characteristic and constant oblong-ovate shape; the tips 
do not have the very long and pronounced cuspidate acu- 
men so typical of Hevea rigidifolia; the upper surface 1s, 
in life, apparently much duller and somewhat less glau- 
cescent ; the lower surface is not so whitish; the margin is 
very much less conspicuously inrolled; the petiolules are 
extremely abbreviated, whereas one of the major charac- 
teristics of H. rigidifolia is the presence of an unusually 
long petiolule; and the texture, in general, is far less 
coriaceous. The leaflets of Baldwin 3670 are very close 
indeed in shape, size and texture to those of Hevea pau- 
ciflora var. coriacea. 
Baldwin (in Journ. Hered. 38 (1947) 56) has stated 
that Hevea pauciflora ‘‘is probably the prototype of H. 
brasiliensis and was likely one of the parents of H.rigid- 
ifolia.”’ Later, the same investigator went much farther 
and wrote: (in Am. Journ. Bot. 84 (1947) 265) ‘‘... A. 
rigidifolia (and certain other species) may have originated 
from intergeneric hybridization of Hevea and Cunwria. 
For this hypothesis, H. pauciflora (from which it is con- 
sidered that Hi. brasiliensis evolved) and Cunuria cras- 
sipes with purplish fruit are selected as possible parents. ”’ 
I cannot accept these assumptions for which no shred 
of evidence is advanced. Baldwin (loc. cit. 265) advances, 
apparently as arguments for his reasoning, a miscellany 
of observation and speculation when he states: ‘‘At 
Montepelago.... and at Iraruca.... purplish-fruited 
Cunuria crassipes grows adjacent to Hi. rigidifolia. The 
leaflets of this species of Hevea are cunurioid. On top 
of the hill at Montepelago, is a huge tree referable to 
H. pauciflora, and that tree is buttressed just as repre- 
sentatives of Cunuria are buttressed. Seed of AH. rigid- 
ifolia and of H. pauciflora are much alike. ‘Those of HZ. 
confusa, though smaller, fall in this group. Under in- 
fluence of the elements, the seed of Hi. rigidifolia lose 
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