﻿OCT. 
  19, 
  1922 
  standley: 
  persimmon 
  from 
  mexico 
  399 
  

  

  This 
  species, 
  from 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Rio 
  Huallaga 
  near 
  Yurimaguas, 
  Peru, 
  

   was 
  stated 
  by 
  its 
  authors 
  to 
  be 
  without 
  doubt 
  identical 
  with 
  Piratinera 
  

   guianensis 
  Aubl. 
  Pittier,^^ 
  however, 
  considers 
  it 
  "probable 
  that 
  it 
  belongs 
  

   neither 
  to 
  Brosimum 
  nor 
  to 
  Piratinera, 
  but 
  perhaps 
  to 
  Helicostylis." 
  The 
  

   description 
  and 
  figures 
  of 
  the 
  receptacle 
  and 
  floral 
  parts, 
  however, 
  particularly 
  

   of 
  the 
  peltate 
  bracteoles, 
  seem 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  plant 
  is 
  a 
  Piratinera, 
  

   and 
  that 
  the 
  staminate 
  flowers 
  were 
  overlooked. 
  The 
  diff"erence 
  in 
  range 
  

   makes 
  it 
  improbable 
  that 
  the 
  plant 
  is 
  identical 
  with 
  Aublet's 
  species. 
  Until 
  

   more 
  information 
  is 
  secured, 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  dispose 
  of 
  the 
  name 
  definitely. 
  

  

  BOTANY. 
  — 
  Diospyros 
  conzattii, 
  a 
  new 
  species 
  of 
  persimmon 
  from 
  

   Mexico. 
  Paul 
  C. 
  Standley, 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum.^ 
  

  

  The 
  National 
  Museum 
  has 
  received 
  recently 
  from 
  Prof. 
  C. 
  Con- 
  

   zatti 
  of 
  Oaxaca, 
  Mexico, 
  specimens 
  of 
  a 
  native 
  persimmon 
  which 
  can 
  

   not 
  be 
  referred 
  satisfactorily 
  to 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  ten 
  species 
  previously 
  

   listed 
  from 
  the 
  country. 
  The 
  Mexican 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  are 
  en- 
  

   demic, 
  with 
  two 
  exceptions 
  — 
  Diospyros 
  ebenaster 
  Retz., 
  an 
  East 
  

   Indian 
  species 
  with 
  large 
  fruit 
  (4 
  to 
  7 
  cm. 
  in 
  diameter 
  or 
  larger), 
  

   which 
  is 
  widely 
  cultivated, 
  being 
  known 
  commonly 
  as 
  "zapote 
  prieto;" 
  

   and 
  D. 
  texana 
  Scheele, 
  the 
  "chapote" 
  or 
  "chapote 
  prieto," 
  which 
  

   extends 
  into 
  western 
  Texas. 
  All 
  the 
  Mexican 
  persimmons 
  have 
  

   edible 
  fruit, 
  whose 
  pulp 
  is 
  usually 
  black 
  at 
  maturity. 
  The 
  species 
  

   here 
  described 
  is 
  an 
  interesting 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  known 
  trees 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  

   especially 
  since 
  the 
  collector 
  has 
  furnished 
  such 
  complete 
  information 
  

   concerning 
  it. 
  

  

  Diospyros 
  conzattii 
  Standi., 
  sp. 
  nov. 
  

  

  Tree, 
  10 
  meters 
  high, 
  the 
  branchlets 
  minutely 
  and 
  sparsely 
  fulvous-puberu- 
  

   lent; 
  petioles 
  4 
  to 
  6 
  mm. 
  long, 
  minutely 
  puberulent 
  or 
  glabrous; 
  leaf 
  blades 
  

   ovate-oblong 
  or 
  lance-oblong, 
  5 
  to 
  9 
  . 
  5 
  cm. 
  long, 
  2 
  . 
  5 
  to 
  3 
  . 
  5 
  cm. 
  wide, 
  acumi- 
  

   nate, 
  acute 
  or 
  subobtuse 
  at 
  base, 
  subcoriaceous, 
  glabrous, 
  somewhat 
  lustrous 
  

   above, 
  the 
  costa 
  depressed, 
  the 
  lateral 
  nerves 
  nearly 
  obsolete, 
  the 
  costa 
  

   prominent 
  beneath, 
  the 
  lateral 
  nerves 
  also 
  prominent, 
  slender, 
  irregular, 
  

   5 
  or 
  6 
  on 
  each 
  side; 
  fruits 
  borne 
  on 
  short 
  stout 
  pedicels; 
  calyx 
  5-parted, 
  

   the 
  lobes 
  narrowly 
  lance-oblong 
  or 
  linear-lanceolate, 
  15 
  to 
  18 
  mm. 
  long, 
  

   long-attenuate, 
  glabrous 
  or 
  sparsely 
  strigillose 
  outside 
  near 
  the 
  base; 
  fruit 
  

   depressed-globose, 
  about 
  4 
  cm. 
  broad 
  and 
  2 
  cm. 
  high, 
  glabrous, 
  green, 
  the 
  

   pulp 
  black; 
  seeds 
  5 
  to 
  10, 
  strongly 
  compressed, 
  about 
  13 
  mm. 
  long 
  and 
  10 
  

   mm. 
  broad, 
  brown, 
  finely 
  rugulose. 
  

  

  Type 
  in 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Herbarium, 
  no. 
  1,014,759, 
  collected 
  in 
  the 
  

   Cafetal 
  San 
  Rafael, 
  Cerro 
  Espino, 
  Distrito 
  de 
  Pochutla, 
  Oaxaca, 
  Mexico, 
  

   April 
  24, 
  1917, 
  by 
  C. 
  Conzatti 
  (no. 
  3167). 
  

  

  " 
  Contr. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Nat. 
  Herb. 
  20: 
  98. 
  1918. 
  

  

  ' 
  Published 
  by 
  permission 
  of 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution. 
  Received 
  

   September 
  26, 
  1922. 
  

  

  