Pyrrorhiza Maguire & Wurdack, Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 9(3): 318. 1957.

Pellegrini, Marco O. O., Hickman, Ellen J., Guttierrez, Jorge E., Smith, Rhian J. & Hopper, Stephen D., 2020, Revisiting the taxonomy of the Neotropical Haemodoraceae (Commelinales), PhytoKeys 169, pp. 1-59 : 1

3. Pyrrorhiza Maguire & Wurdack, Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 9(3): 318. 1957. Figs 10 , 11

Type species.

Pyrrorhiza neblinae Maguire & Wurdack.

Comments.

Pyrrorhiza was initially considered as being closely related to Schiekia Meisn. ( Maguire and Wurdack 1957), a view supported by the morphological phylogeny of Simpson (1990), but not supported by the anatomical studies of Aerne-Hains and Simpson (2017), the molecular phylogeny of Hopper et al. (in prep.) and the new morphological phylogeny for the family ( Pellegrini 2019). As currently understood, Pyrrorhiza is sister to Cubanicula , with both being sister to Xiphidium s.str. ( Hopper et al. in prep.). The supposed relation between Pyrrorhiza and Schiekia was thought to be supported by the zygomorphic perianth, dimorphic stamens, and the discontinuous subexterior exine wall ( Simpson 1983, 1990). However, the first two characters are clearly homoplastic in Haemodoroideae , while the third seems to be a convergence between Pyrrorhiza and Schiekia ( Pellegrini 2019). Pyrrorhiza shares with Cubanicula and Xiphidium s.str. the sand-binding roots, campanulate and pollen rewarding flowers, mainly white perianth, tepals with an apical black mucron, anthers as long as to ca. ½ times shorter than the filaments and enlarged placental attachments subtending the ovules and fruits with thickened septal ridges ( Pellegrini 2019). It shares exclusively with Cubanicula the peculiar lenticellate seeds with the testa’s margin covered with coarse trichomes ( Hickman 2019; Pellegrini 2019).

Figures

Figure 10. Pyrrorhiza neblinae Maguire & Wurdack A Cerro de la Neblina B detail of the vegetation at the top of the Cerro de la Neblina with Bonnetia maguireorum in flower C habit D flowering habit E inflorescence showing the spathaceous bracteoles and floral buds F inflorescence bearing immature capsules. A by B. Means, B by C. Brewer-Carias, C-F by A. Weitzman.

Figure 11. Pyrrorhiza neblinae Maguire & Wurdack A whole plant B, C cincinnus: B young cincinnus with flower buds C older cincinnus with fruits, pre-anthesis flowers and flower buds D hairs E flower bud with bracteole F flower at pre-anthesis G dissected perianth, showing the lack of nectar guides H filiform staminode I-J stamen: I frontal view J dorsal view K flower with the perianth removed, showing the androecium and gynoecium L stigma M-O fruit: M immature capsule N capsule in longitudinal section O dehiscent capsule P-R seed: P dorsal view Q ventral view R longitudinal section. Illustration by E. J. Hickman. Scale bars: 2 cm (A, G, M-O); 0.5 cm (B, C, H); 0.25 mm (D); 1.5 mm (E, F); 1 mm (I, J, P-R); 0.75 mm (K); 0.1 mm (L).