Annal s of the
Misso uri Botan ical Garden
Volume XXVI 1939 With Twenty-eig ht Plates and Thirty-eigh t Figures Publlshe(l qutLrterly at Fulton, M l.,sourt, by the Botlnl M Trustees the Ml ssoun Bolanlt-al Gn.Nict1, S t. Louts, Mo.
E ntered
liS
ot
second-c lass matter at t he po.st -omco at Fulton, M i ssouri, u nu~r
the A ct of M arch 3, 1879.
TABLE OF CONTE NTS PAGE
A Microscopic Study of Conifero us Wood in Relation to Its Strength Properti es ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Herefor d Garland
1- 94
New or Otherwis e Notewor thy Apocyna ceae of Tropical America. VI .. Robert E. Woodson, Jr.
95- 98
Studies on Variatio n in Gibb er ella Saubinetii (Mont.) Sacc. (Fusariu m gramin earum Schwabe ) .. ... .... . . .. .. Mary Goddard
99-164
Tree Tempera tures and Thermos tasy ... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ernest S. Reynold s
165-255
New or Otherwis e Notewor thy Apocyna ceae of Tropical America. VII ... .. .... . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert E. Woodson, Jr.
257-259
Two New Asclepia ds from the Western United States .. .... ..... Robert E. Woodson , Jr.
261- 264
Contribu tions toward a Flora of Panama. ill. Collections during the summer of 1938, chiefly by R. E. Woodson, Jr., P. H. Allen, and R. J. Seibert. ....... . . . .. .... .... . . . . . . . . . Robert E. Woodson, Jr. and R. J. Seibert 265-324 The Genetic Coefficien ts of Specific Difference .... Edgar Anderso n and Ruth Peck Ownbey 325-348 Morphog enetic Differen ces between Nico tiana alata and N. Langsdo rffii as indicated by their Response to Indoleac etic Acid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lillian Nagel 349- 372 Monogra ph of the North American Species of the Genus Ephedra ... ...... . Hugh C. Cutler 373-427 General Index to Volume XXVI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
429- 433
Annals of the
Missou ri Botanic al Garden N OVElVIBER, 1939
Vol. 26
No. 4
NEW OR OTHERWIS E NOTE\:VORTHY APO YNACEAE OF TROPICAL A~.1ERICA. VII 1 ROBERT E. WOODSON, JR. Assi.<;tant Curator of the H erbariwm, Missouri B otanical Garde1~ A ssistant Prof essor in the H enry Shaw School of B otany of Washington University
Mortoniella Woodson, gen. nov. Apocynacear um (Plumerioideae-Alsto niinae ) . Calyx 5-partitus eglandulo u ; laciniae scariaceae vel paullulo foliaceae imbricatae sat a equales mox caeduces. Corolla salverformis ; tubus gracilis basi paulo gibbosus ibique stan1inigerus ; limbi laciniae 5 paulo inacquales aestivatione s inistrorsum convolutae. Stamina 5 epipetala profunde inclusa; antherae inter se liberae 4-locular es omnino fertiles nullomodo appendicula tae; filam enta p er brevia. Ovarii carpella gemina ba i distincta apice in stylo aequilono¡o turbinato p roducta, ovulis 12, 4-seriatim superpo iti ; stigma breviter f usiformi-cap itatum. N ectaria nulla.- Arbores vel frutices (?) . Folia alternata petiolo medio glandnlo-mu bonato caeterumque eO'landulosa integra p enninervia. Inftorcscenti a terminalis thy r siformis. Mortoniella Pittieri Woodson, spec. nov.; arborea Yel fruti cosa ( ?) ; folii s alternatis Ionge petiolatis oblongo-ellip ticis a pice longiu .. cule subcaudato-a cuminatis basi acute obtuseque cuneatis 10- 13 em. longis 2.0-3.2 em. latis membr anaceis omnino glabris dense subhorizonta literque nervosis, pctiolo ca. 2.5 em. longo rn edio glandulo-um bonato; infiorescenti is thyr1
I ssued Novembe r 30, 1939.
