PITTIER PLANTS FROM COLOMBIA AND CENTRAL AMERICA. 459 



(Celastraeeac), a Myrsine, and an Olinia (Oliniaceae). They fur- 

 nish a ready explanation of the repeated changes just referred to. 



The inconsistency of the successive editions of Linnseus's Systema 

 and Genera and of the Mantissae, with reference to the genus Sider- 

 oxylon, was first brought to light by Jacquin," who, in 1788, made 

 an attempt to remedy the existing confusion of species, confessing, 

 however, that any effort to get a clear understanding of the charac- 

 ters of the genus would be vain as long as the structural details of 

 the fruit were not fully known. Jacquin himself had published in 

 1760 b three species of American Sidcroxjdon, viz, 8. sapota, 8. foeti- 

 dissimum, and 8. pauciflorum. In the Stirpium Americanarum 

 Historia c the first species is referred to "Achras (Zapota major)" 

 (Lucuma mammosa Gaertn.), without mention of the former name, 

 and it was left thus disposed of. The two other species are described 

 at length, but without emphasizing to any extent the differential 

 characters given in the Enumeratio. According to tins, 8. foetidis- 

 simum has subopposite, S. pauciflorum alternate leaves. Besides, 

 in 8. pauciflorum the leaves are said to be always obtuse, the floral 

 glomerules fewer flowered, the flowers less ill-smelling, and the tube 

 of the corolla shorter. As a matter of fact, the examination of many 

 specimens shows that the mature leaves are always alternate and the 

 remaining characters very variable, so that we can but participate 

 in the doubts of Jacquin and finally accept the more modern view of 

 Urban, d who reunites the two species under the first name. 



Urban, however, seems to have carried his amalgamating process 

 too far, and in the specimens of the U. S. National Herbarium repre- 

 senting numbers enumerated by him e under the name of 8. foeti- 

 dissimum, we find no less than three forms or types, which can be 

 readily distinguished even though our specimens are not quite satis- 

 factory. Their distinctive characters are recapitulated in the follow- 

 ing table: 



Floral pedicels 10 mm. long. Anthers elongate-elliptic. Upper end of the connec- 

 tive spoon-shaped and slightly surpassing the apex of the cells. Seeds (pi. 

 96, a) broadly obovoid and flattened or sulcate at the apex; umbilical area 

 circular; glabella prominent but not biscutellate. Leaves long-petiolate, 

 ovate-elliptic, attenuate at the base, not coriaceous. — Cuba (Wright 1324). 

 Floral pedicels 5 to 6 mm. long. Anthers ovate. 



Floral pedicels pubescent. Corolla 6 to 6.5 mm. long. Anthers not apiculate. 

 Staminodes equal to fully half the length of the lobes of the corolla. Seeds 

 ovoid -oblong (pi. 96, 6); umbilical area ovate; glabella replaced by a 

 small depression. Leaves rather short-petiolate, ovate, coriaceous, rounded 

 at the base and forming a small pouch or fistula. — La Guadeloupe (Duss 

 2915). 



« Coll. Bot. 2: 247. 1788. <* Symb. Antill. 5: 131. 1904. 



b Enum. PL Carib. 15. 1760. « Loc. cit. 133. 



c Page 56. 1763. 



