Gleason: Studies on West Indian Vernonieae 331 



Lepidaploa, Paniculatae dichotomae 

 Vernonia menthaefolia (Popp.) Less. Linnaea 4 : 268. 1829. 

 Eupatorium menthaefolium Popp. in Spreng. Syst. 3: 412. 1826. 

 Vernonia Grisebachii Sch.-Bip. Jour. Bot. 1: 231. 1863. 



The original description of this species by Poppig is too brief 

 to be of any value at the present time. But his specimens were 

 preserved, and examined later by both Schultz and Lessing. Les- 

 sing gives a detailed description, based on these types, stating that 

 the heads are many-flowered and 3 lines high. Schultz' descrip- 

 tion, referring without doubt to the same specimens, or to dupli- 

 cates of them, indicates that the heads are n-fiowered and the 

 involucre hardly 1 line high. He then described V. Grisebachii, 

 as cited above, to include the forms with large heads, based on 

 Wright 130 j. Examination of an ample series of specimens at the 

 present time reveals but one species, agreeing with Lessing's and 

 Schultz' descriptions, but never with the small heads ascribed by 

 the latter to V. menthaefolia. In the series examined are two of 

 Wright's collections, 282 and 27Q2, and Shafer 88u, which was 

 found by Dr. Britton to agree with the specimen of Wright 1305 

 in the Kew herbarium. Throughout the series the heads have 

 11 to 18 flowers, and the involucres are 4-5 mm. high. The 

 leaves show considerable variation, from narrowly oblong-lanceo- 

 late, acuminate at both ends, to ovate, rounded at the base and 

 acute at the apex. These characters are not sufficiently definite 

 or constant to permit the recognition of two species. 



V. menthaefolia is the most abundant species of the genus in 

 Cuba, judged from the frequency of its collection, and occurs 

 throughout the island. 



Among recent accession to the Herbarium of the New York 

 Botanical Garden is an Eremosis from the state of Durango, which 

 differs distinctly from all the fifteen described species of the genus. 



Eremosis ovata sp. nov. 



Shrubby; height and habit not stated; stem obscurely striate, 

 closely cinereous-pubescent, becoming tomentulose in the inflores- 

 cence; leaves thick, firm, ovate to ovate-elliptic, 7-10 cm. long, 

 4-5 cm. wide, obtuse or subacute, entire, obtuse at base, dull 

 green, minutely and softly tomentulose above, densely cinereous- 