ANN.
Mo. BoT.
0 ARD.,
Vol.
~6,
1939
(257)
1 CON TRIB UTIO NS TOW ARD A FLOR A OF PAN AMA
III. CoLLE CTIONS DURING THE SuMMER OF 1938, CHIEFLY BY R. E. WooDsoN, J R., P. H. ALLEN, AND R. J. SEIBERT ROBER T E . WOOD SON, JR. A ssistan t Curator of the H erbar¡ium, J.H~sot1.ri B otanical Garden Assista nt Professor in the H enry Shaw S chool of Botany of Washin gton Univer sity RUSSE LL J . SEIBE RT Univers ity F ellow in B otany, Henry Shaw School of B otany of W ash¡ington Univer sity A ND
During the s umme r of 1938, from June 17 to Augu st 20, a party consi sting of R . E. Wood son, Jr., Paul H. Allen , and Russ ell J. Seibe rt was sent to Pana ma under the joint auspi ces of the Misso uri B otani cal Gard en and the Arno ld Arbo retum of Harv ard Univ ersity . The purpo se of the exped ition was chiefly to r ecoup the losse s sustained in a fire at the end of the previ ous summ er's collec ting trip. As in previ ous years , nume rous short trips into the interi or were made fro1n the Trop ical Statio n of the Misso uri Botan ical Gard en at Balbo a, C.Z., now under direct contr ol of the Cana l Zone. The princ ipal trips, howe ver, were to the highlands on Chiri qui on the Pacif ic slope of the Volca n de Chiriqui, a favo rite collec ting locali ty since the days of S eemann and W arsce wicz, and the lowla nds abou t the Chiri qui Lago on in Boca s del T oro, upon the Atlan tic slope . A proje cted trip to Darie n was neces sarily postp oned becau se of the illnes s of both Wood son and S eiber t. This trip was taken later in the year by Allen , and will be r eport ed in the n ext of this series . Altho ugh it is still possi ble to make the trip to Chiri qui rathe r painf ully by cattle boat, use of the airpla ne and the new Pana meric an High way has decided advan tages. R egula r flying service from Pana ma City to David , the capit ol city of Chiri qui provi nce, r educes the time between the two cities , from a day and a night via the lowin g and odoro us hulls of the Comp afiia de N avegaci6nes Chitreana, to a mere two hours . 1
I ssued Novem ber 30, 1929.
ANN. Mo. BoT. GAR.o., Vol. 26, 1939
(265 )
[VoL. 26
266
ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
Air travel, however convenient, has its drawbacks for the botanist. Many miles of vegetation-co vered wilderness is given an exasperating ly distant enchantment . And should he be a timid soul, the wilderness becomes forbidding indeed if a precipitant descent is contemplated . In 1935 Woodson and Seibert, together with Dr. George W. Martin, had a taste of such interest when the landing gear of their plane was wrecked at the very moment of take-off, on an improvised landing field at Llanos del V olean, in Chiriqui. Safe landing at that time was made by the skill of Robert Marstrand, the pilot, who was killed on the same route later in the summer, flying headlong into the clouded summit of Cerro Trinidad. Taking all such things into consideration , a light truck was purchased by Allen and converted into a cavernous conveyance for enough collecting and pressing materials for a month. On top of all the other paraphernal ia a precarious garnish was made of a number of living ornamental plants potted in tin cans and intended for our good friend Mr. T. B. Monniche at Boquete. The whole cargo, heaped high, was covered with water-proofe d canvas, and we set upon our way. The Panamanian section of the Panamerican Highway is known locally as the Garret era N acional. The preceding summ er we had made the approximate ly 300-mile trip from Panama City to David in an ancient, specially chartered chiva (a light bus, but in Spanish, appropriatel y, a goat). We found then that most of the western half of the road was either in the proce s of being blasted from solid rock or cut through jungle, and the whole trip required twenty-eight hours of continuous driving. When all other details of that trip vanish, the scientific occupants of the chiva will probably still r emember how, during each of those twenty-eight hours, they took turns holding up the windshield with their feet for the expressed benefit of the Panamefio driver, bounding over the Carret era in a most unnatural position. This year, however, we not only rode in a %-ton truck provided with springs, but found to our delight that the road had been improved quite noticeably, enabling us to reach David
1939]
WOODSON & SEIBERT-FLORA OF PANAMA. III
267
