JOURNAL 



OF THE 



WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



Vol. io November 4, 1920 No. 18 



BOTANY. — The North American species of Agonandra. Paul 

 C. StandlEy, U. S. National Museum.^ 



While working with the woody plants of Mexico, the writer 

 has segregated from time to time from the undetermined Mexi- 

 can plants in the National Herbarium a rather large number of 

 sheets which evidently belonged to one genus. The specimens 

 come from many widely separated localities, and although of 

 rather characteristic general appearance, it is remarkable to 

 find that none has ever been named generically or even referred 

 to a family. Recently the writer determined that one of the 

 forms had been named by DeCandolle, who applied the name 

 SchaeJJeria racemosa, basing his description upon one of Sesse 

 and Mocino's sketches of Mexican plants. It was evident, 

 however, that the plant had nothing in common with the genus 

 Schaefferia, which belongs to the family Celastraceae. 



Careful examination of the Mexican material and comparison 

 with the herbarium specimens available show that the former 

 belong to the genus Agonandra, a member of the family Opiliaceae. 

 Neither the genus nor the family has been reported heretofore 

 from North America. Only one species of Agonandra has been 

 described, a native of Brazil and Colombia, and it has been the 

 only known American representative of the family, the other 



' Published by permission of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Re- 

 ceived September 21, 1920. 



505 



