66 ARKIV FOR BOTANIK. BAND 13. N:0 15. 



species, V. hrachypoda Urb., but afterwards published it 

 as V. acuminata (Urban, 1903, p. 391), apparently consider- 

 ing it to be a highland form of this species. Gleason in his 

 Re vision is of the same opinion: Lessing's V. acuminata 

 is described with aggregated heads, resembling Nichols 

 20 and 120, a character possibly due merely to the habitat, 

 since the latter grew in an altitude of 5000 7400 feet. In 

 his Studies, however, he does the species abundant justice, 

 describing it under three different names, V. pluvialis, V. 

 proclivis and V. reducta. Though I have not seen authentic 

 specimens of these three species, I do not doubt that they are 

 only forms of one species. The differences given by Gleason 

 are merely inconsiderable ones, based on the shape of the 

 leaves and the number of flowers in the heads. V. pluvialis 

 is said to have (5 )8-flowered heads and oblong-ovate to 

 sub-rhomboid leaves, 3 5 cm long, 1,1 1,9 cm wide, V. 

 proclivis has 8-flowered heads and elliptic-oblong leaves, 

 which are 6 8 cm long and 23 cm wide, V. reducta is 

 described as having 5-f lowered heads and narrowly elliptic - 

 -oblong leaves, 4 4,5 cm long by 1,2 1,6 cm wide. The 

 specimens examined b}^ me, clearly belonging to one single, 

 although rather variable, species, show the following data 

 as to the characters in question: 



IiEhder 9 fl., leaves 3,5 cm long, 1,65 cm wide. 



Hart 7 3,2 1,3 



Nichols 120 9 3,3 1,3 



Morris 2120 7 3,4 0,9 



Macnab 5,7 1,5 



It will be seen that there is considerable variation as to 

 the width of the leaves, their shape varjdng accordingly from 

 oblong-rhomboid with very shortly attenuate base to rhom- 

 boid-lanceolate with long-attenuate base. As to the number 

 of flowers I never found heads with only five, though I examined 

 Nichols 120 cited by Gleason under V. pluvialis. 



The three species of Gleason were all collected in the 

 higher mountains of Jamaica, partly in the same localities 

 one of the numbers cited, Britton n. 3851, is quoted both 

 under V. pluvialis and under V. proclivis. It seems, therefore, 

 highly probable that the three specie-, in fact, constitute 

 one single, though very variable, species. 



