(312 Britton : Pisonia 



The Pisonia obtusata of Swartz has been referred, together with 

 P. coccinea Svv., which came from Haiti, to P. inermis J acq., origin- 

 ally from Cartagena on the mainland of South America, but with- 

 out the present opportunity to examine type-specimens I am 

 unable to verify this reference ; Heimerl places P. coccinea Sw., in 

 the related genus Neea. Pisonia Pacurcro H.B.K. is referred by 

 Grisebach and by the Index Kewensis to P. inn-mis, and plants 

 from the Windward Islands, Porto Rico and Jamaica, as well as 

 numerous South American specimens, certainly appear to be con- 

 specific with the one figured on plate 24 of the Botany of the 

 Herald ; if Herr Heimerl had stopped to compare the plate of 

 Jacquin illustrating P. obtusata with this illustration, I think he 

 could not have failed to have noticed that they represent two 

 entirely different species, although he cites them both under P. 

 obtusata Sw. 



I have a further criticism to make of current generic references 

 of these trees to the genus Pisonia L., the type species of which is 

 P. aculcata L., a woody vine with recurved prickles and clavate 

 gland-bearing fruit ; the trees under consideration being wholly 

 unarmed and with red drupe-like fruits, the smooth fleshy or juicy 

 exocarp completely enclosing the hard ribbed anthocarp ; that 

 they can be congeneric with P. aculcata it is quite impossible to 

 believe after seeing them growing in proximity with it in the 

 Bahamian coastal thickets, and from an examination of the litera- 

 ture bearing on Pisonia I conclude that the generic name Torrubia 

 Veil. Fl. Flum. 139 (1825), is the first one available for them, 

 having as its type T. opposita Veil. loc. cit., from maritime woods 

 at Santa Cruz, Brazil. The Floridian and West Indian species 

 known to me are as follows : 



1. Torrubia obtusata (Jacq.) 



Pisonia obtusata Jacq. Hort. Schoenbr. 3: 36. pi. J 14. 1825. 



Pisonia calophylla Heimerl, Bot. Jahrb. 21 : 625. 1896. 



Leaves oval or elliptic, thick, rounded at the apex, 6—9 cm. 

 long, about twice as long as wide, often revolute-margined, the 

 upper ones subcordate, the lower sometimes rounded or a little 

 narrowed at the base; petioles stout, 3—5 mm. long; fruit bright 

 red, shining, juicy, the anthocarp 5—8 mm. long. 



Low coppices and scrub lands, mostly near the sea, island of 



