Morphology and Anatomy of Guacamaya superba (Rapateaceae) and Schoenocephalieae with Notes on the Natural History of the Flor de inírida

Rapateaceae are a monophyletic family of 17 genera with greatest species diversity on the mountains and savannas of the Guiana Shield. The family has intrigued botanists because of their interesting and unusual inflorescence and leaf morphologies. The small tribe Schoenocephalieae (three genera and seven species) are regionally prized for their showy inflorescences that are harvested as everlasting flowers. Here, we report on local cultivation efforts to minimize harvesting from wild populations and examine vegetative morphology and anatomy, reporting for the first time the presence of a lateral thickening meristem in Rapateaceae. Schoenocephalieae exhibit possible adaptations to their oligotrophic, open, and fire-prone habitats such as abundant mucilage, idioblasts containing a tannin-like substance, leaf fibers, presence of epidermal silica, the formation of telmata in Guacamaya, and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.