Five New Species of Caraipa (Calophyllaceae) from the Venezuelan Guayana

Abstract

Abstract Five new species of Caraipa endemic to the Venezuelan Guayana are here described and illustrated. Three species are endemic to the Amazonas state: Caraipa acutata, endemic to the Guainia river; Caraipa cordifolia, endemic to the Paru tepui; and Caraipa yutajensis, endemic to the Yutaje tepui. Two species are endemic to Bolivar state: Caraipa kubitzkii was collected on a river margin in uplands; and Caraipa nigrolineata from the uplands. We propose two synonymizations and present an identification key for the 20 species of Caraipa from Venezuela.