after only fourteen hours. Although the road had been much worked upon during the year's interval, the surrounding country was still unspoiled, and we were able to make numerous collections en route, including several novelties. Even from the road, for example, the bright orange flowers of Tussacia W oodsonii Morton, abounding in the low woods near Remedios, could be distinguished from the rather greenish yellow flowers of the common T. Friedrichsthaliana. So with a grinding of brakes and a tornado of dust, a new species was added to the interesting family Gesneriaceae. In the swampy jungles near the Rio Fonseca the attention of any motoring botanist could scarcely miss the giant, scarlet-bracted canes of C ostus Lima K.Sch., previously unknown from Panama. Not a hundred yards from the road we ate our lunch under a tree in which were twining F ernaldia speciosissima and Prestonia r emediorum, new species of Apocynaceous lianas. Nightfall found us established at the cavernous Pension Italiana in David. Early the next morning we abandoned the truck and transferred our gear to the narrow-gage train for the trip to Boquete. The line is only about thirty miles long, but is at such a continuous grade from David, about 50 m. elevation, to Boquete, about 1000 m., that it appeared to be all the diminutive locomotive could possibly do to pull us thence in three hours. The name Boquete is well deserved, for it means ''The Bouquet.'' The town, of perhaps 1,000 inhabitants, is set at about the elevation of Cartago, in Costa Rica, and is favored with a climate that is almost ideal. With the Volcan de Chiriqui towering above, it lies in a deeply forested canyon of the tempestuous little Rio Caldera. Nearly everyone in town has a luxuriant garden almost monotonously filled with blooming roses, lilies and delicious strawberries. Not far up the mountain slopes a native raspberry (Rubus glaucus Benth.) abounds, which is really superior to the best cultivated berries of the States. It is no wonder that Boquete is a favorite alike for vacationists from the Canal Zone and for nearly all botanists who visit Panama.
[VOL. 2 6
268
ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
But the r eal attraction of Boquete is that it is not far from Finca Lerida, the remarkable establishment of Mr. T. B. Monniche, nearly 300 m. higher upon the slope of the volcano. It is doubtful whether Mr. Monniche and his charming wife themselves know how many pilgrims to Finca Lerida they welcome each year. Surely in Panama, if not in all Central America, there is not another :finca where the coffee is more successfully grown and handled, where the native help is more kindly and wisely administered, and where the proprietors are more gracious to all with whom they come in contact. Mr. ~{onniche is a keen naturalist himself, and fully understood our needs in studying the local vegetation. Accordingly, as in the previous summer, he placed at our disposal a little maintenance shed, ''Casita Alta,'' about three miles farther up the slope of the volcano, at an elevation of about 2,000 m. Casita Alta furnishes the greatest requirement of a visiting plant collector, particularly in the rainy season : it is dry. Otherwise, it is a frame structure of about ten by eight feet, without windows, floor or furniture except a shelf in the back for our supplies. A bed is made by pulling fronds of the abundant Pteris podophylla Sw. (sensu lato), and making a mat on the dusty floor for sleeping-bags. Fire-making and cooking, as well as the drying of specimens, must be done out of doors. We found Casita Alta exactly as we had left it at the end of the preceding summer, even to the sprig of mistletoe hung over the door like the sword of Damocles. Immediately after unpacking our belongings that Mr. Monniche thoughtfully had had packed up the mountain side for us by mule-train we set about the construction of a "pressing room," or rather, a canvas shelter for our press-frames. During the rainy season, at least, artificial heat is necessary for drying in the tropics. After experiments over several collecting seasons, we have found that the one-unit, pressure kerosene stoves of Swedish make are by far the hottest, safest, and most economical. It would be difficult to find a site more attractive to the botanical collector than that of Casita Alta, since it is located within easy reach not only of the deep valley of the Rio Caldera
ANN. Mo. B oT. GAHD.,
V oL. 26,
1 9:~!!
