Notes on American Gesneriaceae V. A new species of Episcia Mart.

On December 19th, 1960, Dr. J. A. Steyermark collected a small sterile herbaceous plant which he took for a species of Episcia. He dried part of it and grew the rest in the Botanical Garden of Caracas and in his apartment in the same city. Furthermore he sent cuttings to Mr. and Mrs. G. C. K. Dunsterville, Estado Miranda. The plant was not easy to cultivate, producing some flowers only after several years. Dr. Steyermark sent some colour pictures of flowering plants made by Mr. Dunsterville from Caracas and Mr. H. Wiehler from Cornell University a flowering herbarium specimen and some flowers in spirit from the plant grown by Mr. and Mrs. Dunsterville to the writer. Even with only the sterile specimen and the pictures at hand it was evident that the species was undescribed. Only after analysis of the flowers its exact taxonomic position within the genus could be established.