Tap. 7445. 
AMASONIA BreEcta. 
Var. LATEBRACTEATA. 
Native of tropical South America, 
Nat. Ord. Verpenacea.—Tribe VERBENES. 
Genus Amasonta, Linn. f.; (Benth. & Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. ii. p. 1147.) 
Amasonta erecta; frutex gracilis pubescens, foliis obovato-oblongis obtusis in 
petiolum angustatis grosse crenato-serratis glabris v. puberulis luride 
viridibus, floribus racemulosis, racemulis brevibus in paniculam ter- 
minalem elongatam racemiformem dispositis subsecundis confertis 
bracteatis breviter pedicellatis, bracteis ovatis v. fere orbiculatis apiculatis- 
serrulatis coccineis basi aureis, floribus nutantibus, calycis tubo brevi 
laciniis basi contiguis ovatis acuminatis, corolla pallide flaves tubo 
elongato piloso, lobis tubo plus quam dimidio brevioribus oblongis 
obtusis rugulosis coccineo-reticulatis ciliatis. 
A. erecta, Linn. f. Suppl. p. 294. Vahl Helog. vol. ii. p. 51. Schauer in DC. 
Prodr. vol. xi. p. 677. Benth, in Ann. Nat. Hist. vol. ii, (1839), p. 450. 
Bocquill. Rev, Verbenac. 121. 
A. punicea, Vahl. l.c., Schauer lc. et in Mart. Fl. Bras. vol. ix. p. 292. 
Bocquill. tl. e. 
A. arborea, Humb. Bonpl. & Kunth Nov. Gen. § Sp. vol. ii. p. 258. 
Taligalea campestris, Aubl. Guian. vol. ii. p. 625, t. 252. 
Var. latebracteata, bracteis orbicularibus breviter petiolatis remote denticula- 
tis. Tab. nostr. 7445. 
Amasonia erecta is the type (if the earliest discovered 
species is considered the type) of a small genus of 
Brazilian plants, which, owing to the variability of its 
floral bracts, has been described under two specific names 
by its author, Vahl, and most succeeding ones. Bentham in- 
deed, upwards of sixty years ago, pointed out that Vahl’s A. 
punicea was only a variety of A. erecta, but no subsequent 
author has referred to this, though Schauer in DC. Prodr. 
l.c. says of punicea, “very close to A. erecta, and hardly 
differing, except in the size of the leaves and bracts.”? An 
examination of a large suite of specimens from many locali- 
ties, extending from Trinidad to Central Brazil (Prov. 
Piauhy), shows so great variation in the size of the 
foliage and form of the floral bracts, that it would be 
difficult to classify them; the most divergent being those 
NovemMsBer Ist, 1895. 