,
PLATE lli
\~~.
:\lo. J:wr.
t: \110., VoL. :!li,
1~1:1~1
f'L .\TI; 1!1
1 93 9~
WOODSON & SEIBERT- FL ORA OF PAN AlVÂŁA . Ill
269
headwaters, but of the higher slopes of the volcano itself. We soon found tha t it was a good arrangement for two of the party to go fairly fa r afield, leaving the third to tend the kerosene stoves. Incid0ntally, the one left could collect in the immediate vicinity of the camp, where much of inter est was to be found, including the gigantic PizJer Gigas r.Irelcase, a tree 10m. tall with a bole 30 em. in diamete r. Another veryâ&#x20AC;˘ distinct pepper of simil a r height hnt mon\ slender bole is P. ajf cctans Trelease, also in this in1mcdiate vicinity. A r ather rare borage, H ackelia costaricensis (Brand ) .John8ton, waE so cornrnon in the immediate clearing around camp that it appeared to be an introduced weed. After about three weeks of collecting from Casita Alta, including a trip to the summit of the volcano, we packed up our sundries, and descended to Boquete, paying our respects, en route, to the 1\f<)nnichcs, through whose kindness we had had such a delightful and profitable v isit. The r egion about Boquetc, aside from the Canal Zone, is probably t he best known botanically of Panama. Never th eless, things were made so convenient for us at "El Hotel Nuevo" that we could not forego a few days of foray, which r esulted in the discovery of several inter esting species. Back in the Canal Zone again, several trips were made toward Chepo, to the cast, and Arraijan, just over the boundary to the west. A visit of several days was made to the island of Ta uoga, in Panama Bay. Although the island has been a favorite r esort fr om the mainland since th e days of Spanish domination, and ha s been visited probably by eve ry bota nist to collect on the istl1mus, a number of additions wer e made to the fl ora of Panama, including the a ntillean F ors feronia spicata (J ac({.) 1\Ieyc r, which grows in veritable thickets along the nor thern shore. The last two weeks of co1leeting were spent by VI oodson in the neighborhoo d of Almirante, Bocas del T oro province, for a foray at the kind invitation of Dr. \ Vilson Popcnoc and the United Fruit Company. The Atla ntic slope of Panama is more poorly known botanically than the Pacific, and this port had
270
[VOL. 26
ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICA L GARDEN
been selected because bi-monthly sailings are made to it from Cristobal by the ships of the Fruit Company. The trip to Almiran te was made with some misgivings, since the place has a rather evil reputatio n in the Canal Zone as a disease-i nfested shambles of abandon ment caused by the plague of the Panama Disease of bananas . It is quite true that the disease has almost complete ly wiped out the t raffic in bananas at Almiran te, but the growing and processin g of cocoa and abaca is progressing under very efficient management, and will doubtless restore the importan ce of the port. Almirant e itself is far from a shambles . The town is neatly maintain ed, and the people, all employees of the Fruit Company and their familie s, are the most uniformly co-opera tive one could wish. It is to Mr. John S. Kelley, the manager of the Almiran te Division, and his wife, that we chiefly owe the success and pleasure of our collectin g in the neighborhood of Almiran te, for it was in their home that we made our headquarters . It is largely due to their hospitali ty that the impedimenta of pressing supplies were conveniently stored away for use, a safe shelter for the presses and kerosene stoves provided, and arrangem ents made for trips into the surround ing country. From the manner that every need or wish was anticipated, the visiting botanist would seem constant ly to have been rubbing the magic lamp of Aladdin. At the various Fruit Compan y plantatio ns, appropri ately yet unexpectedly, trained