[Repr ; nted from Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club, Vol. 16, No. 20, 1920. j 



Descriptions of Cuban Plants New to Science 



Nathaniel Lord Britton 



The following descriptions of plants new to the Cuban Flora 

 are drawn mostly from specimens collected in recent years on 

 the several expeditions made under the auspices of the New 

 York Botanical Garden and from those collected by Brother Leon 

 of the College of La Salle, Vedado, Havana, and his associates. 

 Brother Leon has contributed descriptions of some grasses; Dr. 

 John H. Barnhart the Lentibulariaceae ; Dr. Francis W. Pennell 

 the Scrophulariaceae ; Dr. S. F. Blake has cooperated with some 

 Card.uaceae ; Dr. Rydberg has contributed a new genus of 

 Fabaceae and Mr. Percy Wilson has assisted at many points. 



Family POACEAE 



Paspalum Rocanum Fr. Leon, sp. nov. 



Perennial from a short rhizome; stems simple, erect or as- 

 cending, 40-60 cm. long, sometimes more; nodes appressed- 

 pubescent; sheaths glabrous, sometimes papillose-ciliate, the 

 lower ones overlapping and often purplish ; ligule membrana- 

 ceous, 2.4-2.8 mm. long; blades glabrous on both surfaces, con- 

 duplicate, acuminate and involute towards apex, rarely flat, up 

 to 25 cm. long, 2-8 mm. wide, firm, erect, somewhat curved; 

 racemes 2 to 4, somewhat divergent, straight or curved, 5-9 cm. 

 long, the common axis 2-4.5 cm - l n g; rachis 1.5-2 mm. broad, 

 with long hairs at base, otherwise glabrous ; spikelets normally in 

 pairs, sometimes crowded, one of the pedicels as long as or longer 

 than the spikelet; spikelets yellowish-green, becoming rufous at 

 maturity, glabrous, 2.1-2.5 mm - l n g> 1 -3~ 1 -6 mm - wide, oval to 

 obovate; glume and sterile lemma equal, short-pointed, 3-nerved; 

 fruit pale, minutely roughened. 



Palm barren, sabana de Motembo, Santa Clara (Leon & Roca 

 8233), is the type, preserved in Colegio De La Salle Herbarium, 

 Vedado, Havana. 



Sabana del Jacan, near San Miguel de los Bafios, Matanzas 



(Leon & Roca 8871). 



Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club, Vol. 16, No. 2. Issued Sep- 

 tember 13, 1920. 



57 



