PITTIER. — PLANTS FROM COLOMBIA AND CENTRAL AMERICA. 435 



Male inflorescences pedicellate, geminate in the axils of the leaves, but often solitary 

 by abortion. Pedicels 8 to 10 mm. long, sparsely pubescent, provided at the base 

 with two small scaly bracts. Receptacles flat, 8 to 10 mm. in diameter, covered 

 outside with 2 or 3 concentric rows of bractlets, these ovate-lanceolate, more or less 

 contracted at the base, usually acute at the tip, from 2 to 5 mm. long, 1.5 mm. broad 

 or less, irregularly ciliate and covered outside with a few thick hairs. Flowers sessile, 

 20 to 25 on each receptacle. Perianth urceolate before anthesis, broadly short-tubular 

 or campanulate after, monophyllous, thin, translucent, minutely pubescent outside, 

 bilobulate; lobules broad, subulate, each with two dark, slender veins running from base 

 to tip. Stamens 4, introrse before anthesis, glabrous; filaments nearly 4 mm. long, 

 flattened and broad at the base, geniculate just below the anthers, these exserted, ovoid, 

 about 1.8 mm. long. Pollen minute. 



Female flowers, fruits, and seeds unknown. 



Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, no. 530988, collected at La Manuelita near 

 Palmira, Cauca Valley, Colombia, altitude about 1,200 meters, December 28, 1905, 

 by H. Pittier (no. 803). Flowers. 



Fig. 60.— Olmcdia aspcra, female flower and fruit, a, Female flower; o, the same divested of its 

 involucre; c, the same with the perianth open longitudinally; d, fruit, opened to show attachment 

 of seed, a, Natural size; b-d. considerably enlarged. From Trecul, Ann. Sci. Nat. 8: pi. 2. 



Explanation of Plates 78, 79.— Twig with leaves and male inflorescence, plate 78 showing the upper 

 and plate 79 the under surface of the leaves. From field photographs by H. Pittier. 



7. Olmedia grandifolia Tr6cul, Ann. Sci. Nat. III. 8: 128. 1847. Figure 62. 

 French Guiana: Cayenne, Martin (in Herb. Mus. Paris). 



8. Olmedia falcifolia Pittier, sp. nov. Figure 63. 

 A small tree; branchlets hirsute, rough, slender. 



Leaves alternate, distichous; petioles thick, 4 to 6 mm. long, hairy; leaf blades 

 elliptic, inequilateral, 10 to 24 cm. long, 2.5 to 7 cm. broad, acute at the base, narrowing 

 at the end into a slender tip 3 to 4 cm. long, both faces glabrous or nearly so; main 

 nerves and primary veins scarcely noticeable above, prominent and subscabrous 

 underneath; margin entire or obscurely sinuate-dentate. Stipules 6 to 7 mm. long, 

 lanceolate, broad at base, acute at tip, brownish, minutely hairy outside. 



Male inflorescences 1 or 2-geminate in the axils of the leaves; pedicles about 3 mm. 

 long, with two small scarious bracts at the base; receptacle flat about 6 mm. in diam- 

 eter, covered outside with 2 to 4 concentric rows of bracteoles, these more or less 

 scarious, broader, thicker, and shorter in the inner row, lanceolate-acuminate and 

 delicate in the marginal row, all hairy pubescent outside and with irregular margins. 

 Flowers sessile, 15 to 20 in each receptacle; perianth 1.5 to 2 mm. long, minutely 



