PITTIER—-PLANTS FROM COLOMBIA AND CENTRAL AMERICA. 469 
DESCRIPTION OF SPECIES. 
1. Machaerium pachyphyllum Pittier, sp. nov. 
“A spreading tree, about 7 meters high, with a trunk 17.5 cm. in diameter,” 
or “a shrub, with a stem up to 10 cm. in diameter, trailing on trees,” the older 
stems covered with a gray glabrous bark, the younger stems densely setose- 
aculeate, the shoots ferruginous-tomentose, 
Leaves 11 to 15-foliolate, the rachis 12 to 283 em. long, subangular, at first 
densely ferruginous-tomentose, later glabrous; leaflets coriaceous, the petio- 
lules ferruginous-hairy or glabrous, subcanaliculate, 4 to 6 mm. long, the 
blades ovate or ovate-oblong, rounded at the base, abruptly short-acuminate at 
the apex, 3.5 to 9.5 cm. long, 1.8 to 4 em. broad, glabrous, or the costa densely 
ferruginous-hairy beneath, strongly reticulate on both faces, more or less lus- 
trous on the upper one; stipules caducous, ovate, subacuminate, about 1 cm. 
long, scarious or subindurate, filmy-tomentose on both sides. 
Inflorescences axillary or terminal, often growing from defoliate nodes on 
the old wood, long and broadly paniculate, twice ramified, brownish-tomentose, 
the main rachis 14 to 60 cm, long, the primary branchlets (often geminate) 
up to 9 cm. long; peduncles 3 to 10-flowered, 3 to 5 em. long; bracts and 
bractlets caducous; pedicels 3 to 5 mm. long, densely brownish-hairy ; flowers 
about 15 mm. long; bractlets orbicular, obtuse or subtruncate at the apex, 5.5 
mm, long and broad, brownish-tomentose without; calyx campanulate, about 8 
mm, long, densely brownish-tomentose without, the teeth subacute, almost 
equal in length; petals purplish; standard reflexed, densely brownish-pubescent 
without, glabrous within, the claw about 1.5 mm. long, the blade orbicular, 
rounded at the base, emarginate at the apex, 12 mm. long, 14.5 mm, broad; 
wings glabrous, subfalcate, oblique, the claw about 3 mm, long, the blade 1-auri- 
culate, obovate, rounded at the apex, 11 to 11.5 mm, long, 5 to 5.5 mm. broad; 
carinal petals glabrous, 1-auriculate, strongly falcate, the claw 3 to 3.5 mim. 
long, the blade about 11 mm. long, 8.5 mm, broad; stamens monadelphous, gla- 
brous. the anthers subglobose; ovary 1-ovulate, short, stipitate, densely villous, 
provided at the base with a tubular glabrous disk nearly 2 mm. long; style 
filiform, about 5.5 mm. long. 
Legume 9 to 10 cm. long, stipitate, the stipe about 11 mm. long, the seminal 
part 2.5 cnr. long and 1.2 em. broad, more or less ferruginous-tomentose, the wing 
cultriform, glabrous, reticulate-veined, 2 em. broad, subobtuse at the apex. 
“Type in the U, 8. National Herbarium, no. 677922, collected in the vicinity of 
Penonomé, Province of Cocle, Panama, in flower, February or March, 1908, by 
R. S. Williams (no. 107). The deseription of the fruit is from specimens in the 
herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden, obtained at the same locality 
and date (Williams 397.) 
The type specimen is said to have been obtained from a tree, and the fruit- 
ing specimens, accompanied also by flowers, to have come from a trailing shrub. 
We are thus led to believe that this species varies in habit according to en- 
vironment, and the same apparent contradiction in regard to other species of 
the genus leads to a like conclusion as to this dimorphism. I have myself never 
noticed a pronounced diversity in the habit of Machaerium species, but I have 
in Panama often found Clitoria arborescens Ait. growing in cleared places as 
a low, erect shrub, while in the forest it was decidedly a trailer, with long 
vinelike stems. 
While Machaerium pachyphyllum is easily recognized as a member of the 
section Reticulata Benth., its nearer affinities are not easy to determine. It is 
characterized by its thick leafiets, variable indument, and very large flowers 
and pods. 
