Marcgraviaceae

Climbing shrubs or lianas, often epiphytic. Leaves alternate, entire, glabrous, mostly with hypophyllous glands. Stipules wanting. Inflorescences terminal, racemose, spicate or (sub)umbelliform. Bracts of the flowers transformed into mostly big, hollow, variously shaped nectaries. Bracteoles sepaloid. Sepals 4 or 5, thick, coriaceous, free, imbricate. Petals 3 to 5, free or united and imbricate or forming a cap. Stamens 3 to numerous, free or connate. Ovary superior, 2- to several celled, with a mostly short style and an indistinctly lobed stigma. Ovules mostly numerous. Fruit capsular, more or less woody, dehiscent, inside pulpy, with few to numerous shiny, conspicuously reticulate seeds. About 125 species in 4 genera in tropical America

Three new species and a new subspecies of Marcgravia and Souroubea (Marcgraviaceae) from Central America

Frutex epiphyticus, ramis quadrangularibus, angulis lenticellatis. Folia ramorum fertilium petiolis 2-5 mm longis, 1.5-2 mm latis; lamina chartacea vel subcoriacea, oblanceolato-oblonga vel interdum elliptico-oblonga, 9-14 cm longa, 3-4.5 cm lata, ápice acuminata, acumen 1-2 cm longum, basi attenuata, costa subtus prominente, nervis lateralibus supra et subtus prominentibus vel prominulis, glandulis hypophyllis aliquot patelliformibus vel foveolatis, parvis, 3-5 in folii parte inferiore oblique seriatis, aliis minutis, punctiformibus, nigricantibus, aequaliter dispersis. Flores in racemis umbelliformibus (20-) 30-45-floris; rhachis ad circa 1 cm longa; nectaria clavato-cucullata, stipitata, stipes 5-8 mm longus, cucullus 1-1.5 cm longus, circa 4-5 mm diametro, ore late-rotundata, margine plerumque recurvo, apiculata; pedicelli 5-7 cm longi, lenticellati; bracteolae sepaloideae, circa 1 mm longae, 2-3 mm latae; sepala suborbicularia vel reniformia, circa 2-3 mm longa, circa 4-5 mm lata, margine glandulosa; corolla oblongo-subconoidea, circa 1 cm longa, circa 4-5 mm diametro; stamina 18-33, filamentis applanatis, liberis, inaequalibus, in alabastro 4-6 mm longis, antheris linearibus, 3-5 mm longis, circa 1 mm latis, basi subsagittatis; ovarium circa 2-3 mm diametro, 6-11-loculare. Fructus globosus, circa 9 mm diametro, stylo persistenti ornatus. Typus : Costa Rica, vicinity of Vara Blanca, North slope of Central Cordillera, between Poás and Barba Volcanoes, alt. 1700 m, April 1938, Skutch 3762 (holotype US; isotypes GH, MO, NY, S). Paratypes; Costa Rica: Heredia: Cerro de las Caricias, North of San Isidro. Standley & Valerio 52202, 52248,52375 (US); Panama:Chiriquí: Boquetedistrict, Bajo Chorro, Davidson 398 (GH, US)