Jennings: Contribution to Botany of Isle of Pines. 259 



66i. Blechum Brownei Jussieu. 



Ruellia Blechum Swartz, Observationes Botanicae Quibus Plantae Indiae Occi- 



dentalis, etc., 1791, p. 243. 

 Blechum Brownei Jussieu, Annales du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, IX. 



1807, p. 270; Grisebach, Flora of the British West Indian Islands, 1861, p. 453, 



In field at Sante Fe, May 25, 1910, 0. E. Jennings, No. 615. Gen- 

 eral Distribution: From the Bahamas and Mexico widely distributed 

 south through the West Indies and continental tropical America. 



662. Stenandrium droseroides Nees. 



Stenandrium droseroides Nees, in DeCandolle, Prodromus Systematis Naturalis 

 Regni Vegetabilis, XI, 1847, p. 284. 



Northern part of the island, Blain, No. 11 (Millspaugh) ; in pine- 

 barrens east of Los Indios, May 18, 1910, 0. E. Jennings, No. j^i; 

 abundant but growing singly in the pine-barrens north of Los Indios 

 near the Majagua River, May 19, 1910, 0. E. Jennings, No. jpQ. 

 General Distribution: Cuba and the Isle of Pines. 



A low rosette plant with a short erect subterranean rhizome and 

 roots bearing fusiform tuberous thickenings, and growing rather 

 commonly on the sandy soil of the pine-barrens at Los Indios. The 

 flowers are white with a minute crimson eye. The corolla is some- 

 what two-lipped, the two narrower upper lobes being connate to about 

 one-half their length. Considering the variation of the specimens in 

 size, number of flowers, length of floral bracts, leaves, hairs, etc., as 

 well as the fact that the specimens have tuberous roots, it appears 

 doubtful if consistent differences can be established between the three 

 species Stenandrium tuberosum (Linnaeus) Urban {S. riipestre Nees), 

 S. acuminatum Urban, and S. droseroides Nees. If these plants should 

 prove to be synonymous the species would bear the name Stenandrium 

 tuberosum (Linnaeus) Urban, = Gerardia tuberosa Linnaeus. Nos. 648 

 and 649, p. 254, should follow No. 662, according to recent usage. 



663. Justicia diversifolia Jennings, sp. nov. (Plate XXVIII.) 



Herbaceous, sparsely and minutely hispidulous; stem creeping or 

 ascending, the maximum 2 dm. long, sub-angled, cystolithigerous; 

 leaves entire, very shortly petioled, the lower broadly obovate or 

 oblong, obtuse, at the base mostly acuminate, the upper linear, 2-4 

 cm. long, 1-2 mm. wide, somewhat obtuse; spikes terminalibus, simple 

 or sparingly branched, secund, laxly few-flowered (4-7), pedunculate; 

 bracts and bracteoles subulate, 1-2 mm. long, minutely hispidulous; 



