Navia splendens
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Navia splendens

Mitch Jones 11/24
Mitch Jones 12/24
Mitch Jones 01/25 (heatwave damaged!)


Navia splendens L.B. Sm., Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 10(5): 39, fig. 23. 1964.
Desc from Flora Venez. Guayana 3: 621. 1997
Lithophytic, caulescent;
leaves spreading, to 40 cm long,
sheaths inconspicuous,
blades linear to oblong, slightly contracted at base, 1-4 cm wide, sparsely stellate-lepidote, gla¬brescent, margins serrulate;
inflorescence large, dense, many-flowered, compound, surrounded by yellowish and/or reddish inner leaves and involucral bracts;
calyx and corolla yellow.
Rock escarpments in moist montane forests, 700-900 m; Bolivar (Sierra de Lema). Guyana (Kamarang River).
A collection with relatively long, slender leaves, densely and tightly lepidote scapes, and very broad inflorescences (Maguire et al. 53775, NY; Sierra de Lema) may represent a distinct taxon, but living material is needed to better understand the species limits of Navia splendens. Additional collections from the southern end of Auyan-tepui (such as Huber & Gorzula 12229, NY; Steyermark 94212, NY; and Varadarajan 1215, MO, SEL) have been identified as N. splendens in the past, but also may represent a distinct taxon. Collections from the base of Angel Falls on the northern side of Auyan-tepui, formerly placed under N. splendens, are now included under N. tentaculata.

Navia splendens L. B. Smith, Mem. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 10(5): 39, f1g. 23. 1964.
Desc from S&D
Plant caulescent; stem 2 dm long, 15 mm in diameter, covered with the remains of old leaf-bases:
Leaves of the terminal rosette to 37 cm long;
sheaths short, inconspicuous;
blades ligulate, acuminate, pungent, slightly contracted at base and roseate, to 35 mm wide, very obscurely punctulate-lepidote, densely serrulate with spines 0.5 mm long, white-barbellate in the axils of the spines.
Scape very short.
Inflorescence hemispheric, very densely corymbose, many-flowered;
outer bracts broadly ovate, acuminate, about equaling the sepals, serrulate, covered with fine white appressed stellate scales.
Floral bracts very narrowly triangular, about equaling the sepals, subchartaceous, glabrescent, minutely serrulate;
flowers sessile, flavous.
Sepals free, narrowly triangular, long-attenuate, 45 mm long, subcoriaceous, nerved, entire, soon glabrous, the posterior broadly alate-carinate;
petals slightly longer than the sepals, the extreme apex spirally recurved;
stamens and style exserted;
ovary superior.
TYPE. Tillett 45841 (holotype, NY: isotype, US), top of Utschi Falls, Kamarang River, upper Mazaruni River Basin, Essequibo, Guyana, 28 Oct 1960.
DISTRIBUTION. On cliffs, 800-900 m alt, eastern Bolivar, Venezuela and adjacent Guyana.
VENEZUELA. BOLIVAR: La Escalcra, Rio Uiri-yuk, upper Rio Cuyuni, 24-21 Aug 1926, Maguire, Steyermark & Maguire 46917 (NY, US, VEN); Cerro Uroi, Rio Chicanan, 13 Sep 1962, Maguire, Steyermark & Maguire 53775 (NY, US, VEN); Valley of Kamarata, below Guayaraca, Auyan-tepui, 18 May 1964, Steyermark 94212 (US, VEN).

Updated 05/01/25