113 



NOTES ON CEETAIN PASSIFLOBE.E FEOM WESTERN 

 TROPICAL AMERICA. 



By Maxwell T. Masters, M.D., F.R.S. 



The following notes refer to a small collection of Passijiorea^ 

 made by Mr. Lehmanu when travelling in various parts of Central 

 America and New Granada. They comprise the description of two 

 previously undescribed forms, and they may serve to extend our 

 knowledge of certain species and their distribution. In drawing up 

 the list I have availed myself of the careful notes made by Mr. 

 Lehmann. Throughout I have cited my monograph of the order 

 in Martius and Eichler's 'Flora Brasiliensis,' vol. xiii., part 1, 

 March, 1872, in which full synonymy and references to the 

 literature will be found. I have also quoted, where necessary, the 

 monograph of New Granadan species by Messrs. Triana and 

 Planchon in the 'Annales des Sciences Naturelles,' 5me ser., 

 t. xvii. (1873), p. 121 ; and my own paper relating to the species 

 collected by M. Andre in the ' Journal of the Linnean Society,' 

 vol. XX., p. 25 (1882). 



Tacsonia Juss. 



"^ T. pinnatistipula Juss.; Mast, ni Flor. Brasil. /. f . 537; Journ. 

 Linn. Soc. xx. p. 26. — " Grows in the western mountains of the 

 Savana de Bogota, alt. 2500 metres. State of Cundinamarca, fl. 

 January, of a most beautiful rose-colour." — Lchniann n. 2509. 



T. MIXTA Juss. ; Mast, in Flor. Brasil. /. c. — Var. quitcnsis Mast. 

 I.e. 541; et in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. p. 28. — '-Curubo or Curubita 

 incol. Bogotens. Stems much branched, attaining a length of 

 8 metres. Leaves of robust texture, pubescent, opaque, dark green. 

 Flowers light flesh-red. Fruit elliptic, as large as a partridge-egg, 

 eatable. Grows on fences about Fontibon, on the Savana de 

 Bogota, alt. 2500-2800 metres, January, 1883. State of Cundina 

 marca." — Lehmann n. 2489. Triana and Planchon, p. 132, prefer to 

 place this under P. tomentosa of Lamarck. 



T. MIXTA Juss. — Var. speciuaa Mast. I.e. 541. — P. mixta Triana 

 et Planchon /. c. 128. — " Flowers light flesh-red. Open woods near 

 Paisbamba, on the western slopes of the volcano of Sotara, alt. 

 2800 metres, May, 1883. State of Cauca, Colombia." — Lehmann 

 n. 2480. 



In a former communication I have alluded to the different 

 arrangement of certain forms of Tacsonia, and to the difl'erent views 

 as to the synonymy of the species taken by Messrs. Triana and 

 Planchon from those I have adopted. The species, so-called, 

 I)robably intercross freely, and the fruit is rarely preserved in 

 herbaria, so that there is ample room for difl'erence of opinion. 

 Messrs. Triana and Planchon speak of the fi'uits of P. tomentosa, 

 under which they include T. qiiitensis and T. mollissima, as "deux 

 fois gros comme un oeuf de poulc," yellow, velvetj^ with a pulpy 

 aril to the seed, of a yellow colour, a pleasant odour, and agreeable 

 taste. The fruit of T. mollissima in English gardens answers fairly 



Journal of Botany. — Vol. 23. [April, 1885. J i 



