422 FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM BOTANY, VOL. i. 



above in his description of A. Achyrantha, I have referred it here 

 with question. 



Iresiue Hartmanii Uline, n. sp'. (Plate XXIV.) 



Erecta suffruticosa, caulibus ramosis, superne lanato-puberulis, 

 inferne glabris; foliis oppositis (inferne alternis), oblongo-lan- 

 ceolatis, apice acuminatis, basi acutis, supra obsolete puberulis 

 vel glabre'scentibus, subtus densius griseo-pilosis, paniculis laxis; 

 floribus in spicas densas crassas dispositis, quibus alternis in 

 paniculis ad ramos secundas tertiasque sitis^ fl. staminatis lanosis, 

 antheris oblongis, staminodiis subnullis. 



Caules robusti. suffruticosi. Folia usque ad 8 cm. longa, 2 cm. 

 lata. Petiolum 5 10 mm. longum. Rami panicularum late diver- 

 gentes, inferne oppositi, superne alterni, ramulis alternis. Spicce 

 usque ad 8 mm. longae, 3.5 mm. diametro, albido-lanatae, termi- 

 nalibus pedunculatis, lateralibus plerumque sessilibus. Ovarium 

 rudimentum depressum, stylo nullo, stigmatibus 2. Staminodia 

 fere obsoleta. 



Sonora, Mex., Granados, alt. 3,000 ft., in 1890. HARTMAN, 

 232, staminate form. Type in Field Col. Mus. Herb. cat. no. 



49593- 



Distributed as Iresine Schaffneri, but clearly distinct in habit and 

 in the absence of Staminodia. In general appearance it suggests 

 Dicraurus leptocladus, and the fact of some of the lower leaves 

 of the branches being alternate seems to confirm the relationship; 

 but the species of Dicraurus have papillate Staminodia. The 

 rudimentary ovary is so large that the plant was first taken to 

 be hermaphrodite, but in no case could I find even the begin- 

 nings of seed ripening, though many of the flowers were past 

 the stage of anthesis. I conclude, therefore, that the functional 

 pistillate form has yet to be found, this specimen being the 

 staminate form, and constituting a reduction from an earlier 

 hermaphrodite condition a state of things well known in numer- 

 ous other members of the genus. Its shrubbiness, pubescence, 

 dense spicules and much reduced staminodium serve to easily 

 distinguish it. 



