STANDLEY — ALLIONIACEAE OF MEXICO. 391 



as una de gato; in Yucatan as beeb; and in Guatemala as huele de noche. An infusion 

 of the bark and leaves is said to be used both internally and externally as a cure for 

 inflammation of the joints and for venereal diseases. 



7. Pisonia grandifolia Standley, sp. nov. 



Branches dark reddish brown, stout, smooth and glabrous, armed with few short, 

 slender, strongly curved spines; leaf blades 11 to 15 cm. long and 2.5 to 5 cm. broad, 

 oblanceolate or elliptic, very thick, glabrous, obtuse, attenuate to the base; petioles 

 stout, glabrous, 20 to 25 mm. long; staminate flowers in very loose, much branched 

 corymbs 3 or 4 cm. in diameter; pedicels and peduncles sparingly appressed-puberu- 

 lent; pistillate flowers and fruit not seen. 



Type in the herbarium of Capt. John Donnell Smith, collected at Cubilquitz, 

 Depart. Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, alt. 350 meters, February, 1901, by H. von Tuerck- 

 heim (no. 7954). While related to P. aculeata this is distinguished by the very large 

 leaves which are different in outline, more obtuse, and tapering at the base. 



5. SALPIANTHTJS Humb. & Bonpl. 



Salpianthus Humb. & Bonpl. PI. Aequin. 1: 155 pi. 44. 1808. 



Boldoa Lag. Gen. & Sp. Nov. 9. 1816. 



Cryptocarpus H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 2: 187. pi. 123. 1817. 



Type species, Salpianthus arenarius Humb. & Bonpl. 



The type species of Boldoa, apparently, is B. purpurascens. 



The type of Cryptocarpus is Cryptocarpus globosus, which ia a synonym of Salpian- 

 thus purpurascens. Another species of Cryptocarpus was described at the same time, 

 C. pyriformis, but C. globosus was the first mentioned. Doctor Heimerl, while consider- 

 ing Cryptocarpus globosus a synonym of Boldoa ovatifolia and a member of the genus 

 Boldoa, maintains the genus Cryptocarpus for the South American Cryptocarpus 

 pyriformis. That species, evidently, should be made the type of a new genus. 



Choisy a gives as the place of publication of the genus Boldoa "Catal. H. Madr. 

 1803 " and ascribes the genus to Cavanilles. The writer has attempted to locate this 

 publication, but can find no trace of it. Doctor Barnhart suggests that the catalogue 

 may have been seen by Choisy in manuscript form, but never has been published. 

 If such a publication was ever issued the name Boldoa must, of course, take precedence 

 over Salpianthus. 



This genus, as treated here, may be divided into two sections, that containing 

 5. purpurascens and that containing the three other species. There is some ground 

 for treating these groups as separate genera, but they do not seem to be of sufficient 

 importance to warrant such treatment here. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



Perianth campanulate, little longer than the fruit, green, 3 mm. 



long or less; leaf blades broadly ovate 1. S. purpurascens. 



Perianth tubular, much exceeding the fruit, more or less colored, 



about 5 mm. long; leaf blades lance-ovate. 



Stems strongly flexuose, the branching being almost equally 



dichotomous; inflorescence dense and compact, 30 cm. 



broad; flowers in slender racemes 5 cm. long or less, 



numerous; leaves usually sessile 2. S. aequalis. 



Stems straight, not strongly flexuose, the branches alternate 

 but not dichotomous; inflorescence much narrower; 

 flowers in very short, few-flowered racemes; leaves 

 petioled. 



a DC. Prodr. 13 2 : 438. 1849. 



