THREE NEW COMrOSIT.E FROM PERU 263 



be of interest, too, to ascertain by experiment whether the rolling 

 of the spathe constitutes what is known as a Mendelian character. 

 Herein, however, I propose to do no more than place on record 

 the facts observed. 



The number of similar cases which occur in Nature is, I 

 believe, small. Darwin records '■' that the Woody Nightshade 

 [Solanum Dulcamara), a plant with exceedingly feeble climbing 

 powers, revolves its shoots and twines indifferently in either 

 direction. He mentions! also one or two other more or less 

 similar cases among chmbing plants. 



THEEE NEW COMPOSITE FEOM PEEU. 

 By Albert Hanford Moore and Spencer le M. Moore. 



During a recent visit to South America Mr. H. O. Forbes 

 made a small collection of plants in Peru, and upon his return 

 presented them to the British Museum. The list includes several 

 GompositcB, all known species except the three here described. 

 The first is a Spilanthes ; of this, as it was not determinable from 

 the clavis given by Mr. Albert Hanford Moore, of Washington, 

 in his monograph of the genus (Proc. Am. Acad. Arts & Sci. xlii. 

 521, 569 (1907) ), a specimen was sent to that gentleman with a 

 request, kindly complied with, to furnish a description, if its 

 supposed novelty should indeed prove a fact. For the others I 

 am responsible. — S. M. 



^^ Spilanthes iolepis A. H. Moore, sp. nov. Caule erecto minute 

 pubescente foliis ovatis ca. 2-3 cm. longis 1-1-5 cm. latis pihs 

 albis instructis dentibus aut serrationibus induratis, apice acuto, 

 basi rotundata vel subacuta, petiolis ca. 0-6-1 cm. longis ; capitulis 

 subovoideis aut subcylindricis conspicue irregulariterque violaceo- 

 punctatis, pedunculis 2-6-5 cm. longis; involucri squamis numerosis 

 violaceis pubescentibus ; achseniis valde ciliatis. 



Hab. Peruvian coast to 7000 ft. 



A S. leucantha H. B. K. (Nov. Gen. & Sp. PI. iv. 210, t. 370 

 (1820) ) maxime differt achaeniis ciliatis ; a S. ocymifolia (Lam.) 

 A. H. Moore {op. cit. 531) involucri squamis numerosis in locum 

 6-8, foHis plerumque majoribus ; et ab ambabus differt capituUs 

 violaceo-punctatis et involucri squamis violaceis, foliorum dentibus 

 induratis. 



The earlier illustrations of Spilanthes ocymifolia show a larger 

 number of involucral scales, as characteristic of S. iolepis rather 

 than of S. ocymifolia \ \ L'Heritier even gives the number as 

 twelve in the accoiiipanying text. The involucre in the Illustr. 

 Genres has a stiff diagrammatic appearance, and I have observed 



* Climbing Plants, 2nd ed., pp. 20, 34, and 43 (1875). 

 t Op. cit., pp. 33-36. 



t Bidens ocijmifoUa Lam. — Poir. Illustr. Genres, iii. '244, t. GG8, f. 3 

 (18'23) : .Spilanth'us alhus LHer. Stirp. Nov. i. 7, t. 4 (1784). 



