' ■:. 



94 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERliARIUM, 



Castaliaflava (Lcitner) Greone, BulL Torn Club 15: 85. 1888, 



Nymphaedfara Leitiier in Audnbon, Birds Am. 4: 411. 1838. 



This species, I believe, lia« not been n^ported from Mexico, but its occurrence at 

 Brownsville, Texa?, would indicate that it iniglit l)e expected on tlic Mexican side of 

 the lower Rio Grande. 



Castalia mexicana (Zucc.) Coulter, Contr. Nut. Herb. 2: 12. mn, as to synonym, 



not as to Hpecimena. 



Nymphaea mexicana Zucc. Abb. Akad. ]\InenclK 1: 2G5. lSo2. 



This ^^pccies is very comnion in the lakes and along tlie canals in tbe Valley of 

 IMexico- It has also been reported from Patzcnaro and Jalisco, l)ut I have seen no 

 specimens from these two localities. This .Mexican species has often been confused 

 with the r. fara of Florida, but it grows at mncli higher altitudes, has mucli largiT 

 flowers and very different petals, and the leaves are ])erhups thicker. 



Castalia mexicana has been collected only a few times and I believe has never l>een 



in cultivation. 



tens 





Valley of Mexico: Bourgcan, 18B5-66 (no. 4); Rose and Hough, May 2(), 1S99 



(no. 4327). 



Type locality: In lacu prope urbeni Mexico. 



Zuccarini <lescribed the flowers as white and this has rahsetl the question as to the 

 identitvof our yellow-flowered Mexican species. Doctor Conard lias examuied the 

 leaves of three types at Munit:h and pronounces them identical Avith the above. 

 Either the flowers liad faded out or else two f'pecies were confused in the original 

 description. A white-flowered species grows in the Valley of Mexico along with 

 this vellow-flowered one. 



Castalia eleg-ans (Hook.) Greene, Bull. Torr. Club 15: 85. 1888. 



Nymphaea elegam Hook. Bot. Mag. 77: pi 4GO4. 1851. 



Tbis species seems to be confined to the lowlantls of ilexico. On tlie west coast of 

 Mexico it has l)een collected at Topolobampo (Palmer); Ma/atlan (Brandegee); and 

 nearRosario (Rose), the latter being the southernmost station for tlie species. It 

 has also been rei)orted along the Rio (irande basin from El Paso to Brownsville. The 

 reference of this species to Guatemala by Conard must be a mistake. According to 

 Dr. E, Palmer the small black tubers are used by the Mexicans on the west coast as a 

 substitute for potatoes. 



Castalia gracilis (Zucc.) Rose. 



Nymphaea (jracili^^ Zucc. Abb. Akad. Muench. 1: 362. 18H2. 



Mr. Conard's reference of -V. graciUs to .Y. amp}a does not seem borne out by a 

 careful study of the orighial description of N. gracilis or l)y an examination of 

 material which seems to belong- to that species. 



This spiH-ies is common in the Valley of Mexico and throughout the Valley of 



Lema. 



Castalia ampla Salisb. Parad. 1: under p?. /;. 1805. 



Castalia pringlei Rose, sp. nov. 



Rhizomes apparently horizontal, large, 30 to 00 cm. long; leaves orbicular, 25 to 

 30 cm. in diameter, entire, retuae at apex, not at all peltate, the sinus generally 

 closed or the lobes overlapping except the short acute tips, glabrous throughout, 

 somewhat purplish beneath, the veins not prominent; flowers very large, 12 to 15 

 cm. in diameter, white; sepals 5, thin, oblong, obtuse, green except the more or less 

 whitish margins; petals pure white, ol>long, obtuse; stamens yellow, the outer ones 

 with broad petaloid filaments, the inner whh shorter and narrower filaments; con- 

 nective scarcely longer than the anther. 



This species is perhaps near C\ odoraia, but differs in having the flowers and leaves 

 larger, the under surface of the leaves only slightly purplish, the sepals thinner, etc. 



