PITTIER — TREATMENT OE THE GENUS CASTILLA. 261 



The second subdivision of the Central American group is the more 

 perplexing one, first, on account of the scarcity in some cases of good 

 material for their study; second, because of my not having had any 

 opportunity to investigate standing specimens of C. elastica and C. 

 panamensis; and lastly, owing to the fact that imperfect materials 

 have been collected in the territory covered by C. elastica, C. lactiftua, 

 and C. guatemalensis, which either belong to another as yet unde- 

 scribed form or else appear as connecting links between the above 

 types, considered here as specifically distinct. It is not unlikely, 

 therefore, that further researches may modify the present arrange- 

 ment of this group. 



Meanwhile, C. guatemalensis appears as a good type, standing apart 

 from the three remaining species, C. panamensis, G. nicoyensis, and 

 the original type of Cervantes, on account of its unusually long- 

 stipitate male inflorescences, united in clusters of from 6 to 8. The 

 similarity of the styles may lead one to confound this species with C. 

 elastica, but if the small stipules of the latter and its enormous fruit- 

 ing receptacles, distorted so as to embrace the twig on which they are 

 borne and containing seldom less than 35 seeds, are compared with the 

 same organs in C. guatemalensis, the possibility of a specific commu- 

 nity between them becomes very small. The same disparity separates 

 a priori C. elastica from the two southernmost Central American spe- 

 cies, C. nicoyensis and C. panamensis, and these in turn differ from 

 each other by their styles, their fruits, and several peculiarities of the 

 male inflorescences. 



SYSTEMATIC TREATMENT. 

 REVISION OE GENERIC CHARACTERS. 



Castilla Cervantes, Gaceta do Literature <Ie Mexico, Suppl. July 2, 1794. 



Castella " J. L. M." loc. cit. 



CastiUoa auct. a 



Flowers monoecious, thickly sot in diversely shaped, unisexual inflorescences, 

 covered outside with imbricate bracts. Mule receptacles of two kinds, the 

 primary ones in one to several pairs or sometimes absent, more or less flabellate 

 or compressed and by themselves in the axils of leaves or on defoliate nodes, 

 the complemental ones smaller, clavate or flabellate always accompanying 

 the female inflorescence. Perianth none. Stamens numerous, irregularly scat- 

 tered along numerous multiform bractlets ; filaments and anthers erect, the 

 latter ovate, 2-celled. the cells attached laterally on a broad connective and open- 

 ing longitudinally. Gynoecium entirely wanting. Female receptacles more or 

 less flattened or cupuliform. Perianth urceolate. briefly 3 to 5-lobate, the lobules 

 thick, closely contiguous. Ovary inclosed, adnate to the perianth; style short, 

 the stigmatic branches normally 2. sometimes 2 to 5. exserted, filiform or lanceo- 

 late, papillose, spreading ; ovule anatropous, pendent from the apex of the ovular 



«Name first used in Tracts Relative to Botany, London, 1895. 



