Sobre las especies de Ayenia (Sterculiaceae) con nectarios foliares

The present paper is a synopsis of the 5 species of the genus Ayenia section Ayenia which bear leaf nectaries. These are: A. conciliata (subsection Conciliatae), A. stipularis, A. Cuatrecasae (subsection Stipulares), A. praeclara and a new species which we name A. Klugii (subsection Praeclarae). In addition, the structure of the nectaries of each one of these species is described, and it was found that they are very similar to those described for species of Byttneria (Arbo, 1971 ined.,) and for diverse Malvaceae (Janda, 1937). The only exception is A. praeclara, which has nectaries identical, in their external aspect, to those of some Byttneriae, but which are characterized by roundish lysigenous cavities which open outward through pores. The other species present glandular hairs embedded in a multiseriate epidermis. Besides, A. praeclara is the most closely related especies to A. Klugii nov. sp., so that the anatomical differences found are of great taxonomical interest.