17,8 Merrill: Noteworthy Philippine Plants, XVI 245 
in length, sparingly pubescent. Bracts peltate, about 1 mm in 
diameter. Anthers apparently 2. 
SAMAR, Catubig River, Bur. Sci. 24278 Ramos, March 138, 1916, 
on trees in damp forests at low altitudes. 
A species belonging in the group with Piper penninerve C. 
DC. and most closely allied to Piper longilimbum C. DC., from 
which it is distinguished by its smaller, caudate-acuminate 
leaves and by its staminate spikes being but half as long as in 
the latter species. 
PIPER ELMERI sp. nov. § Eupiper. 
Frutex dioicus, scandens, ramis circiter 1 cm diametro; foliis 
chartaceis ad subcoriaceis, late ovatis, aequilateralibus, basi 
profunde cordatis, 10- vel 12-plinerviis, apice acutis vel acumi- 
natis, usque ad 30 cm longis, subtus molliter pubescens; spicis 
¢ usque ad 25 cm longis, circiter 4 mm diametro, bracteis pu- 
bescens, peltatis, 2.5 ad 3.5 mm longis; spicis @ usque ad 25 cm 
longis, cylindricis, densis; fructibus pedicellatis, ovoideis, 7 ad 
9 mm longis, pedicellis usque ad 1.5 cm longis. 
A coarse, woody, dioecious vine, the branches up to 1 cm in 
diameter, the older ones somewhat angled, rugose and brown- 
ish when dry. Leaves chartaceous to subcoriaceous, broadly 
ovate, 15 to 30 cm long, 11 to 23 cm wide, equilateral or nearly 
so, the base deeply cordate, 10- or 12-plinerved, the sinus rather 
narrow up to 4 cm deep, the basal lobes broadly rounded, apex 
acute or somewhat acuminate, the upper surface glabrous, shin- 
ing, olivaceous, the lower surface softly pubescent; nerves prom- 
inent, the reticulations distinct; petioles up to 6 cm in length. 
Inflorescences simple, leaf-opposed, the staminate ones up to 25 
em long, about 4 mm in diameter, their peduncles 1.5 to 2 cm 
long. Staminate flowers numerous, the stamens 2, about 2 mm 
long, the bracts peltate, oblong-ovate, obtuse, pubescent, 2.5 to 
3.5 mm long. Pistillate inflorescences up to 20 cm long or in 
‘fruit up to 25 cm in length, the rachis rather stout, cylindric, 
about 5 mm in diameter, the flowers numerous, crowded, sessile 
or subsessile, the ovary ovoid to elliptic, glabrous, about 2 mm 
long, the stigmas 8 or 4, sessile, the pedicels increasing in length 
immediately after anthesis and in fruit up to 1.5 cm long, 
spreading, the fruits ovoid, yellowish-red when fresh, somewhat 
wrinkled and usually black when dry, 7 to 9 mm long, the rachis 
with numerous unfertilized flowers in addition to those which 
develop into fruits. 
SAMAR, Catubig River, Bur. Sci. 24256 Ramos (type), Feb- 
ruary 10, 1916. Luzon, Sorsogon Province, Mount Pokdal, 
