Five new species oF Guatteria ( annonaceae ) From tHe paKaraima mountains , Guyana

During preparation of the revision of Guatteria for the flora of the Guianas project, coordinated in the Utrecht branch of the National herbarium of the Netherlands, several previously undescribed species were discovered. Here five new species from Guyana are described. in recent years, a large number of specimens of Guatteria collected in the Guianas have been accumulated. Amongst these were collections representing several insufficiently known species, and a large number of unidentified specimens. Taxonomy in Guatteria is currently based on the treatments of fries (1939, 1941, 1943, 1948a, b, c, 1949, 1950a, b, 1952, 1953, 1957a, b, 1960) which were made when access to material was much more limited. Regional floras and checklists of the Guianas and surrounding areas (Steyermark et al., 1995; Boggan et al., 1997; Hollowell et al., 2001) have not been able to address the taxonomic problems that have emerged since fries’ treatment. in particular, recent collections from more remote places and in higher altitudes in the Pakaraima Mountains in Western Guyana represent five new species which are thus described here. Diagnostic characters are mentioned under the respective descriptions. Measurements of the pedicel are the sum of the lower and the upper part, which is the

'peduncle' and the 'pedicel s.str.' 1 .Coordinates, if not mentioned on the label, were transferred from printed books (the Lands and Surveys Department, 2001), maps (see list in references) as well as from sources on the internet (Geonames, Falling Rain).
1) Inflorescence: According to Chatrou (1998), the inflorescences of all Annonaceae can be considered as terminal.Apparently axillary inflorescences in genera such as Guatteria, Klarobelia and Pseudomalmea consist of a short shoot, developing primarily from a leaf-axillary position, subtending a terminal pedicel with flower.The distinction between these two structures is in most cases clear, demarcated by an articulation.The short shoot bears a variable number of bracts which occasionally are larger and leaf-like in appearance.Tree, 3-6 m tall; young twigs densely covered with erect, long hairs, persisting 1 or 2 growing periods.Leaves: petiole 2-4 by 1-2 mm; lamina narrowly elliptic, 10-15 by 3-5.5 cm, chartaceous, dull pale to dark brown above, yellowish brown below, both sides sparsely covered with erect hairs to glabrous, row of erect hairs on primary vein not emerging from the sunken groove of the midvein, base acute to attenuate, apex acuminate (acumen 5-20 mm long), secondary veins 6-10 on either side of primary vein, slightly raised above, angle of secondary veins with primary vein 60-80°, indistinctly loop-forming at right angles, smallest distance between loops and margin 2-3 mm.Flowers solitary, green in vivo; pedicels 25-30(-35) mm long, rather densely covered with erect hairs, no or exceptionally one leafy bract at the pedicel; sepals deltate, c. 4 by 3-4 mm, outer side rather densely covered with erect hairs; petals oblong-elliptic in nearly mature flowers 15-18 by 7-8 mm, outer side densely covered with very short, curly hairs; stamens orange-brown, 100-120, c. 2 mm long, umbonate, connective shield densely papillate; carpels c. 10.Monocarps and seeds not seen but mentioned on the label: fruits green with red stipes.
habitat & Ecology -in dense forest, on sandstone and peat, riparian vegetation near waterfall.At elevations of 1120-1650 m.
Phenology -Flowering: June and December; fruiting: June (data not sufficient).Etymology -This species was named after the high elevation in which the type collection was reported to be growing.
Phenology -Flowering and fruiting: June to August.Etymology -This species was named after Mt Ayanganna in NW Guyana where it was found.
Habitat & Ecology -In cloud forest on sandstone, sand, or grey sandy clay with thick layer of organic matter and peat (together with various woody plants including Annonaceae, Araliaceae, Arecaceae, Clusia, Euterpe, Melastomataceae, Moronobea).At elevations of 1135-1200 m.

Guatteria wokomungensis
-This species was named after Mt Wokomung where it was found.Note -Guatteria wokomungensis is characterized by its big sepals and its leafy bracts at the pedicels.Guatteria wokomungensis is somewhat similar to G. wachenheimii Benoist, a species widely distributed in the three Guianas, but differs particularly in the morphology of its fruits.

AcKNowLEDGEMENtS
The work resulting in this publication was carried out in the context of the Flora of the Guianas project, a critical treatment of the plant taxa occurring in the Guianas and being a contribution to the Flora Neotropica in a close cooperation between the Universität Leipzig, Germany, Herbarium LZ and the Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Utrecht University branch.Latin diagnoses were corrected by Lubbert Y.th.westra.Michael D. Pirie helped a lot to generate the distribution maps using ESRI data (NYBG, 2003).Drawings were made by Hendrik Rypkema from herbarium sheets on loan in U and LZ.The research was only possible by loans and duplicates sent from AAU, B, BBS, BM, Br, BrG, c, cAY, f, fDG, K, Mo, NY, P, S, and US.All colleagues involved are gratefully acknowledged.
Distribution -Guyana: Merume Mountains.Only known from the type collection.habitat & Ecology -in forest, along ridge trail of mountain.At elevations of probably c. 500 m (not indicated).