350 Britton : Studies of West Indian plants 



in moist and wet districts. Recorded by Engler from Santo 

 Domingo and from Cuba. 



The inflorescence, leaf-rachis, and venation of this species are 

 sparingly pubescent. The races differ greatly in the length of 

 the spiny tips of the teeth of the leaflets. 



1 6. Comocladia dentata Jacq. Enum. PI. Carib. 12. 1760 



Comocladia propinqua H. B. K. Nov. Gen. 7: 16. 1824. 



Comocladia dentata propinqua Engler, in DC. Mon. Phan. 4: 

 364. 1883. 



Type locality: Near Havana, Cuba (according to Jacq. Stirp. 

 Am. 13. pi. 173). 



Distribution: Woodlands at lower elevations, provinces of 

 Camagiiey, Havana, Matanzas, and Santa Clara, Cuba, ascending 

 to 420 meters on the Trinidad Mountains; Santo Domingo. 



Field observations indicate that Comocladia dentata and C. 

 propinqua can not be held as distinct species; the leaflets vary 

 from narrowly lanceolate to broadly ovate, and from sharply 

 spinulose-dentate to nearly or quite entire. The tree becomes 6 

 meters high in Santa Clara, Cuba. 



Note. Comocladia dentata brevifolia Engler, in DC. Mon. 

 Phan. 4: 364. 1883. 



I have not seen this plant, described as from "Domingo" 

 it may be the same as the following species. 



17. Comocladia domingensis sp. nov. 



Twigs densely short-pubescent. Leaves about 2 dm. long, 

 the rachis densely short-pilose; leaflets 17-19, ovate to ovate- 

 elliptic, sessile, chartaceous, obtuse at the apex, rounded or sub- 

 truncate at the base, glabrous and rather dark green above, pilose 

 on the prominent veins and light green beneath, the lower ones 

 1.5-2.5 cm. long, the others 4-5 cm. long, 2-3 cm. wide, serrate 

 with 7 or 8 spinulose-tipped teeth on each margin and spinulose 

 at the apex; panicles narrow, slender, loosely pilose, about 13 cm. 

 long; flowers 4-parted; sepals orbicular, 0.5 mm. long; petals 

 ovate, obtuse, 1 mm. long; stamens much shorter than the petals. 



Santo Domingo (Wright, Parry & Brummell iqo, in United 

 States National Herbarium). 