and discernin g natu ralists were much in evidence. Dr. Cordes and Mr. Arnold both are enthusiastic amateur botanists , and both have fine collections of living orchids. At Nievecito, in the valley of the Rio Sixaola, we were most fortunat e to have Mr. H. J. Bartlet not only as host, but as a guide and companion in the field. Merely following Mr. Bartlet upon his daily travels about the plantatio n was reward enough for a visit to Panama, because of his activity, understa nding, and knowledge of the native vegetatio n. It was almost in Mr. Bartlet 's ''front yard'' that a very unusual cucurbit was found which it has not been possible to refer satisfact orily to a genus. A most stimulat ing visit was made
1989]
WOODSON & SEIBERT- FLORA OF PANAMA. ill
271
to Mr. J. H. Permar, near Guabito, in the valley of Rio Changuinola. We had long been anxious to meet Mr. Permar, since Dr. Popenoe had commented to me, at several times, on his understa nding of tropical natural history. Upon his plantation of abaca Mr. Permar has establish ed a small botanica l garden of economic plants suitable for cultivati on in the tropics of both hemisph eres. Perhaps the most interesti ng of the trips taken out from Almiran te was that arranged for us by Mr. Kelley to the Rio Cricamo la at the east end of the Chiriqui Lagoon. Leaving Almiran te one morning at about four o'clock, we stopped at the town of Bocas del Toro to pick up Mr. H. Wedel, a local ornitholo gist and accomplished photogra pher, who was to act as guide and interpret er. Proceedi ng thence by the United Fruit Compan y's Diesel-powered yacht '' Talaman ca,'' we arrived at the bar of the Rio Cricamo la shortly before noon. From the bar, we ascended the river in two long cayucas, or dug-out canoes, piled high with every convenience which the Fruit Compan y could provide, including the precauti on of six cages of carrier pigeons for commun ication to Almiran te. We made our headqua rters for the several days of our visit, at a ruined plantatio n called "Finca St. Louis," not far downstream from the Indian village known as Konkintoe. Once an elaborat e establish ment, the ill-starre d Finca St. Louis is a rambling frame building of two stories in a most dismal state of decay. Nothing now remains of the planting s, the lowland jungle pressing close upon every side, as only such tropical second growth can. Upon the rotting fence-posts was found good collectin g of many epiphyte s ordinari ly growing high in trees. Amongs t these were some interesti ng novelties and new records in Orchidac eae and Gesneriaceae. In the halfsubmerg ed borders of the river a good represen tation of Marantaceae , Zingiber aceae, and Araceae was collected. And with the aid of Martin Sparks, a young Bocatore:fio who had accompanied us in a duplex role of butler and scientific technician, a fair sample was taken of all available flowering and fruiting trees.
272
ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
[VOL. 26
After r eturning again to the compara tive luxury of Bocas del Toro, we accepted the hospitali ty of Mr. Wedel for a collecting trip upon Isla de Colon, where the town of Bocas del Toro is situated. With only a short time at our disposal, scar cely a decent start could be made in the botanica l exploration of this interesti ng and accessible district. But, thanks to the kindly experien ce of Mr. Wedel, in only a few days numerous addition s were made to the known flora of Panama, here very similar to that of Atlantic coastal Costa Rica. There i s probably no one in the vicinity of the Chiriqui Lagoon who is quite so familiar with the country and its inhabita nts as Mr. Wedel. Since last spring, he has started independ ently collecting, sending his specimen s to the ~fissouri Botanica l Garden for identifica tion and distribut ion. LYCOPOD IACEAE (William B. Maxon, Washington , D. C.)
