Burmannieae 17 Subtribus 1, Euburmannieae 17 1. Campylosiphon Benth 17 2. Hexapterella Urb 17 3. Burmannia L 18 Taxonomy 18 Sect. 1, Foliosa Jonk 20 Sect. 2, Euburmannia Malme 21 Geography 25 Subtribus 2, Apterieae 26 4. Cymbocarpa Miers 26 5. Gymnosiphon B1 27 Limits of the Genus 27 Taxonomy 30 Sect. I, Eugymnosiphon Urb 30 Sect. II, Ptychomeria (Benth.) Urb 31 Subsect, 1, Inappendiculati Jonk 32 Subsect. 2, Appendiculati Jonk 32 PAGE 6. Apteria Nutt 35 Taxonomy 35 Geography 36 7. Marthella Urb 36 8. Dictyostega Miers 38 Taxonomy 38 Geography 38 9. Miersiella Urb 40 Tribus II, Thismieae 41 Subtribus 1, Euthismieae 41 10. Afrothismia Schltr 41 11. Triscyphus Taub 42 12. Glaziocharis Taub 42 13. Thismia Griff 42 14. Geomitra Becc 46 15. Scaphiophora Schltr 46 Subtribus 2, Oxygyneae 47 16. Oxygyne Schltr 47 IV. Taxonomical Part. 49 Burmanniaceae 51 Key to the tribes 52 Tribus I, Burmannieae Miers 52 Subtribus 1, Euburmannieae Benth. et Hook 53 1. Campylosiphon Benth 53 2. Hexapterella Urb 55 3. Burmannia L 57 Sect. I, Foliosa Jonk 58 Sect. II, Euburmannia Malme 67 Subtribus 2, Apterieae Miers 164 4. Cymbocarpa Miers 165 5. Gymnosiphon B1 168 Sect. I, Eugymnosiphon Urb 169 Sect. II, Ptychomeria (Benth.) Urb 177 Subsect. 1, Inappendiculati Jonk 177 PAGE Subsect. 2, Appendiculati Jonk 184 Appendix 202 6. Apteria Nutt 203 7. Marthella Urb 212 8. Dictyostega Miers 213 9. Miersiella Urb 218 Tribus II, Thismieae Miers 221 Subtribus 1, Euthismieae Jonk 222 10. Afrothismia Schltr 222 11. Triscyphus Taub. ex Warm 225 12. Glaziocharis Taub. ex Warm 226 13. Thismia Griff 227 Sect. I, Myostoma (Miers) Jonk 231 Sect. II, Ophiomeris (Miers) Jonk 232 Sect. Ill, Euthismia Schltr 237 Subsect. Odoardoa Schltr 237 Subsect. Brunonithismia Jonk 242 Sect. IV, Rodwaya Schltr 248 Sect. V, Sarcosiphon (Bl.) Jonk 251 14. Geomitra Becc 254 15. Scaphiophora Schltr 256 Subtribus 2, Oxygyneae Jonk 260 16. Oxygyne Schltr 260 List of collectors’ numbers 263 Index 275 . I. INTRODUCTION. The be present publication is intended to a monograph on the family of Burmanniaceae. It is divided into three parts: General Part, Critical Part and Taxonomical Part. The first part, General Part, contains general remarks on the the taxonomy, distribution and use of family. The second part, Critical Part, contains general and geobotanical remarks on the of the whereas the third the Taxonomical genera family, part, Part, gives the determination keys to the tribes, subtribes, gene- and of these ra, sections, subsections species, the description with literature, distribution and the indications of groups the New and descri- types. varieties, species larger groups are bed in the taxonomical part in foot-notes. All mentioned specimens and literature have been personally further about studied unless particulars are given. Remarks colour, odour etc. and vernacular names are from collector’s notes on labels or from the literature. The author’s work was made possible by studying the materials of the following herba- these herbaria this ria, are indicated in monograph by the following abbreviations, proposed by the Standing Committee for Urgent Taxonomic Needs of the International Botanical Congresses for the planned Index Herbariorum. As this work is still in preparation and not yet all the herbaria have agreed with their proposed abbreviation, the list of abbreviations given below will possibly be changed. 1. Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum, Berlin-Dahlem. B 2. British Museum (Natural History), London. BM 3. Jardin Botanique de 1’Etat, Bruxelles. BR 4. Botanisches Museum der Universitat, Breslau. BRSL 5. ’s Lands Plantentuin, Herbarium, Buitenzorg. BZ 6. Universitetets Botaniske Museum, Copenhagen. C 1 2 7. Royal Botanic Gardens, Sibpur, Calcutta. CA 8. Field Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, Chicago. F 9. Institute Botanico dell' Universita e R. Erbario Coloniale, Firenze. FI 10. Institut de Botanique Systematique de 1’Univer- site, Herbier Boissier, Geneve. G-BOIS 11. Institut de Botanique Systematique de 1’Univer- site, Herbier Delessert, Geneve. G-DEL 12. Gray Herbarium, Harvard University, Cam- bridge (Mass.), U.S.A. GH 13. Botanisches Institut und Botanischer Garten der Universitat, Gottingen. GoTT 14. Hortus Botanicus en Botanisch Laboratorium van de Rijksuniversiteit, Groningen. GRO 15. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. K 16. Rijksherbarium, Leiden. L 17. Laboratoire de Botanique de la Faculte des Sciences, Lyon. LY 18. Botanisches Museum, Miinchen. M 19. