146 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 
Jacquin, on the other hand, published in the Enumeratio (1762) 
his Brownea coccinea, which is completely described in the Stirpium 
(1788). This is also a Venezuelan plant, and so are the 5 additional 
species considered in the Fragmenta and Collectanea of the same 
author. In 1774, J. P. Berg described his B. rosa-del-monte, basing it 
upon specimens collected at Porto Bello, Panama. 
It is very difficult, not to say impossible, to identify Loefling’s 
Hermesias with any of the 6 Venezuelan species of Jacquin. The 
idea of making that name a synonym of B. rosa-del-monte is equally 
inadmissible, since the latter is, so far as we know, restricted to Panama 
and could not have been collected by the author of Hermesias. 
There is evidently no type available for this generic name, or, in 
other words, the name has no standing. Consequently Brownea has 
to be preserved. This is much more convenient, because under the 
latter name several of the species have been and are still cultivated 
in greenhouses or tropical gardens, on account of the unusual beauty 
of the flowers. These species have been crossed and new horticul- 
tural varieties put on the market. A change of generic name at this 
time would then not only be unwarranted for taxonomic reasons 
but would also cause useless confusion in the practical field of flori- 
culture. 
This was clearly understood by the editors of the Pflanzenfamilien, 
when in the Nachtrige, published in 1896, they reversed the decision 
of the late Dr. Taubert, who, following O. Kuntze, had adopted 
Hermesias in his treatment of the Leguminosae.' 
THE SPECIES OF BROWNEA. 
Up to the present, 15 species of Brownea have been described, to 
which 2 others, which I consider to be new, are here added. The fol- 
lowing is the complete list, with the date of publication, and origin 
of the types. 
Brownea coccinea Jacq... .- 222-222 c eee eee eee eee 1762. Venezuela. 
Brownea rosa-del-monte Berg... .......-2-...-.--- 1773. Panama. 
Brownea grandiceps Jacq.........2..0.2202 220-000 1789. Venezuela. 
Brownea capitella Jacq. .........-----..-.-....- 1809. Venezuela. 
Brownea latifolia Jacq. ....... 2.0.00... 02. eee 1809. Trinidad. 
Brownea leucantha Jacq... 2.2... 2.0.0. e eee eee ee 1809. Venezuela. 
Brownea racemosa Jacq. ..-.-- wee eee eee eee 1809. Venezuela. 
Brownea speciosa Reichenb.................2.--. 1825. Trinidad. 
Brownea cauliflora Poepp. & Endl................ 1845. Amazonian Peru. 
Brownea guianensis Klotzsch................ 1848. British Guiana. 
Brownea ariza Benth. ............-......22.000-. 1857. Colombia. 
Brownea macrophylla Linden.................... 1863. Colombia. 
Brownea negrensis Benth... 2.2.2... .-0--2-0..0000- 1870. Northern Brazil. 
Brownea birschellii Hook. f..............20....-.. 1872. Venezuela. 
Brownea neglecta Taub... 2.2.2... 200 2.00. .00202-2- 1891. Origin doubtful. 
Brownea aroensis Pittier................22222--- 1916. Venezuela. 
Brownea guaraba Pittier........................ 1916. Venezuela. 
* In Engl. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. 8*: 145. 1894. 
