all other South American species of the genus by its 
strongly discolorous leaves. In many respects, it seems to 
approach most closely to Tetrapteris discolor (G. F. W. 
Meyer) DC., a rather polymorphic species which, with 
its several varieties, occurs from Guatemala and the 
West Indies south to Bolivia. Tetrapteris methystica may 
be distinguished from 7°‘. discolor by its smaller and more 
long-acuminate leaves which are, even in the adult stage, 
sericeous on both surfaces and which are covered beneath 
with a thick layer of wax; by its apparent lack of folio- 
laceous stipules (which, if they do occur, are extremely 
caducous); by having a more corymbiform inflorescence ; 
by its long allantoid (instead of obovoid) and recurved 
or arcuate anthers; by its rather acute and loosely seri- 
ceous (instead of rounded and glabrous) sepals with 
smaller glands; by its basally rounded (instead of strongly 
sagittate) petal-blades; and by the shape of the upper 
lateral wings of the samara, which are obcuneiform in 
outline. 
Tetrapteris methystica has been so named because it is 
employed by the Maku Indians of the Ira-I garapé (and 
possibly by other tribes of the upper Rio Negro-Vaupés 
area) as the source of astrong narcotic drink. It is known 
as caapl, the same name which is applied to the related 
Banisteriopsis Caapi (Spruce ex Griseb.) Morton, the 
source of the well known narcotic discovered by Spruce 
a century ago in the same region (cf. Spruce, R. [ed. 
A. R. Wallace] ‘‘Notes of a botanist on the Amazon 
und Andes’’ 2 (1908) 414 ff.). 
Inasmuch as [ am preparing a comprehensive article 
on the malpighiaceous narcotics of South America, a 
discussion of the use of Tetrapteris methystica will be de- 
ferred for that general paper. The use of a member of 
the genus Vetrapteris as a narcotic was first reported in 
the literature in 1952 (Hill, A. F. ‘‘ Economie Botany” 
[ 204 ] 