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis (Mo.), U.S.A. MIS 20. New York Botanical Garden, New York (NY.), U.S.A. NY 21. Museum d’Histoire Naturelle, Phanerogamic, Paris. P 22. id., Herbier Drake. P-DR 23. Jardim Botanico, Rio de Janeiro. R 24. Naturhistoriska Riksmuseum, Botaniska Avdel- ningen, Stockholm. S 25. Botanisch Museum en Herbarium van de Rijks- universiteit, Utrecht. U 26. United States National Museum, Herbarium, Washington (DC.), U.S.A. US 27. Naturhistorisches Museum, Botanische Abtei-, lung, Wien. W 3 Here I wish to thanks to the directors express my grateful for their I of these herbaria generous help. Especially am in- debted to the directors and staff of the herbaria and libraries which I have personally visited, for the hospitality and great the herbaria of assistance given during my stay, viz. Brussels, Kew, Leyden, British Museum (Natural History) London, the Linnean Society of London, and Paris. I indebted the Dr. F. A. W. am also highly to „Prof. Miquel- fonds” which enabled me to stay in London for three weeks. I wish thanks Prof. Dr. Finally to express my most sincere to P A. A, u 11 e. Director of the “Botanisch Museum en Herba- rium” of Utrecht, under whose direction the present work was completed, for his assistance, advice and continual interest. II. GENERAL PART. HISTORY OF THE FAMILY. The Burmannia Linnaeus genus is founded by and inserted later authors different by in places in Monocotyledons e.g. by Jussieu in Bromeliaceae and by Rob. Brown in Juncaceae. Sprengel in Syst. Veg. I (1825) for the first time disting- Sonerila uished a group of Burmanniae, related with (Melastoma- taceae). B 1 PI. the the u m e, Enum. Jav. (1830) for first time Called he knew 3 Burmannia, family Burmanniaceae, genera: Gonyanthes and Gymnosiphon. Miers in 1841 also inserted Thismia and Ophiomeris into Burmanniaceae. he divided the family into 2 tribes. The family of Corsiaceae, founded in 1877 by B e c c a r i had been transferred by Bentham and Hooker also to Burmanniaceae as a third tribe. A number of authors however continued to consider this group as a separate family. Fossil Burmanniaceae unknown. The however is are family very the of related Ame- old, according to occurrence closely species in and M 1 rica, Africa Asia as a m e (1896) has already pointed out. Of the uniform Foliosa of the Burmannia, section genus 4 species are South-American and 1 Asiatic. The American Burmannia bicolor is hardly distinguishable from the African B. latialata and the Asiatic B. coelestis, while the saprophytic South-American Burmannia tenella finds its closest relative in the Malayan Bur- mannia lutescens. PLACE OF THE FAMILY IN THE SYSTEM OF MONOCOTYLEDONS. somewhat derived and As Burmanniaceae are a undoubtedly old the difficulties. very group, its place in system always gave 5 All authors in the that agree opinion it is a monocotyledonous family but within this classis the family is classified in different L i places. n d 1 e y in his Introd. Nat. Syst. (1830) considered the Burmannia related genus to be to Haemodoraceae, just as B a r t- 1 his Ord. Nat. Plant. who his order i n g in (1830) placed it in Ensatae. E d 1 h Gen. the between n i c e r, (1837), placed genus Hydrocharidaceae and Iridaceae in his classis Ensatae. In his Enchiridion (1841) he pointed out relationship with Iridaceae and Haemodoraceae. L i d 1 n e y, Veg. Kingd. (1846) on the other hand placed it in the order Orchidales in which he distinguished the series Apostasiaceae ■— Burmanniaceae — Orchidaceae. he too pointed out a relationship to Iridaceae. The still difficult after the of problem grew more discovery the reduced of the and other saprophytic, more species genus sapro- of the The of Thismieae phytic genera family. genera especially made the question more complicated. Yet older authors nearly B 11 always accepted relationship to Hydrocharidaceae: a i o n still said: 'Les H ydrocharidacéees qu’on pourrait considerer comme forme une des Burmanniacéees , etc.” aquatique . Karstenin Nov. Act.Leopold.-Carol.XXVI (1858) examined American of the some species genera Gymnosiphon and Dictyo- He could find thus classified stega. not any endosperm and the the inferior family in endospermless Monocotyledons with ovary. In this he 3 classis: Orchi- group distinguished Gynandrae (fam. daceae and Apostasiaceae), Burmanniae (fam. Burmanniaceae) and Limnobiae (fam. Hydrocharidaceae). h E i c 1 e r (1875) united Burmanniaceae. Triuridaceae, Orchi- daceae and Apostasiaceae together into the order Gynandrae. h B e n t a m und Hooker (1883) placed Hydrocharidaceae, Burmanniaceae and Orchidaceae together into the series Micro- characterized the corolline spermae. by perianth, inferior, usually 1-celled ovary and numerous, minute seeds without endosperm. Baillon (1895) dealt with Burmanniaceae between Tacca- ceae and Hydrocharidaceae. Engler in Engler und P r a n 11 and his Syllabus inserted the family in his “Reihe” Microspermae. This “Reihe” he divided 6 “Unterreihen ": Burmanniineae with Burman- into two one family niaceae and Gynandrae with one family Orchidaceae.