456 Britton: Studies of West Indian plants 



villous, as long as the petioles or longer; involucre narrowly cam- 

 panulate, about 3 mm. long, several-flowered ; flowers white. 



Sandy bank, alluvial valley of Rio Yamaniguey, Oriente 

 (Shafer 4201). 



49. UNDESCRIBED SPECIES FROM PORTO RICO 

 Malpighia Shaferi Britton & Wilson, sp. nov. 



A shrub 2-2.5 m. tall, with grayish-brown twigs. Leaves 

 oblong-elliptic to elliptic or somewhat oblong-lanceolate, 13-17 

 cm. long, 4.5-8.5 cm. broad, acute, or rounded and mucronate, or 

 occasionally retuse at the apex, more or less inequilateral and acute 

 or rounded at the base, reticulate-veined above, armed beneath 

 with closely-appressed stinging hairs, the margin somewhat re- 

 volute; petioles stout, 8-12 mm. long; cymes nearly sessile; pedi- 

 cels 8-18 mm. long; sepals elliptic to broadly ovate, 2-3 mm. 

 long, 1. 2-1. 5 mm. broad; glands fully one half the length of the 

 sepals; larger petals lo-ii mm. long, the blades 6 mm. broad, pink, 

 prominently keeled on the back; stamens unequal; anthers 

 cordate; styles unequal, the anterior one slightly shorter than the 

 posterior ones; fruit red. 



Type collected in the vicinity of Isabel Segunda, Vieques 

 Island {Shafer 2448). 



Byrsonima ophiticola Small, sp. nov. 



Tree up to 8 m. tall, the twigs with dark gray bark, the young 

 tips with dark red pubescence. Leaves clustered at the ends of the 

 twigs, 3-6.5 cm. long, the blades spatulate to narrowly obovate, 

 rounded or obtuse at the apex, closely and finely pubescent when 

 young, sparingly pubescent when full-grown, dull, paler green 

 beneath than above, acute or acuminate at the base, rather long- 

 petioled; panicles 5-9 cm. long, the bracts less than 3 mm. long; 

 pedicels closely pubescent, at least in anthesis; sepals ovate or 

 oblong-ovate, 2.5-3 irin^- long, obtuse or acutish, the glands mostly 

 less than one half as long as the sepal-body; petals yellow, turning 

 to scarlet, 8-10 mm. long, the blade broadly reniform or orbicular- 

 reniform, 7-8 mm. wide, the claw shorter than the blades; 

 drupes not seen. 



Serpentine slopes, Guanajibo near Mayaguez {Britton, Cowell, 

 & Brown 4350). Related to Byrsonima lucida DC, from which it 

 differs in the longer petioles, larger panicles, and larger flowers. 

 The petals besides unfolding yellow and turning scarlet, have 

 relatively shorter claws and more broadly reniform blades than 

 in B. lucida, and are of very firm texture and mof'e persistent. 



