Montanoa fragrans
REPRESENTATIVE SPECIMENS: VENEZUELA. ARAGUA: Girardot, rd from Cata to Cuyagua, 25 Jan
1972, Badillo 4808 (MY); Girardot, rd from Cata to Cuyagua, 30 Jan 1972, Badillo 4823 (MY); Girardot,
rd from Cata to Cuyagua, 30 Jan 1972, Badillo 4831 (MY). LARA: near Aguada Grande, 2 Nov 1972, Fernalldez 1496 (MY); Duaca, 1893-1894, Mocqllerys S.Il. (COL, VEN); railroad near Yaracuy, 18 Aug 1968, Smith V4314 (VEN).
Shrubs with some scandent branches, 1-3 m tall. Stems terete, brown to gray, glabrous. Leaves relatively consistent; petioles 2-13 cm long, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, hairs 0.5-1.0 mm long; blades ovate to triangular (Fig. 47 A-G), 4-24 cm long, 2.5-22.0 cm wide, apex acute to acuminate, margin serrulate, unlobed to shallowly 3-lobed, adaxial surface sparsely to moderately pubescent, hairs pustular, abaxial surface essentially glabrous to moderately glandular and pubescent. Peduncles J .0-4.5 cm long, essentially glabrous to sparsely pubescent, hairs 0.5-1.0 mm long. Heads erect, 1.0-1.3 cm diam in flower, 2.0 cm diam in fruit, solitary to few in open cymose synflorescences. Phyllaries 6-9, uni- to biseriate, subequal, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 5-7 mm long, 1.5-2.0 mm wide, green to light green, apex acute to acuminate, margin ciliate, entire, abaxial surface glabrous to sparsely pubescent, hairs 0.5-1.0 mm long, adaxial surface glabrous. Ray florets ca. 12; corollas white, ligules obovate, 10-16 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, apex acute to deeply 2-notched, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface moderately glandular and sparsely pubescent, hairs concentrated on veins, less than 0.5 mm long, tube 0.5-1.0 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, glabrous to sparsely glandular and pubescent, hairs less than 0.5 mm long. Disc florets (Fig. 47H) 90-100; corollas yellow, tube 0.5-0.75 mm long, 0.5 mm diam, moderately glandular and pubescent, hairs 0.5-1.0 mm long, throat cylindrical, 2.25-2.75 mm long, 1.0 mm diam, nearly glabrous; lobes 5, 0.5-0.75 mm long, 0.4-0.5 mm wide, apex acute, sparsely pubescent, hairs less than 0.5 mm long; stamens with filaments 2.0-2.25 mm long, 0.2 mm wide, anthers not fully exserted from corolla, thecae brown, 1.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, apical appendages yellow, acute, 0.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, abaxial sUliace of apical appendages glandular; styles (Fig. 47H) yellow, 4.5-5.5 mm long, enlarged at base, stigmatic surface yellow, 1.0 mm long, apical appendage yellow, acuminate, 0.5 mm long, 0.25 mm wide. Pales at anthesis obdeltoid (Fig. 471), 3.5 mmlong, 2.0 mm wide, light yellow sometimes with dark bands near midrib, apex long-acuminate, yellow, indurate, margin ciliate, glandular, entire to irregular, abaxial sUliace densely glandular on distal half except on apex, moderately pubescent on midrib, hairs 0.5-1.0 mmlong, adaxial smiace glabrous; pales at fruiting deciduous, obdeltoid (Fig. 47J), 10-11 mmlong, 4-5 mm wide, papery with netted venation, stramineous, apex long-acuminate, apiculate, indurate, margin glabrous, entire, abaxial and adaxial smiaces glabrous. Achenes brown-black, 3.5 mm long, 1.1-1.25 mm wide, smooth. Chromosome number unknown.
It is most closely related to Montanoa oval(folia and can be easily separated by the pales, which in M. ovalifolia are broad with a tapering apex. In addition, M. fragrans is nearly glabrous while M. ovalifolia is pubescent on most parts of the plant, and the leaves of the former are consistently ovate or deltoid while those of the latter vary greatly in size and shape.
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Heliantheae
Genus: Montanoa
Sub- Genus: Acanthocarphae
Species: Montanoa fragrans
Restricted to the Venezuelan states of Aragua and Lara.
Dry hillsides and along the roadsides; 300-400 m. This sprawling shrub is distinct from other species in the genus by its habit and mature pales. The mature pales have a truncate apex with a very long apiculate apex that is evident even at anthesis.
Flowering (and Fruiting) period: November (January).