LYCOPODIUM ERYTHRAEUM Spring -cHmiQu i : Lorna Larga to summit, Volcan de Chiriqui, alt. ca. 3000 m., July 5, 1938, Woodson , .Allen <t S eibert 1079. Previous ly known only from Ecuador , Peru, and Bolivia. It almost certainly occurs in Colombi a as well. ISOETACE AE ( W . B. Maxtm and C. V. Mort<m, Washington )
I soETEs panamensis Maxon & Morton, sp. nov. Sect. Tub erculatae. Planta aquatica ; rhizoma trilobatu m grossum , ca. 3 em. latum; folia rigida, ca. 50, ca. 32 em. longa, 2 rom. medio lata, apice acnmina ta, basi valde dilatata (margine hyalina ca. 8 em. longa, basi 5-6 rom. lata utroque latere ), val de triquetra, septis transver sis numeros is per spicuis, stomatib us numeros is, fasciculi s fibrovasc ularibus peripher icis validis 6; ligula deltoidea , ca. 3.5 mm. longa, 5 mm . basi lata, acuta; vellum nullurn; sporangi a magna, ambitu elliptica, ca. 13 mm. longa, 6-7 rom. lata; macrosp orae albae, 350-.500 ~ diam., valide ubique tubercul atae, tuberculi s non confluont ibus, magnis, elongatis (saepe 25 ~ longis), apice rotundat is, costis commissural ibus perspicu is ; microspo rae parvae, ca. 25 ~ diam., laeves.-PANAMA: pond, vicinity of Bejuco, Aug. 7, 1938.
1939]
WOODSON
&
SEIBERT-FLORA OF PANAMA.
III
273
Woodson, Allen & Seibert 1685 (U.S. Nat. Herb. no. 1,748,502, TYPE). In Dr. Pfeiffer' s monogra ph the present species seems to be nearest I soetes Malinver niana Cesati & De Not. of Italy. Specimens collected by Cesati and ~!falinverni and others, kindly lent by the New York Botanical Garden and the Gray H erbarium, show that species to differ in having the ligule lanceola te, the macros pores larger (660-900 J.J), and the micros pores roughene d. I soetes cubana Engelm., of Cuba and British Honduras (?),is a laxer and more slender plant, with macrosp ores bearing low rounded tubercles . I. Gardner iana A. Br. of Brazil is similar in habit, but the macrosp ores are dark brown and bear fine tubercles . In the treatmen t by U. W eber 1 I. panamen sis would fall in the section A mphibiae near I. Gardner iana and I. triangula Weber. The latter is represen ted in the U.S. National Herbarium by a specimen of the type collectio n (Ule 8000, from Rio Branco, Amazona s, Brazil). It is distingu ished from I. panamensis by the bilobed rhizome and the small sporangi a (5 mm. long). No species of I soetes has previous ly been known from Panama, and only one species has been found in adjacent Central America, namely, I. Storkii T. C. Palmer, of the mountai ns of Costa Rica. I soet es panamen sis is a lowland species growing near sea level. HYMENOPHYLLACEAE (William R. Ma.xon, Washington , D. C.)
TRICHOMANES ANKERSII Hook. & Grev.- BOCAS DEL TORO : fronds thickly "plaster ed" to tree trunk, I sla de Colon, alt. ca. 25- 75 m., Aug. 18, 1938, Woodson , Allen & S e,ibe'r t 1933 . Previously known from Costa Rica, and from Colombi a to Bolivia. POLYPODIACEAE (Wi lliam R. Ma.xon, Washin,gt01t, D. C.)
DrPLAZIUM LrNDBERGII (Mett.) Christ.-BOCAS DEL TORO: vicinity of Nievecito , alt. ca. 15 m., Aug. 8, 1938, W oodson, Allen U. Weber, '' Zur Anat omie und Systematik der Gattung I soetes L.,'' Hedwigia 63: 219-262. 1922. s