PITTIER—-PLANTS FROM COLOMBIA AND CENTRAL AMERICA, 145 
instead of ‘“‘pericarpio.’’ This perisperm, by the way, is remarkable on account of 
ita variegated coloring and is in itself sufficient to distinguish the species. 
It is hardly necessary to state here that Dr. Warburg contradicts himself when he 
asserts that this is the first Compsoneura species known in Central America, after 
citing C. sprucei as a native of Tabasco. Although it is very doubtiul whether the 
Mexican tree is identical with Spruce’s species, there is no question as to its belonging 
to Compsoneura. 
EXPLANATION OF PLATE 58.—Details of fruit, from the Tonduz specimen cited. Natural size. 
CAESALPINIACEAE. 
THE GENERA BROWNEA AND BROWNEOPSIS AS REPRESENTED 
IN PANAMA, COLOMBIA, AND VENEZUELA. 
NEED OF NEW TREATMENT. 
The neotropical genus Brownea Jacq. is, as a rule, scantily repre- 
sented in American herbaria. In the U.S. National Herbarium only 
3 well authenticated species were represented, the single specimen 
of one of these being in very poor condition and, of another, collected 
in the greenhouses of the Department of Agriculture. The remaining 
few specimens, all wrongly, or at least doubtfully, identified, were 
received from the Botanical Garden of Buitenzorg (Java). 
In the course of my botanical explorations in Central and South 
America, I have succeeded in obtaining no less than 8 distinct species 
which, together with one of the 3 species mentioned above, are 
fully described in the present paper. 
The systematic treatment of Brownea has been made very difficult 
on account of the unsatisfactory characterization of Jacquin’s types. 
The only way to identify most of Jacquin’s species will be by directly 
comparing the new material with his types at Vienna. Distinct 
species have also been repeatedly confused and it is by no means cer- 
tain that the same forms have not been described under two or more 
names. That this was the opinion of the lamented Dr. Taubert is 
indicated by his estimate of only 10 species for the genus, in the 
Pflanzenfamilien, at a time when at least 14 nominal species had 
already been published. 
A general revision of the genus undoubtedly is needed, and it is 
with the hope that it may be helpful to him who may undertake the 
task that the present contribution has been prepared. 
BROWNEA VERSUS HERMESIAS. 
Under the name Hermesias, Loefling! described a plant collected 
by himself in his travels through the region between the Orinoco and 
Unare rivers, about December, 1754. The plant is undoubtedly a 
Brownea, but no specific name is given, and from the description it 
can not be clearly identified with any of the known species. 
1 Tter Hisp. 278. 1758. 
