July 3, 1913] Palawan Acanthac«ab 1691 



branched, 2 dm. high. Leaves ascending or the lower ones 

 liorizontal, submembranous, darker green on the upper gla- 

 brous side, beneath also glabrous except the nerves wlien 

 young puberulent, opposite, only with 2 or 3 pairs toward 

 the top, in the dry state blackish brown especially on the 

 upper surface, entire, unequal in size, ovately oblong to 

 elliptic, gradually tapering toward the blunt acute apex, ob- 

 tusely rounded at base, the large blades 6 cm. long by one 

 half as wide below the middle; petiole less than 1 cm. long, 

 finely yellowish pubescent; midvein similar in vestiture, the 

 3 to 5 lateral pairs ascendingly curved, reticulations coarse 

 and quite evident from beneath. Flowers 2 or 3 in sub- 

 sessile axillary clusters, erect, subtended by a nun)ber of 

 foliaceous bracts; bracts puberulent, linear to oblongish, 

 membranous, narrowed toward the base, entire, the outer or 

 larger ones nearly 2 cm. long; calyx also greenish, 4 to 5 

 mm. long, setaceously acuminate, cinereously puberulent on 

 the exterior, the 5 segments united at the very base; 

 elongated bud cinereous; corolla over 2 cm. long, cylindric 

 toward the base, the middle portion saccate and puberulent, 

 the lobes widely spreading; lobes 5, subequal, subrotund or 

 broadly oblong, nearly 1 cm. long and one fourth less in 

 width; stamens all fertile, 4; filaments flattened, glabrous, 

 attached below the middle of the corolla, the longer ones 

 4.5 mm. long, the shorter pair only one half as long and 

 inserted a trifle above the longer ones; anther ovately oblong, 

 2 mm. long, basifixed and sagittate at base, apex mucronate, 

 usually curved; ovary obovoidly oblong, nearly glabrous; 

 style slender, finely pubescent. Capsule straw brown, 1 cm. 

 long at least, stipitate toward base, 4 mm. wide above the 

 middle, obscurely angular, apex very blunt, 2-celled, about 

 2-seeded; the retinaculae needle-like, bearing the brown quite 

 smooth 1 mm. wide lenticular seeds. 



Type specimen number 12922, A. D. E. Elmer, Puerto 

 Princesa (Mt. Pulgar), Palawan, April, 1911. 



Found in moist humus covered alluvial soil bearing 

 copses on the raised banks of the Iwahig river at 25 feet 

 altitude. 



Apparently Ruellia according to Engler and PrantVs Pflan- 

 zenfamilien. 



