A Revision of the Venezuelan Species of Monnina

Abstract

In continuation of his study of the genus Monnina (Polygalaceae), the writer has examined all the readily available Venezuelan specimens of it in several American herbaria, and the present paper summarizes what is known of the genus in Venezuela. On the basis of the material seen, there are ten species of the genus in this country, a somewhat smaller number than in Peru, Ecuador, or Colombia,1 which would appear to be the more important centers of distribution. The work upon which this study is based was accomplished during the writer's tenure as a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, to the administrators of which he is deeply grateful. The authorities of the U. S. National Museum, of the Smithsonian Institution, kindly put at his disposal the facilities of the Department of Botany, where the study was made. The herbaria from which specimens have been examined and cited are indicated as follows: Chicago Natural History Museum (Ch); Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (GH); Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K); New York Botanical Garden (NY); Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (Ph); U. S. National Herbarium (US); and the Herbario Nacional, Ministerio de Agricultura y Cria, Caracas (Ven). The cooperation of the authorities of these institutions is deeply appreciated.