6. Paepalanthus lamarckii Kunth, Enum. Pl. 3: 506 (1841). Tipo: Guayanas, Anon. (P-JJR).
Por M.J. Huft.
Eriocaulon fasciculatum Lam., non Rottb., Paepalanthus pilosus (Kunth) Kunth var. microcephalus Mold.
Tallos 2-8 cm. Hojas 1-2.5 cm x 0.5-2(-2.5) mm, dispuestas a lo largo del tallo, patentes, lineares a lanceolado-lineares, glabras, el ápice agudo. Pedúnculos pocos a numerosos, 2-9 cm, piloso patentes; vaina 7-15 mm, piloso patente, el ápice agudo a brevemente acuminado. Cabezuelas 2-3 mm de diámetro, globosas, gris oscuro, vellosas; brácteas involucrales obovado-oblongas, pardo oscuro, más claras a lo largo de la costilla media, glabras o los márgenes ciliados cerca del ápice, el ápice obtuso; bractéolas receptaculares espatuladas, pardas con una costilla media blanca, longipilosas, el ápice agudo. Flósculos estaminados con los sépalos espatulado-oblongos, pajizos hacia la base, pardo oscuro cerca del ápice excepto por una banda central blanca, los márgenes ciliados cerca del ápice; tubo de la corola pajizo, glabro; estambres oscuros. Flósculos pistilados con los sépalos angostamente obovados, pajizos hacia la base, pardo oscuro cerca del ápice excepto por una banda central blanca, pilosos en el ápice; pétalos lineares, blancos, escasamente ciliados en el ápice. Suelos húmedos. Ch (Breedlove y Davidse 54338, CAS); B (Schipp S-130, F); H (Saunders 968, F); P (Pittier 4932, US). 0-100 m. (Chiapas a Brasil, Antillas.)
Stems simple, 2-8 cm. long; leaves dull- or grayish-green, the older ones olivaceous, plane, linear-lanceolate or broadly linear, 1.3-3 cm. long, 0.5-2.3 mm. wide at the middle, ampliate-clasping at the base, narrowed to a rather acute or obtuse apex, many-striate, sparsely puberulent or pilose, soon glabrescent; pedun- cles fasciculate at the apex of the stem, 2-20 per plant, usually numerous, 1.5-7 cm. long; irregularly and more or less densely spreading-pilose; sheaths rather loose, 9-13 mm. long, long-pilose, the blade rather rigid, often lobed or bifid, attenuate and sharply acute at the apex, often somewhat spreading, long-ciliate, at first puberulent, eventually calvescent; heads dark brown, globose, 2-3 mm. in diam- eter, villous; involucral bractlets gray-brown, with- a lighter midrib, obovate, subacute and densely pilose at the apex; receptacle pilose; receptacular bractlets brown, with a white midrib, spatulate, acute at the apex, densely long-pilose above the middle on the back; staminate florets: sepals 3, stramineous at the base, dark brown at the apex (except for a broad white central band), spatulate, obtuse and ciliate at the apex; petal-tube stramineous; stamens 3; pistillate florets: sepals similar in color and texture to those of the staminate florets, obovate, pilose along the margins and at the apex, spreading; petals 3, tiny, white or hyaline, linear, blunt and sparsely ciliate at the apex; ovary 3-celled; style-appendages long and hyaline; stigmas 3, brown, shorter than the style-appendages; seeds slightly curved, cancellate.
Capitula subglobose, greyish, pilose, 2-3·5 mm. diam.
Sepals of female flowers hardening and recurving at maturity and throwing out the ripe seeds.
Seeds ellipsoid, 0.3 mm. long, light brown.
Leaves linear to lanceolate, 2–3 cm. long, 1–3 mm. wide, spongy, scattered-pilose to glabrescent,the tip hardened, subacute.
Small herb, with age developing an unbranched wiry stem clothed in old leaves and fibrous roots, the new leaves forming a loose rosette at the stem tip.
Capitulum 3–4 mm. diameter, subglobose with intruded base at maturity, grey, densely villous, the immature central flowers completely obscured by white hairs; involucral bracts lanceolate to lanceolate-oblong, 1.0–1.2 mm. long, firmly membranous, brownish grey with a paler central stripe, villous with coarse spreading hairs from the margins and back, acute; floral bracts angular-obovate, dark grey with paler central stripe, coarsely villous above the middle; flowers trimerous, 0.8–1.0 mm. long.
Scapes many in a terminal tuft, 2–7 cm. high, 3-ribbed; sheaths shorter than the leaves, loose with an acute limb.
Female flowers: sepals resembling the male at first; petals hyaline, equalling the sepals, narrowly oblong-spathulate, scattered-pilose; at maturity the sepals hardening, recurving and raising the petals and ovary to the capitulum surface.
Male flowers: sepals oblong-spathulate, concave, dark grey with paler central stripe, densely pilose at the subacute tips; petal-tube borne on a stipe; vestigial gynoecium represented by 3 elongate glands.
Hispaniola, Cuba, and British Honduras to Panama, Trinidad, and Brazil.
