Basic Literatur

Fig. Graptopetalum grande sp. nov. Entire plant, 1/4 nat. size. Photo by Walter Singer

ANOTHER NEW GRAPTOPETALUM

By E. J. ALEXANDER

It appears that we must continue to expect almost anything in the way of crassulaceous plant habit to show up in the Genus Graptopetalum. In what has up to now been a genus with species of rosulate or sprawling growth forms, there now comes to light a large shrubby plant with an inflorescence that appears to take two years for its development. The strangeness of this plant is quite in keeping with the other unusual things that have been turned up by Mr. T. MacDougall in southern Mexico. For two years we had assumed that this plant was one of the shrubby Echeverias with their usual racemose inflorescence, and so were quite surprised when it proved otherwise. Certainly no one ever suspected a Graptopetalum, and so, with some relish, another strange plant is now presented to the succulent world.

Graptopetalum grande Alexander, sp. nov.

Planta frutex succulenta in omnibus partibus glabra; caules 1.5 cm. in diametro; foliis pallidoviridis, paulum glaucis, approximatis ad apicem caulis, late spatulatis ad 8.5 cm. longis et 3.5 cm. latis. Scapus lateralis, horizontalis, usque 3.5 dm longi, inflorescentia paniculata, bracteis similis foliis sed parvior; predicellis 5-8 mm. longis; flores 2 cm. in diametro, sepalis 2-3 mm. longis, petalis 8 mm. longis, lanceolatis acutissimis, ruhromaculatis, tubo paulum longiore calycem, ad basim saccatis; staminibus 4-5 mm. longis, post anthesis valde recurvatis; carpellis sulfureis inferioribus, auranteo-rubrotinctis superioribus, obovoideis, turgidis, dorsualiter attenuatis abrupte, stylibus erecto-patentibus; squamis 1 mm. longis, apicis truncatis transverse lunatis, 1.2 mm. latis, aurantiis saturate.

Graptopetalum grande Alexander n. sp.

Plant shrubby with thick, erect stems and branches to 3 dm. or more tall. Stem to 1.5 cm. in diameter, with close-fitting, gray-green bark which with age becomes shallow-fissured. Leaves pale yellow-green, slightly glaucous, especially when young; 5-8.5 cm. long and 3.5 cm. wide at broadest point near the apex, broadly spatulate, truncate or slightly refuse at the apex, strongly flattened, fleshy but thin in texture. Inflorescences few, apparently requiring 2 years to reach flowering stage, paniculate, the branches zigzag-scorpioid, including the peduncle to 3.5 dm. long, the flowering portion 22 cm. long and 27 cm. wide at the lowest branches, the bracts below the flowering portion 4-6 cm. long and similar to the leaves, those subtending the lowest branches also similar to the leaves but becoming rapidly reduced in size, and altering, first to oblanceolate, and finally to linear and 3 mm. long where they subtend individual flower pedicels. The pedicels are 5-8 mm. long and supra-axillary. The flowers are 2 cm. in diameter. The calyx lobes are free to the base, with 2 sepals 2.5 mm. long, and 3 sepals 3 mm. long, linear; petals lanceolate, 11 mm. long, united for 2 mm. above the strongly saccate base, outside pale green and strongly keeled, red-striate near the margin, and finely red-striate on the sides of the sac, within sulphur colored, the free portion maculate-striate with maroon markings, these scattered below, coalescing above and continuing so to the cucullate tip. The stamens are 10, the five alternate with the petals free to base, their filaments terete-subulate, greenish-white, those opposite the petals adnate to the corolla within the tube, free above, their filaments subulate but flattened basally. The anthers are red-brown, oblong, 0.5 mm. long. The nectarine scales are bright orange, crescent-shaped, 1.2 mm. broad, and 1 mm. long. The carpels are greenish-yellow below, flushed orange-red above, united below the middle, the entire cluster 6 mm. long, obovoid in outline, individual ones abliquely half-obovoid, abruptly tapering to an orange-red style. Style erect-spreading with a capitate, stramineous stigma.

Type grown from cuttings collected at 5000 feet alt. on the slope of Cerro de Larión above Ranchería Mexicalzingo, about 25 km. south-west of Tlaxiaco, State of Oaxaca, Mexico, by T. MacDougalI in the winter of 1954-55, and flowered in New York in May-June 1956. Specimen in the Herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden.

E. J. ALEXANDER New York, N. Y.