DEC. 1907 SPERMATOPHYTES FROM MEXICO GREENMAN. 253 



with which it has been confused, but from which it differs in 

 having a pubescent inflorescence, more oblong and copiously 

 glandular petals, in having also the inner or upper petal less 

 conspicuously clawed and bearing a scale-like fold on the inner 

 or upper side near the base, and finally by the shorter barely 

 exserted stamens. 



Phaseolus (Drepanocarpos) polyanthus Greenman, sp. nov. 



Stem robust, angulate-striate, sparingly pubescent with 

 ascending, spreading or even reflexed hairs: leaves petiolate, 

 trif oliolate ; petioles 4 to 10 cm. long, slightly pubescent; stipules 

 triangular-ovate, 5 to 6 mm. long, acute ; leaflets rhombic-ovate, 

 or the lateral obliquely ovate, 4 to 10 cm. long, 3 to 9 cm. broad, 

 mucronate-acute, entire, subtruncate to obtuse at the base, 

 dark green and substrigose-hirsute above, slightly paler and 

 hirtellous-puberulent beneath, more or less glabrate, 3-nerved 

 and bearing tufts of white villous hairs in the axils of the veins 

 on the under side; petiolules stoutish, about 5 mm. long, densely 

 tawny-hirsute above; stipels subfalcate-linear, 3 to 4 mm. long, 

 glabrous or essentially so: inflorescence in elongated axillary 

 racemes, 2.5 dm. or less in length; rhachis pubescent; bracts 

 lance-attenuate, about 7 mm. long, pubescent; pedicels becom- 

 ing 12 mm. in length, glabrous or nearly so, and as well as the 

 bracts persistent; bracteoles subtending the calyx, linear- 

 lanceolate to lance-oblong, 6 to 7 mm. long, i to 1.5 mm. broad, 

 acute, 3-5-nerved, ciliolate: calyx about 5 mm. high, subbila- 

 biate, or 2-lobed; tube 3 mm. long; upper lobe emarginate; 

 the lower lobe 3-toothed with the midddle tooth ovate, acute, 

 2 mm. long, the lateral teeth shorter and obtuse: vexillum 

 somewhat oblong-obovate, 12 mm. long, nearly or quite as broad, 

 short-unguiculate with a broad claw; disk barely exceeding 

 i mm. in length, crenate-margined : ovules commonly 6: mature 

 fruit not seen. MEXICO. State of Vera Cruz: on railroad 

 banks near Jalapa, 10 September, 1906, C. R. Barnes, C. J. Cham- 

 berlain & W. J. G. Land, no. 20 (hb. Field Mus., and hb. Uni- 

 versity of Chicago). The species is rather striking on account 

 of the large membranous leaflets, many-flowered inflorescences, 

 persistent pedicels, and the narrow bracts and bracteoles. It 

 suggests P. multiflorus Willd. and P. pedicellatus Benth, but is 

 quite distinct from either of them. 



ASTROCASIA Rob. & Millsp. in Engl. Bot. Jahrb. xxxvi. Beibl. 80: 



19 (i9S)- 

 This genus was first described from staminate specimens only. 



Fertile plants are now at hand, and additional generic char- 

 acters may be given as follows: Pistillate flowers solitary or 

 fascicled. Ovary 3-celled; cells 2-ovuled; stigma sessile, 

 3-lobed, fleshy. Disk cupular. Capsule septicidally dehiscent, 

 each carpel splitting vertically into equal halves ; exocarp readily 

 separating from the endocarp. Seeds ecarunculate. 



