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BOTANICAL MUSEUM LEAFLETS 
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 
CambBripGr, Massacuusetts, June 5, 1940 Vou. 8, No. 7 
PLANTAE MEXICANAE IV 
BY 
Ricuarp Evans SCHULTES 
NOTES ON THE HISTORY AND DISTRIBUTION OF 
RHODOCHITON VOLUBILE 
Rhodochiton volubile Zucearini ex Otto & Dietrich 
has interested horticulturists ever since its discovery more 
than one hundred years ago. It represents a monotypic 
genus of the Scrophulariaceae, very close to Lophosper- 
mum, to which it has twice been assigned in the past; at 
the present time, Rhodochiton is maintained as distinct. 
This genus is endemic to Oaxaca, and it is probable that 
all of the collections are from the mountainous portions 
of the northeasternmost part of that state. The seeds 
which produced the type plant were collected somewhere 
in Mexico by Baron Karwinski; the fact that Karwinski 
collected in the mountains, where Rhodochiton has since 
been found, is offered as evidence that the place of origin 
of the species was northeastern Oaxaca. The native hab- 
itat of the plant is in the dark, dense, cool rain-forests 
at very high altitudes. 
Rhodochiton volubile Zuccarini ex Otto & Die- 
trich in Verh. Ver. Gart. Preuss. 10 (1829?) 152, t. 1— 
Zuccarini in Abh. Akad. Muench. 1 (1882) 806, in synon. 
Lophospermum atro-sanguineum Zuccarini in Abh. 
Akad. Muench. 1 (1882) 306. 
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