gynoecium. No hint of ovules or placental tissue exists. I can 
offer no reasonable explanation for my guide’s asserting that 
this tree produced seeds, especially since this man is a very astute 
observer and would not mistake other floral parts for seeds. It is 
of note, however, that one flower amongst the 60 to 80 examined 
did resemble the pistillate form of //ex paraguariensis. This one 
flower possessed a gynoecium slightly constricted into four car- 
pel regions, each bearing a stigma-like structure directly upon it, 
and it did produce pollen. 
With the discovery of flowers, questions about the natural 
history of /lex Guayusa can be explored. It is interesting that, 
upon cursory examination, flower morphology and leaf shape 
are very much like those of /. paraguariensis. In contrast, how- 
ever, guayusa attains heights of 75 feet, while /. paraguariensis is 
a shrub or small tree growing only to 24 feet. Additionally, 
guayusa leaves are usually much larger. Guayusa is apparently 
dioecious and may well be accommodated in the reproductive 
pattern of the genus. However, little more can be said with 
certainty, and fundamental questions concerning sexual repro- 
duction and lack of vernal synchronization of trees in the same 
area must be answered. 
In conclusion, the next logical step is to search for pistillate 
flowers of guayusa and to determine whether or not they pro- 
duce viable seeds. Furthermore, field data on all species of //lex 
in the New World tropics are needed in order to evaluate effec- 
tively the taxonomic position of this species. It is to be hoped 
that the historical difficulty in finding flowering material will not 
hinder future studies and that 77 years need not pass before the 
reproductive biology of this interesting economic plant is more 
fully understood. 
Ilex Guayusa Loesener emend. Shemluck 
Arbor magna, robusta, usque ad 75 ped. alta sed praecipue in 
cultura usualiter minor. Rami glabri vel subglabri, frequenter 
minute et longitudinaliter delicate striolati. Folia magna, glabra, 
supra vulgo nitidula viridiaque, subtus pallida, interstitis saepis- 
ime 1.5-3 cm. longis dissita; stipulis conspicuis inaequaliter 
subulato-deltoideis, cinereis, usque ad 1.8 mm. longis, basin 
Imm. latis; petiol glabri, plus minusve rugulosi, plerumque 
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