THE AMERICAN SPECIES OF MEIBOMIA OF THE SECTION 
NEPHROMERIA. 
Ly J. N. Rose anpD Pau C. STANDLEY. 
Of the several sections of the genus Meibomia, that designated as 
Nephromeria by Bentham’ is one of the smallest. Besides the Ameri- 
can species, a single one is known from Sumatra. Hitherto six 
American species have been recognized, one of which is but imper- 
fectly known. Three additional ones are described in the present 
paper, making a total of nine. 
The section Nephromeria is distinguished from the others of the 
genus by the few reniform or subreniform joints of the loment. In 
some species this reniform outline is not very pronounced, but there 
is always a more or less evident sinus along the dorsal suture of each 
joint. 
The species fall readily into two groups. In the first, composed 
of but two species, feibomia mollis and M. scopulorum, the loments 
are sessile, the 3 lowest joints usually do not develop, but are small 
and abortive, and the tips of the calyx lobes are subulate. Most 
important of all, the plants are low and erect. In the second group, 
which includes the seven other species, the loments are commonly 
stipitate, only the lowest joint (if any) is abortive, and the calyx 
lobes are flat and broad, far from subulate. Most, if not all, of the 
species of this group are coarse, high-climbing vines. The joints of 
their loments are generally much larger and broader than those of the 
smaller group. 
But few specimens of these plants, excepting only Meibomia 
mollis, are found in herbaria. Explorations in Central America and 
southern Mexico during the last few years have supplied the U. S. 
National Herbarium with ampler material, among which we have 
detected several apparently undescribed species, besides representa- 
tives of all but one of those previously known. 
*In Benth. & Hook. Gen. Pl. 1: 520, 1865, as a subsection of the section 
Heteroloma. 
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