Vol. 32, pp. 187-188 September 30, 1919 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A NEW SALVIA FROM GUATEMALA. 

 BY S. F. BLAKE. 



Specimens of a Salvia, collected in Guatemala by Mr. Wilson 

 Popenoe of the Bureau of Plant Industry and recently referred 

 to the writer for determination, prove to represent a new species 

 which promises to be of value for horticultural purposes, from 

 its abundance of azure-blue flowers. Mr. Popenoe believes that 

 it will prove hardy in southern California and southern Florida, 

 and that it will be possible to grow it elsewhere in the United 

 States as a bedding plant, as it is readily propagated by means 

 of cuttings. At the suggestion of the collector the species is 

 named for Mr. Robert W. Hempstead of Tucuni, Alta Verapaz, 

 Guatemala, who materially aided Mr. Popenoe in his explora- 

 tions in Guatemala. 



Salvia hempsteadiana, sp. nov. 



Stems several, erect, "45 to 60 cm. high, half -woody at base," 4-sulcate 

 with rounded angles, puberulous in the grooves, sparsely hispidulous and 

 sessile-glandular on the angles; leaf blades 3.5 to 7 cm. long, 2.5 to 5.5 cm. 

 wide, triangular, narrowed from just above base to apex, truncate at base, 

 hastately 1 to 2-dentate on each side near base, crenate to subentire above, 

 papyraceous, deep green above, puberulous along costa and chief veins, on 

 surface sparsely gland-dotted and finely hispidulous, beneath usually pur- 

 plish, gland-dotted, sparsely hispidulous along costa; petioles purplish, 

 puberulous above, slender, 2 to 5 cm. long, their bases connected by a puber- 

 ulous ring; uppermost pair of leaves reduced, lance-ovate; peduncle (6 to 8 

 cm. long) and inflorescence densely pilose with gland-tipped hairs and 

 stipitate-glandular; branches of inflorescence several, ascending, the lowest 

 5 to 10 cm. long, the flowers loosely racemose; pedicels 1.5 to 3.5 mm. long; 

 calyx 3 to 3.5 mm. long, stipitate-glandular and sparsely pilose with gland- 

 tipped hairs, ciliate with chiefly eglandular hairs, green or violet-tinged, the 

 upper lip tridenticulate, the teeth of the subequal lower lip lanceolate, acute, 

 0.5 mm. long; corolla 2.2 cm. long, "sky-blue," violet-blue when dried, 

 38— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 32, 1919. (187) 



