Britton: Studies of West Indian plants 389 



4-6 mm. broad, rounded or acutish and apiculate at the apex, 

 papery, several nerved, the two inner sepals lanceolate, 5-6 mm. 

 long, acuminate; petals lanceolate to narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 

 5.5-6 mm. long, 2-2.5 mm. broad, acute, glabrous; filaments 

 subulate, glabrous; anthers oblong; ovary subglobose, villous. 



Type collected along trail, Rio Yamaniguey to Camp Toa, 



Oriente, Cuba (Shafer 4474) ; also collected in the vicinity of Camp 



San Benito, Oriente, Cuba (Shafer 40Q2). 



Purdiaea Shaferi Britton & Wilson, sp. nov. 



A shrub 2 or 3 m. tall; twigs glabrous or nearly so. Leaves 

 broadly elliptic-obovate, 4.5-9.5 cm. long, 2.5-4.5 cm - broad, 

 rounded and emarginate or mucronate at the apex, sessile, 7-9- 

 ribbed, rather faintly and coarsely reticulate-veined, glabrous; 

 bracts obovate, 12-14 mm. long, 7-8 mm. broad, papillose; 

 peduncles and pedicels villous; sepals 5, ciliate, the three outer 

 sepals very unequal, broadly ovate to ovate-oval, 8-12 mm. long, 

 4-8 mm. broad, rounded or acute and apiculate at the apex, 

 papery, clothed mostly toward the base with appressed, silky 

 hairs, several-nerved, the two inner sepals lanceolate, 5-6 mm. 

 long, 2 mm. broad, acuminate; petals elliptic, 5 mm. long, 2.5- 

 3.2 mm. broad, mucronate, glabrous; filaments subulate, glabrous; 

 anthers oblong; ovary globose-ovoid, hirsute; style subulate. 



Type collected in pinelands, vicinity of Baracoa, Oriente, 

 Cuba (Shafer 4285) . 



Purdiaea microphylla Britton & Wilson, sp. nov. 



A shrub I or 2 m. tall; young twigs and branches of the 

 inflorescence more or less hirsute. Leaves oblanceolate to obovate, 

 10-15 mm. long, 5-7 mm. broad, acute at the apex, cuneate at the 

 base, sessile, rigid, faintly 3-ribbed, glabrous; sepals unequal, 

 rigid, the three outer ones ovate to oval, 4 mm. long, 3 mm. broad, 

 acute, the two inner sepals ovate, 3 mm. long, 1.2-1.5 mm. broad, 

 apiculate, ciliate; fruit 5-lobed, the angles keeled, 5-celled, glab- 

 rous; style subulate, persistent. 



Type collected at Camp La Gloria, south of Sierra Moa, 

 Oriente, Cuba (Shafer 826 5). 



Piriqueta cubensis Britton & Wilson, sp. nov. 



A shrub 1-3 m. tall, the young twigs grooved, velvety-ferrugi- 

 nous with stellate hairs. Leaves oblanceolate or obovate, 4-8 cm. 



