August 18, 1913) Four Scork of New Plants 1813 



Manuel E. Blanco, who possessed a great interest in plant 

 life besides performing his regiUar acclesiastical work. 



Taxatrophis obtusa Elm. n. np 



Quite a slender tree; stem 2.5 dm. thick, 10 m. high, 

 branched from above the middle, terete, the main branches 

 ultimately numerously rebranched; the twigs relatively short, 

 suberect, whitish, repeatedly branched, the young more or 

 less angular and its green apical portion glabrous; wood dingy 

 white, concentrically ringed, without taste, brittle and heavy; 

 bark smoothish, grayish white, hypodermic green, otherwise 

 sappy white. Leaves also ascending, rigidly coriaceous or 

 chartaceous, glabrous, shining on the shallowly folded upper 

 surface, the lower side drying dull dirty brown, copious, 

 alternate, exceedingly diverse in size, elliptic or ovately elliptic, 

 the larger ones 5 cm. long by 3 cm. wide across the middle 

 or a trifle below it, the entire margins quite conspicuously 

 curved upon the nether side, base broadly obtuse or more 

 frequently rounded, broadly obtuse at apex and terminated 

 by a minute though sharp usually curved point, the smaller 

 leaves 2 cm. long only; midrib smooth on both sides, bold 

 beneath, fin^ly ridged along the upper deeply grooved side; 

 lateral nerves 5 to 7 pairs, divaricate or ascending, tips 

 united a few mm. below the margins, barely evident from 

 beneath, grayish white, reticulations very minute and of the 

 same color, giving the nether side of the leaves a finely 

 tessellate appearance; petiole 3 mm. long, glabrous, caniculate 

 along the upper side; bud bracts sharply acuminate, similar 

 in color and in length, glabrous. Spikes axillary, erect, the 

 rachis yellowish green, 1 to 1.5 cm. long, h mm. thick, 

 terete, at the base subtended by a series of reddish brown 

 glabrous ovate to elliptic rigidly coriaceous bracts, this same 

 series of imbricating bracts scattered along the rachis in a 

 twisting manner clear to the distal end; flowers numerous,- 

 sessile, chiefly grouped along the opposite side of the rotund 

 and finely ciliate series of bracts; calyx nearly badius, seg- 

 mented, membranous, united at the base, oblong, 1.5 mm. 

 long, finely puberulent on the back, margins usually incurved, 

 recurved in anthesis; anthers cremeus, 4, opposite the seg- 



